[RescueDaneMom]

I got my order from Reel Raw on Friday last week and I’ve been feeding it since then. Max likes it and is eating it just fine. I am concerned about the fat content though. The bulk grinds of chicken, turkey, beef, and pork look really fatty to me. It looks like there is just as much white (fat and skin) as there is red (meat/organs). Has anyone else bought the bulk grinds (10lbs for 29.99) and what are your thoughts?

[Melissaandcrew]

I have not bought them, but that is one thing I look for. I won’t buy high fat ground anything. What is the fat percent listed as?

[RescueDaneMom]

There isn’t a GA listed anywhere for any product they sell that I could find.

[InkedMarie]

I have their stuff & it does seem a little fattier. I wanted to say that Hare Today doesn’t list their GA but I wouldn’t expect it to as it’s ground meat, not pre made raw. If I buy ground beef at the store, it says the fat unless I buy ground Chuck, that doesn’t say. If I buy at the local farm, it doesn’t say.

[Melissaandcrew]

It doesn’t say on the ground beef I buy from the farm either, but when asked, they gave me the numbers. For me, its important due to the schnauzers and pancreatitis. I honestly think sometimes the companies grinding for dogs put as much of the cow in as they can, lol.

[InkedMarie]

I can understand that, Melissa. I just wanted to point out that not all that we eat has the GA too.

[Melissaandcrew]

That is very true. I bought homemade pickles at the farm stand yesterday and not a single label on them. I dont even want to think about what I may have eaten because they were awesome, lol.

[FreeholdHound]

Just gave Harry his 1st chicken back for dinner (frozen). He gave me his usual WTH look but was quickly chomping away. This is my chicken experiment as I have avoided it except for the feet as a treat. Reel Raw had them so I gave it a shot. As far as the rest of my order I noticed right off the bat that the duck necks were quite a bit smaller than what I usually get from Hare Today. I also ordered the beef grind & the beef kneecaps. I haven’t tried those yet.

[FreeholdHound]

Harry has been gnawing on a kneecap for an hour. He’s in heaven & I’m getting chores accomplished w/out an 80 lb Greyhound following my every move = priceless

[Cyndi]

Isn’t that always good, when they are busy with something else and not bothering you? Lol! Good boy Harry! 🙂

Are the kneecaps fully edible? Or are they like the marrow bones, too hard to consume?

[FreeholdHound]

They are considered RMBs when I researched. I took it away from him after about 90 min and put it back in the freezer for another day. I was concerned at first that he’d try to swallow it whole as he’s more accustomed to turkey/duck necks, but he figured it out as a dog should lol.

[Nancy C]

Are you serious? I have not fed my GSD (72 pounds) RMBs yet but plan to. Someone told me they tend to swallow chicken wings whole AND can then upchuck them. I asked if you just refrigerate it then and she said NO – you give it back to the dog so they can SWALLOW it again. She said her dog swallows wings whole, and chicken necks too. I don’t understand WHY they don’t choke. This would really scare me but I know I have to give them these RMBs. Any other experiences to help me out?
Thanks so much.

[Nancy C]

I checked prices at Costco for organic whole chickens. $2.49/lb. Chicken thighs bone in are $1.29/lb. Chicken wings $2.19. Are these prices “good” in comparison? Just curious.

[FreeholdHound]

I was very freaked the 1st time I gave Harry a huge turkey neck — he chomped & crunched the thing for quite a while (frozen) and then swallowed it. A few seconds later he horked it back up, chewed some more & down the hatch it went again. And stayed. Harry’s a large Greyhound so the turkey necks are a good size for him. Duck necks last about 3min but he loves them. The beef kneecaps are smaller & rounder so I was worried, but he didn’t try to swallow it. Chicken necks I’ve heard are small (too small for Harry). Chicken & duck feet he gets as treats & he did well with his 1st chicken back last week. I give him everything frozen to slow him down & make him work harder. And I’m always right there to supervise him.
Hope that helps

[FreeholdHound]

I’m no help on the price question. Harry doesn’t really tolerate chicken or turkey very well, except the bones it seems. I will eventually try some chicken legs quarters but haven’t gotten there yet.

[Martha S]

I received my first order of Reel Raw about two weeks ago, and having starting incorporating it into our raw rotation. Here is my personal review.

