# Prepared Frozen Raw Food



## Starla (Nov 5, 2020)

If you think he would eat kibble better if allowed to graze, there are pet specific feeders that lock unless the correct RFID is there. I have no idea how well they work, if Joey would open it for Bobby and the cat, or anything else, just want to make sure you’re aware that they exist. 😊


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## BennieJets (Oct 10, 2021)

I feed Bennie frozen prepped raw.

In terms of the inconsistent eating, I will say that frozen raw is a bit of a pain. Because you can’t just leave it out (obviously!) I typically thaw one pound at a time and portion them out into meals. I put one portion out at a time and if she’s not interested it goes back in the fridge for later. But if she doesn’t eat it by the end of the day, really I’m supposed to be throwing it out. I have wasted some and it’s been trial and error figuring out how much to portion for her.

In terms of bacteria etc. I have three kids in the house. And as I said, we don’t eat meat so I’m pretty careful about all of it. Hot soapy water for cleaning surfaces and dishes. We’ve not had any problems.

ETA: I just simply continued B on what the breeder had her on, which was the raw. I use kibble for training and I do prefer her poops on the raw food. The times she’s eaten more kibble than raw has been unpleasant 😜 

and another factor I like about raw is that I can switch up the protein types easily. No need to go through a whole bag before making a change. That’s a bonus.


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## reraven123 (Jul 21, 2017)

Zephyr was very thin and very picky as a puppy, so I switched to raw, which he loved and ate right up. I did not feed a pet store formula, but bought from a local outfit that prepared, packaged and delivered to my house. They delivered frozen in two pound "chubs", and I could fit a month's supply in my freezer. After Zephyr was neutered when he turned 2yo his appetite gradually improved. When the outfit I was buying from changed hands, formulas and delivery, and I was preparing to spend a month in Florida I chose to switch him back to kibble and not try to fuss with raw food on the road, and he took to it quite easily, and now eats mostly kibble. I do buy frozen raw nuggets or patties to supplement, but don't stick to one type or brand. 

There is a local raw service, they will deliver or you can pick up. They sell a meat/bone/organs mix but you would have to add veggies if you wanted that. I know someone who uses them and is quite happy with it. Let me know if you want their info. I keep "planning" to switch back to raw, but haven't gotten around to it as kibble is so convenient and he is very healthy and a good weight on it.


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## Haitch (6 mo ago)

I am able to leave kibble out , but mine also get raw , either cubes ready mixed with veggies/fruits etc , or raw mince . They sometimes have the mince cooked , they also get chicken breast cooked , mine absolutely love dried chicken breast strips and dried duck strips . There is minuscule bits of bone in the mince but it’s not a problem if cooked 
the older dog is a pain in the backside ref food , so the young one is maybe picking up on that , or it’s teething , or he just cannot be bothered to eat . 
I do think raw food can be so nutritious that less food is required than kibble , the amount that comes out the other end seems to show a lot of waste , even with quality kibble, raw on the other hand , much smaller poops !
I have fed raw for ages , no grandchild has been ill from this, though kids know to wash after being with the dogs and no licking of faces allowed

No dog of mine has ever eaten the amount of food they in theory are supposed to either , I don’t worry if they are the correct body shape


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## Kukla the Tpoo (11 mo ago)

I fed my mpoo commercial frozen raw food (mainly Instinct, Stella and Chewy, Primal) for at lest 12 years. He had IBD and did best on a raw food diet. I am a very careful person and never became ill from handling his food. I have no children or grandchildren, so I didn't have to worry about little ones getting sick because I fed raw food to my dog.

Kukla's breeder feeds all her dogs and puppies raw food. I continued Kukla on raw, but late last October he developed chronic intermittent diarrhea. Over the course of a number of months he had a total of three fecal tests done, all of them negative. The vet had me change his diet, so he is no longer eating raw food. The only food that seems to prevent diarrhea/extremely soft stools is Hill's Gastrointestinal Biome. Unfortunately, he really dislikes (more like hates!) this food and I go to great lengths to get him to eat enough to keep his stools an okay consistency. But that's a story for another day! 

As a puppy Kukla's food consumption varied greatly. Some days he would eat a ton, other days he would eat almost nothing. Feeding raw became problematic because, as BennieJets mentioned, you can't just leave the raw food out for a long time or it will spoil. Until he became more predictable in how much he would eat, I switched from the frozen raw to the freeze-dried version. I didn't add any water to the freeze dried, so I could leave it out for quite a while and not worry about it spoiling.

