Our dog, Buddha, is an 80-pound mix breed (golden retriever) who has become a very important part of our family. In August, he will be 7 years old, marking his second year as a senior canine. Because of his age, he's not as active as he once was, and therefore has gained quite a bit of weight.
We've been looking for new ways to implement raw foods into his diet to help keep him healthy. Feeding raw is one option, but I recently came across a more convenient option.
* Product and/or service provided for review without cost. As always, all opinions are my own.
Stewart Raw Naturals Freeze Dried Nutrition is the newest food on Buddha's menu. What's so special about this particular dog food, you ask? Well, it is pure, raw dog food.
That's right. Stewart Raw Naturals Freeze Dried Nutrition uses human grade, fresh ingredients to create food for your furry friend. The ingredients are those that you can actually pronounce, unlike many of the commercial dog foods on the market, including fruits, vegetables, and protein including beef or chicken.
The ingredients in the Stewart Raw Naturals Fresh to Home Beef recipe included the following:
Beef, Beef Heart, Beef Liver, Ground Beef Bone, Broccoli, Carrots, Beef Kidney, Lettuce, Apples, Ground Flaxseed, Inulin, Salmon Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Blueberry, Cranberry, Dried Kelp, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Whole Ginger, Whole Parsley, Whole Garlic, Montmorillonite Clay, Zinc, Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Maganese Proteinate, Mixed Tocopherols (as preservative), Vitamin D Supplement
Each serving is packed with nutrients for a complete and well-balanced diet. The moisture is removed to create a convenient, shelf-stable food that doesn't require space in your freezer. In the words of Stewart Raw Naturals, "It's Frozen To Go!"
Each box contains 8 freeze-dried patties, each of which equals one cup of dog food. All 8 patties are packed together in a resealable bag, to maintain freshness.
The patties are heart shaped, with a large "S" stamped into the center (for the Stewart brand), and are of a sponge-like texture.
The odor of the patties is bland, but by Buddha's reaction, to him they smelled like a 7-course meal. After removing a patty from the bag, he couldn't keep his nose away from the counter.
I let him sniff the patty, and he wanted to take it away from me! Silly Buddha!
Instead of letting Buddha eat it as is, I followed the directions for serving which are as followed, along with the transition feeding instructions:
Based on the directions, I fed one patty with 3/4 of his regular dog food. I crumbled it up, left it dry, and added it to his dry food. He scarfed it down in no time. Buddha definitely approves!
Overall, I think the patties are great! This is an incredibly convenient way to transition your dog to raw eating, without having him turn his nose up at certain fruits and vegetables, like Buddha typically does. However, because of the small amount of patties per box, one would only yield two servings based on Buddha's current feedings. If they made this particular brand and type of freeze dried patties in larger quantities, it would be more practical for us.
We've been looking for new ways to implement raw foods into his diet to help keep him healthy. Feeding raw is one option, but I recently came across a more convenient option.
* Product and/or service provided for review without cost. As always, all opinions are my own.
Stewart Raw Naturals Freeze Dried Nutrition is the newest food on Buddha's menu. What's so special about this particular dog food, you ask? Well, it is pure, raw dog food.
That's right. Stewart Raw Naturals Freeze Dried Nutrition uses human grade, fresh ingredients to create food for your furry friend. The ingredients are those that you can actually pronounce, unlike many of the commercial dog foods on the market, including fruits, vegetables, and protein including beef or chicken.
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| "What's in the box?" |
The ingredients in the Stewart Raw Naturals Fresh to Home Beef recipe included the following:
Beef, Beef Heart, Beef Liver, Ground Beef Bone, Broccoli, Carrots, Beef Kidney, Lettuce, Apples, Ground Flaxseed, Inulin, Salmon Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Blueberry, Cranberry, Dried Kelp, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Whole Ginger, Whole Parsley, Whole Garlic, Montmorillonite Clay, Zinc, Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Maganese Proteinate, Mixed Tocopherols (as preservative), Vitamin D Supplement
Each serving is packed with nutrients for a complete and well-balanced diet. The moisture is removed to create a convenient, shelf-stable food that doesn't require space in your freezer. In the words of Stewart Raw Naturals, "It's Frozen To Go!"
Each box contains 8 freeze-dried patties, each of which equals one cup of dog food. All 8 patties are packed together in a resealable bag, to maintain freshness.
The patties are heart shaped, with a large "S" stamped into the center (for the Stewart brand), and are of a sponge-like texture.
I let him sniff the patty, and he wanted to take it away from me! Silly Buddha!
Instead of letting Buddha eat it as is, I followed the directions for serving which are as followed, along with the transition feeding instructions:
Recommended meal frequency: twice daily. Divide portion by number of daily feedings. Crumble and feed as is or moisten with 4 tablespoons of warm water per patty and wait 3 - 5 minutes before serving.
When transitioning to a raw diet, start by replacing 1/4 of your dog's old food with raw and gradually increase the portion over the next 14 days.
Based on the directions, I fed one patty with 3/4 of his regular dog food. I crumbled it up, left it dry, and added it to his dry food. He scarfed it down in no time. Buddha definitely approves!
Overall, I think the patties are great! This is an incredibly convenient way to transition your dog to raw eating, without having him turn his nose up at certain fruits and vegetables, like Buddha typically does. However, because of the small amount of patties per box, one would only yield two servings based on Buddha's current feedings. If they made this particular brand and type of freeze dried patties in larger quantities, it would be more practical for us.
Want to learn more? Head on over to Stewart Raw Naturals!
My Golden Retriever, Bonnie, has since crossed the Rainbow Bridge - but I wish I had had this for her. It would have been so much healthier than the "meat by-products" (in other words, beaks and claws). What a wonderful way to show love for your fur baby! <3 scain54(at)aol(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI don't know why I am just now seeing your comment, :( but I would like to say that I am sorry for the passing of your beloved furry friend. I know that they are not "like family," but they actually ARE family.
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