# natures variety raw VS primal



## Onyx (Nov 28, 2011)

To people who have fed these brands, do you think one is better than the other? If so, why? My dog tried sample bags of this a while back and loved both but now I'm having a hard time deciding on which I should feed her.

Also, to those who feed Nature's Variety raw, do you think the rabbit formula is okay to feed even though it's sourced from China?

Who knew sticking to one brand could be so hard :roll: I think Onyx has literally been on about 100 brands in her lifetime.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

I would just rotate them if she likes both of them. Read the labels on all the varieties and try to pick the ones that are meat heavy. Some of the varieties have a lot of plant matter which is just filler. I know that Primal has different formulas you can rotate through.

Is there a reason why you want to stick with just one brand?

I would NOT feed the NV rabbit that is sourced from China.


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## Onyx (Nov 28, 2011)

Yea the veggies and fruits is the only problem I had with Primal. I figured I'd feed the rabbit, venison, quail, turkey & sardine, and pheasant in Primal.

The only reason I was trying to stick to one brand is because not one store here sells both so I'd have to go to different places. No biggy though. I do prefer NVs duck, lamb, and bison though.

Oh I just checked the Primal website and realized they changed their products to contain a little less "produce" Before, some of their formulas hit 40%. Now the duck, chicken, beef, and lamb are at 20% veggies/fruits. The formulas I listed above range from 11% - 17% Do you think 20% is still a little too much and I should stick to the ones I said I would probably feed?


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

There are different trains of thought among raw feeders on fruits and veggies. Most raw purists say they absolutely are NOT needed. At all. Zip. Zero. Others are more liberal and say that occasional fruits and veggies aren't harmful and may be beneficial. True BARFers will say that fruits and veggies ARE needed, as long as they are blended into a pulp so they can be absorbed.

So what to believe? I personally don't believe that veggies are necessary. I keep Brody's diet very meat heavy. Does he occasionally get veggies or fruit? Once in awhile. Do I make them a regular part of his diet? No. 

I'd tend to want a pre-made that was meat heavy. So read labels and percentages and go with what works for you and your dog. I believe 40% plant material is way too high. 20%? Yeah, that's OK in my opinion. Just add in some meaty meals in between the pre-mades to help boost the meat content and you should be fine.


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## Onyx (Nov 28, 2011)

Yea I'm one of the 0% veggies and fruit believers but I kind of just have to compromise lol. I want raw in Onyx's diet but can't go 100% DIY. Primal and NV are the best premades here. There's not that many brands available since I guess my area hasn't really jumped on the raw "bandwagon" yet.

She does get Ziwipeak but I really want fresh raw in her diet and the premades have much more protein variety than I can get. I could still add in some pure raw meat though. She does get raw pork ribs too a few times a week. Wow, she better appreciate all the variety she gets 

One thing I love about Primal though is that it doesn't seem nearly as bone heavy. NV says 95% meat, bone, and organ but who knows how much of that percentage is bone. All I know is that Onyx gets rock hard poops and whines while going if I feed NV solely. Don't have that problem with Primal


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## flippedstars (Dec 16, 2009)

I feed and use both as well as Fromm Gamebird Recipe kibble (oh no! haha) and Ziwipeak. I am a breeder so I pay really close attention to calcium levels in foods...it can mess up the way a puppy grows big time if they are not fed the right amounts of calcium and calories. I try to rotate through foods on a daily basis. My dogs seem to have much stronger stomachs because I do this, rather than ONLY giving one thing. I also give raw chicken necks and wingettes for dental health on a regular basis (around once a week).


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## Onyx (Nov 28, 2011)

flippedstars said:


> I feed and use both as well as Fromm Gamebird Recipe kibble (oh no! haha)


Oh how terrible of you 
I WAS going to add kibble into her rotation just because it's cheaper and makes the other foods last longer, but Onyx HATES HATES HATES all kibble :roll: The only kibble she will eat without first starving herself for a week is Orijen and Acana Regionals.


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## flippedstars (Dec 16, 2009)

I have a bunch of dogs and the reality is that unfortunately they do not all do well on the raw foods even if I make the entire diet myself. So I mix it up  I have one girl that does only eat the kibble. I have kind of reached a point where "everything" needs to be able to be fed to "everybody" for the most part because when I leave for shows chances are hubby's gonna feed them the 'wrong' thing LOL. The only thing I do not give is Ziwipeak to puppies and dams in whelp. Too high in calcium. If I just had one or two dogs I probably would feed straight prey model raw...but its just too much with this many dogs (we have 7 adults and 5 puppies right now).


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## Onyx (Nov 28, 2011)

Oh I didn't know Ziwipeak was too high in calcium for growing pups, since it says for all life stages. What's the maximum percentage of calcium a puppy should have in dog food? Onyx isn't a puppy but I'm just curious.


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

Also have you checked out Stella & Chewy's?


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