# Lamb? Rabbit? Bison?



## CoverTune (Jul 1, 2011)

Has anyone had any issues with feeding lamb (raw) to their dogs? George seems to be doing fine on it, but there was a LOT of mucous on Corona's poop this morning (noticed it last week as well). Though she seemed pretty fine otherwise, other than not wanting to eat the lamb for a day or two last week.

So, Corona got cooked chicken today and I'm thinking of trying her on either the Rabbit/Pork or the Bison (Nature's Variety).

Thoughts?


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Are you feeding a lamb pre-made? Or fresh raw lamb meat? There's a big difference as the lamb in the pre-mades IS processed. I wouldn't rule out lamb if it's a cut from the grocery store. Which is why I always prefer fresh raw foods to the pre-mades. You KNOW what you are feeding, as opposed to trusting a source to create a mix.

I am also not a fan of nature's variety. At all. But I do some that feed it and have OK results. Nature's Variety rabbit is sourced from China. YUCK. I wouldn't feed it because of that. 

If you are set on using pre-mades, try Stella and Chewy's. Also Primal and Bravo are reputable. Leave the NV on the shelf. Better yet - just feed grocery store meats! Mostly meat, a little bone, a smidge of organ and you are done and you KNOW exactly what you are feeding and can make adjustments as needed. It's cheaper and better.


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## CoverTune (Jul 1, 2011)

The dogs got both, pre-made and a rack of ribs from the grocery store.

Why don't you like NV?

Pre-made is my only option, I absolutely cannot do fresh at this point in time. NV is the most convenient as it comes in the 1oz. "medallions", so I just defrost and feed.. no need to divide it up, and it takes up the least amount of freezer space.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

I don't care for NV as they have had a recall. They source their rabbits from China. They use too many vegetables. I have had several bad bags from them (medallions all stuck together and freezer burned, although that could be blamed on the supplier). 

The main reason I don't feed or recommend NV is because they use a denaturant on their meats. This is an inert additive such as charcoal that is added to the meat to render it unfit for human consumption. So that's just one teensy step above kibble in my opinion. I don't want charcoal in my dogs food.

Primal does medallions and they have a wider source of proteins. Stella and Chewy's carries a very very good line of pre-mades, either in the pre-made frozen or the freeze dried. The freeze dried is a great option as NO freezer space required! Just stick in the cupboard. Great for traveling too. And S&C does a pathogen check on each and EVERY batch of food they produce and post it on their website. Their quality control can't be beat.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Here's info on the denaturant used in NV and pictures.

NV RAW: black coal-like pallets aka denaturant - YorkieTalk.com Forums - Yorkshire Terrier Community


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## CoverTune (Jul 1, 2011)

Doesn't freeze dried need to be rehydrated? I just can't imagine my dogs scarfing down powder for their meals, lol.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

CoverTune said:


> Doesn't freeze dried need to be rehydrated? I just can't imagine my dogs scarfing down powder for their meals, lol.


Yep, just add water and turns to the consistency of canned. Not much different than a frozen medallion that's been thawed and mashed with a fork. Any pre-made doesn't provide the mental/physical stimulation of real meat chunks which is why I prefer do it yourself raw. But I do understand that can be a challenge for some and it's nice to have easier alternatives. If I do a pre-made for any length of time, I make sure and add in some raw meaty bones for chewing satisfaction and teeth benefits.


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## CoverTune (Jul 1, 2011)

Ugh, I had no idea about the denaturation of the meats, that's disappointing.

I really don't think freeze dried is an option right now.. I have to get my roommate to give the dogs their dinner (as I'm at work) and as it is now, all he has to do is take it out of the fridge and give it to them. Anything beyond that I don't think he would be willing to do, nor do I completely trust him to do it right (no offence to him, I'm just anal about how my pets are fed lol). I will look into it though.

I've never heard of Stella & Chewy's... and I'm not sure if Primal is available here either. What do you think of these guys: Fresh Frozen Products


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

CoverTune said:


> Ugh, I had no idea about the denaturation of the meats, that's disappointing.
> 
> I really don't think freeze dried is an option right now.. I have to get my roommate to give the dogs their dinner (as I'm at work) and as it is now, all he has to do is take it out of the fridge and give it to them. Anything beyond that I don't think he would be willing to do, nor do I completely trust him to do it right (no offence to him, I'm just anal about how my pets are fed lol). I will look into it though.
> 
> I've never heard of Stella & Chewy's... and I'm not sure if Primal is available here either. What do you think of these guys: Fresh Frozen Products


You can't rehydrate the patty on a plate and put some saran wrap on it? So all he has to do is take the saran wrap off and serve? It's really not hard.