Currently, a portion of Kukla's meals consists of Just Food For Dogs. This food is cooked and then frozen. If you decide you would prefer not to regularly feed raw, perhaps Joey would eagerly eat this food.


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## Spottytoes (Jul 28, 2020)

Thanks for the input everyone! 😊Joey just loves the raw nuggets. He eats it like a hungry Lab would… now you see it and now you don’t! 😉 I just take out the amount for his meal and let it thaw for about 20 minutes and it’s perfect! He’s never eaten food with such gusto before. So I’m thinking this will solve the appetite problem.

As far as grandkids it looks like I shouldn’t be too concerned using basic good hygiene. I’ve just read some scare stories but really, you can get sick with other foods both pet food and human. I will use common sense cleanliness like I always do. 

As far as allergies I will keep my eye on things. 
Joey has recently had some pretty funky eyes with staining. I’ve been very diligent taking care of them. I did take him to the vet and there was no infection or eye abnormalities as far as they could tell. They said a blocked tear duct was possible but it definitely could be allergies. It’s that time of year. They gave me some drops that will hopefully help. So the plan is to use the drops, keep cleaning as I’ve been doing, administering his Benadryl and wait it out until allergy season is over. I will also keep feeding the raw food I started him on. Hopefully this will help his eyes. If none of these things works we will explore further but we’ll see what happens. I’m really hoping the raw food will help. It sure has helped his appetite! 😊


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## Miki (Dec 25, 2021)

So happy to read the new raw food is working for Joey! Seeing them eat "with gusto" is so rewarding. 

As you know, I had the same problem with Joey's brother, Ty, so much so that two different vets and his groomer told me he was underweight and to feed him more, which didn't work because he just didn't like what I was feeding him. Ultimately, we landed on Fromm's Salmon a la Veg kibble with Salmon a la Veg pate, and now he eats like a champ. He went from 12 lbs to just over 14, perfect for him (he's a little over 14 inches tall). 

Re: seasonal allergies. Knock on wood, Ty doesn't seem to have any allergic eye issues going on (unlike his human). But one of my spoos had them, and my vet told me to keep a bottle of sterile eye wash around to wash his eyes out when they got too goopy and irritated (human kind is much cheaper). Worked like a charm.


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## Spottytoes (Jul 28, 2020)

Thank you, Miki. We have been feeding Fromm for quite some time. We tried several kibbles but Fromm is what we landed on as well. Sometimes plain, sometimes with toppings. He would eat it but was always quite slow about it but more and more he was skipping meals and I had to do way too much coaxing. It felt like it was becoming an issue. Who knows why? 😉 Maybe he just got bored of it. I do change proteins. He does like kibble in his Kong but again, just so inconsistent. I even bought some Fresh Pet as that worked when he was a puppy and seriously wasn’t eating. He loved that as a puppy. Now, Joey decided it was ok but not too excited. He would often leave that too. Anyway, so far, the frozen raw is a huge hit. 

I regularly have been using an eye wash, along with eye wipes and warm wash cloths. While it did clean his eyes and kept staining to a minimum it didn’t completely take care of it. I was managing it but it it was getting worse and really didn’t know why. It’s not so much tearing as it is major eye goop accumulating in the inside corners of one eye in particular. Rag weed is usually bad this time of year. Bobby has bad fall allergies which causes him to chew his legs and feet. All was good but it looks like that is starting to kick in so will probably need to take him in for a shot. The oral meds don’t work for him. Anyway, I decided a vet visit was needed for Joey just to to make sure nothing more serious was going on with his eyes. I think once allergy season is over we’ll have a better feel for what may be going on. I know those that feed raw do talk a lot about how it helps with allergies. Joey’s eye problem is very recent so my gut feeling is that it’s allergies.


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## Asta's Mom (Aug 20, 2014)

Allergy eye goop here. Put him on benedryl but didn't seem to help. guess it will be best to call in his mobile vet.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

@Spottytoes , I'm glad you found a food that works for you and Joey. Mia ate prey model raw for years, but as she aged and my work schedule changed, I switched her to a commercial frozen raw. Like @Kukla the Tpoo I have alternated brands. Right now she's getting Primal, and I use Honest Kitchen and Dr. Marty's as treats and to fine tune her caloric intake as needed.


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