# Pawgevity- 2 chunky chis now being introduced to raw food



## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

Pawgevity is a local VA raw food company that my twoi chis are addicted to their treats. The store we but them from calls them BG's crack. Well A week ago Pawgevity adopted two senior chunky chis and are slowly changing them over to raw food and trying to improve their health and weight. I thought y'all would find their blogs interesting. They will add more reports as the process goes but for those that ask a lot of raw food diet questions; I thought y'all would find this helpful. 

Baby Steps - The Adventures of Junior and Mindy, Chunky Chihuahuas | Pawgevity

Back to the Beginning | Pawgevity

You can also follow them on Facebook- Pawgevity


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## Jennmay (Dec 31, 2011)

Thanks for sharing! Will have to check it out!


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Very interesting! I don't see a product or ingredient list anywhere on the website though. Would like to see that.


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

Here is their ingedients:

Raw Food for Dogs | Pawgevity

And these are their treats we call BG Crack:

Chewz for Cats and Dogs | Pawgevity


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Whew! That's a lot of ingredients! Do you know what percentage the fruits and veggies are? I know that Natures Variety adds them too, but they are only 5% of the food. The rest is 95% meat. I actually prefer the pre-mades that aren't so veggie heavy. Dogs are carnivores, they don't need all those veggies. They aren't going to hurt them, but they are taking up space in the tummy. I'd rather see that space filled with what they really NEED which is meat.

For example on this lamb recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
Lamb with ground bone, organic mixed greens (collard greens, Swiss chard, beet greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, radish greens, bok choy), lamb liver, lamb heart, lamb kidney, organic apples, organic alfalfa, organic orange tomatoes, organic red tomatoes, organic parsley.

I would be first in line to put this food in my rotation... IF... and only IF... it contained:

lamb with bone, lamb liver, lamb heart, lamb kidney. Then it would be a perfect food and a valuable choice. All the veggies? Nah, not needed. Just a filler.


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## jesuschick (Dec 5, 2010)

Is it a fresh or frozen grind or a powder that is mixed like The Honest Kitchen?


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

jesuschick said:


> Is it a fresh or frozen grind or a powder that is mixed like The Honest Kitchen?


It looks like it is ready to feed, like a grind, in little tubs from the picture. I don't think it's rehydrated like THK.

I did email the company and they said that their dog formula is 80% protein, 20% veggies, and their cat formula is 90% protein and 10% veggies. (I'd probably pick up the cat one and feed that in order to get a higher meat to veggie ratio).

Even if it has veggies/fruits - I am glad to see new companies jumping on the raw bandwagon. There's obviously a need for these types of products as consumers are becoming more educated.


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## jesuschick (Dec 5, 2010)

From this pic it looks like THK that has already been mixed up. I was picturing a chunkier (sorry) grind.
Switching to Raw | Pawgevity
I agree that it is great to see more companies offering something like this!


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

You're right Karen. It does look like THK in that pic!


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

It is in the freezer section of the pet store I shop at. I like how it is all organic farms. I do not feed raw. I feed Great Life Chicken and ZP Venison.


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

I do know my holistic vet does push veggie for their vitamins and minerals. She wanted to add extra to my Bassets diet (out before chis) and my nutrionist said no that great life has plenty. What is your take on this? Do y'all add food based supplements or synthetic


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Huly said:


> I do know my holistic vet does push veggie for their vitamins and minerals. She wanted to add extra to my Bassets diet (out before chis) and my nutrionist said no that great life has plenty. What is your take on this? Do y'all add food based supplements or synthetic


If you are satisfied with Great Life kibble, then no - I don't think you need to add any extra vitamins/minerals. I'm sure it meets AAFCO standards. (As all kibble does). If you are satisfied with the manufacturing process and quality of the food, then I wouldn't add anything to it. 

Great Life is manufactured by the Pied Piper pet products plant in TX. So far it hasn't had a recall. This plant produces 50+ dog foods for different companies. I have read some consumer reports about quality control issues for the Great Life canned food, but it is manufactured by Evangers. I'm not surprised. I would not feed or recommend Evangers as they have gone to court for fraudulent labeling and have had numerous quality control issues. 

It all comes down to putting confidence in the pet food industry as a whole. If you are comfortable with that, then you have nothing to worry about.


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

No I was asking about raw food diets and veggies. Why do you not feed a lot of veggies? Is it something with the chi breed? My sharpei I had was almost on a veggie diet years ago due to skin allergies and increasing his veggies worked miracles for him now his sister my shepherd rotti mix disagreed lol she said it was rabbit food where is the beef. I am just curious and there is no such thing as too much knowledge


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Oh, I see what you are saying. Sorry. 

No, I'm in the non veggie camp for dogs. Why? Well mainly because they are carnivores. Just look at their teeth.  They don't have molars for chewing like herbivores do. Their jaws don't move side to side, which is necessary for the grinding of the plant material. Mother nature didn't make their systems to process plants. They are meat eaters. 

They also have no amylase in their saliva which breaks down the cell walls of fruits and veggies. Therefore, they cannot assimilate the nutrients in plants unless the outer cell wall is pulverized, crushed, or blended. So if you feed veggies for their vitamin/mineral content and not just for fiber, they have to be liquified or blended in order for the dog to absorb any nutrients.

Do they like veggies and fruits? Well probably! But I wouldn't go by what they LIKE to make a decision on what is best for them. Cheeseburgers and fries may be what we LIKE to eat, but obviously a nice leafy green spinach salad with some grilled chicken would be healthier for us. A species appropriate diet is always best.

Here's a few articles if you want to read more about why I don't feed veggies. (Except as the occasional treat in very small amounts, it's not part of the menu.) This is what works for us and what I am comfortable with. Everyone is different! Do some research and read into the issue. Then make up your own mind.  

Myths About Raw: Are dogs omnivores?

Myths About Raw: Do dogs really need carbohydrates?

Species Specific Nutrition

Feeding A SARF Diet


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

Thank you! I will look into that. Chis are new to me so I was not sure if it was a breed specific thing or not. With my Shar-pei it was. Think about it they are from Japan where through history they were mostly fed veggies fish and rice. So it made sense. I like knowledge and there is no such thing as too much knowledge to me. 

Now to start reading


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## Chihuahuasloveme (Jan 8, 2010)

Baby and ninja are obsessed with fruit and veggies they constantly are begging for red peppers and apples, strawberries and frozen blueberries seems like a healthier alternative to the garbage treats they sell in most pet stores. I also purée them and mix it in their premade raw insdtead of mixing it with water.


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