I took a look at that carnivora website. It looks good. I like that they don't add veggies. They seem to have a good selection of proteins. Whole carcass sounds fantastic. I don't see an ingredient list other than whole carcass though. Would like to see one. Also, in the FAQ section, they said their product could be cooked. If it contains bone, that would be hazardous as cooked bones are dangerous. So I wonder what the bone content is. But certainly it would be worth a second look.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Another option you might consider would be ZiwiPeak. It is a dehydrated raw food and it's excellent. It comes in little dime sized jerky squares so there's no 'ick' factor. No refrigeration/freezer space needed. 

Natural Range Of Premium Pet-food Products - Ziwipeak - Natural New Zealand Pet Nutrition


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## Zippy (Dec 31, 2010)

CoverTune said:


> I have to get my roommate to give the dogs their dinner (as I'm at work) and as it is now, all he has to do is take it out of the fridge and give it to them. Anything beyond that I don't think he would be willing to do, nor do I completely trust him to do it right (no offence to him, I'm just anal about how my pets are fed lol).



My wife is a little squeamish about cutting up the raw meats, especially the organs. When I know that I am not going to be home for a feeding time, I usually pre-cut Zippy's dinner and leave it in a tupperware container so all my wife has to do is to dump it onto a plate. You could probably do the same for your roommate each day.

As for the original question, I do give Zippy lamb whenever I can find it at an affordable price (a big breast of lamb is usually the best bet). He doesn't get it all of the time, maybe for a 2 or 3 week cycle every 4 or 5 weeks. Zippy wasn't quite sure about it at first but he quickly got used to it and now readily gobbles it up quite happily. His poops are often just a little but mucusy but this has been the case ever since we started the RAW feeding and I certainly haven't noticed an increase when he does have lamb in his diet.


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## CoverTune (Jul 1, 2011)

I switched her to Bison last night (still NV, as I bought it prior to seeing these replies lol).. she had another mucousy poop this morning, this time with a spot of blood in it. Maybe raw just isn't right for her?


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

CoverTune said:


> I switched her to Bison last night (still NV, as I bought it prior to seeing these replies lol).. she had another mucousy poop this morning, this time with a spot of blood in it. Maybe raw just isn't right for her?


How long has she been eating NV? Sometimes it takes a week or so to fully adjust. The problem I have with pre-mades is that you don't have the control to know exactly what is in it. Can you switch to another pre-made? Maybe try that other supplier you found, the carnivora company? I wouldn't give up on raw, but I probably would suggest switching off of the NV and trying something else.

Also... sometimes switching around can cause the mucous/blood. Did she ever have good stools on NV?


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## CoverTune (Jul 1, 2011)

Hmm.. she's been getting the raw for a few weeks now, but I just checked back on my calendar and I guess it's only been about 10 days that I'm totally sure she's been eating ONLY raw, just seems much longer than that! lol So, I think I'll just try to be a little more patient.

She definitely seems to be losing her enthusiasm for the raw though.. last week she skipped a couple of meals, and this morning she sniffed her food and then looked at me like "really, this is what I have to eat?"

I think I'll stick with the NV until I'm out of it (unless she gets really sick or something, doG forbid), but I'm reading as much as I can now trying to figure out alternatives.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Keep us posted! Hopefully she will adjust and her stools will firm up. 

Switching between proteins can sometimes cause the problems you describe though, if you did chicken, bison, rabbit for example. She will eventually be able to handle a wide variety of proteins, but it's best to go very slowly in the beginning before switching it up.


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## tricializ (Jun 1, 2010)

I have fed Stella and Chewys and Primal. My dogs for some reason just started not liking the Stella and Chewys so I tried the Primal. They don't love the chicken but scarf down the pheasant and the quail like nobody's business. All 3 of them. And their pickiness ranges from not at all to extreme. The dogs never have eaten a food this fast for so long and been so excited. It comes in nuggets and it's easy to portion out. Stella and Chewys also comes in small patties or big ones (like 1/3 pound hamburger size).


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