The food arrived on time and frozen solid. Apparently, you do not return the coolers to the company, like we do with Darwins each month. (This really makes no difference to me, as the cooler drop off for Darwins is close to where we live.) I had ordered the Ultimate Combo #1, which is 50 pounds of ground, rmbs, and chunked meats. I figured we would try a little of everything.

After two weeks of randomly picking through several of the items, I have found them all to look like they where fresh when frozen. I thawed each one pound pouch on the counter top and it literally looks like meat that I bought from the grocery store. DH almost cooked some accidently mistaking it for our “people” groceries. Our dog really has enjoyed everything we have given him thus far from the Combo #1.

Conclusion…..two big thumbs up! Not sure how long 50 pounds will last us, especially since it will be in rotation with other raw brands we use (Darwins, Tucker’s, Primal, Answers) but I will certainly be ordering from them again.

And there’s my 2 cents worth.

[Kristin C]

I order from Reel Raw too. I ordered their 10lb complete beef mix, but I’m not sure how much fat is in it so I’ve decided to stick with ordering novelty proteins, organs, and RMBs. I give them a thumbs up too.

[Michael H]

I’m interested in ordering from them, mainly due to stating that all the meats are pastured, and the variety. Also, it seems like an option for our cat, since the grinds all seem to have heart in them, save for the tripe-which is also being a challenge to procure as far as affordability is concerned. Though I still read to avoid grinds for cats, even with heart in them, as the bacteria can consume the taurine. Urgh!

[robert j]

Dear FreeholdHound, I have never heard of a dog catching a frozen chicken, ground hog, or turkey etc. I always warm my Ambers meat to prey temperature, give it a try, it works a lot better. In addition to her Reel Raw she likes her ground hogs and field mice running away.

Merry Christmas, Robert Lovemyamber

[theBCnut]

Hi Robert

I live where we have 90 degree temps in December, so my dogs REALLY appreciate getting some cold or frozen food. Wolves will happily eat any dead frozen critters they may find. If your dogs like cold food, there is nothing wrong with providing it.

[robert j]

Dear Martha S ,
All the other foods you mention contain cheap veggie fillers that dogs don’t digest. They go right through them, look at the stools. If you diversify the meats you will get everything your dog needs which is why I like the pre-mixed premium diet. Hard to duplicate shopping on my own and well worth the convenience.

Have a happy day, Robert Lovemyamber

[pugmomsandy]

I give mine a sardine-sicles sometimes and give them duck necks partially thawed.

Here’s one of mine eating whole prey quail:

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/IMG_7694_zpsb6950e88.jpg

[paz de paws]

I just recently received my first order from Reel Raw. I am quite disappointed in the quality of the meats and packaging. The individual bulk grinds of turkey, beef and chicken are much fattier than any other grinds that I have purchased from Hare Today and My Pet Carnivore . There is more white than red in these grinds indicating too much fat and skin in place of muscle meat and organs. The dogs are eating it but I am only going to serve it every 3-4 days as it is not something I am comfortable feeding them everyday.
I also purchased six 2lb bags of organ meet. Every single bag had holes in it. Some were not noticeable until they began to thaw at which time the blood started streaming out.
I will NOT be making another purchase from Reel Raw.

[Kristin C]

Hi Paz-did you order the smaller portions, 1 or 2 lbs? Or the the 10 lbs? I’ve ordered from them for about 6 months and I have to say I don’t care for their new packaging. They used to deliver the smaller portions in tubs. I ordered 10 lbs of beef once and noticed a lot of white and I was concerned with the fat content since they don’t post their nutrient data. So now I just order the smaller portions and they actually look ok to me, but I only feed a few meals per week of the novelty meats. I make the rest of my dogs meals with chicken and lean beef from the grocery store. I do order individual beef organs from Reel Raw and haven’t had the leaking issue you have. You may want to email them about it. They are very responsive.

[paz de paws]

Hello Kirstin,

The grinds I ordered from Reel Raw were the 10 lb bags. The packages I received were quite noticeably fatty. I have been buying grinds from other sources and none have ever looked fatty like these do. I did contact Reel Raw about the fatty grind and the holey packaging and received a very short (and late) reply stating that some of their bags do have holes in them and that they only are required to state the minimum fat content to customers.
I wish I had read the previous Raw Reel reviews on this site prior to purchasing. As there are others who have had issues with the fatty grinds also.

[Kristin C]

I can’t seem to find the bad reviews on Reel Raw on this site. I’ve looked for online reviews several times too and there’s not much out there on the company. I agree the 10lbs looked fatty so I have not purchased it again. As I said, the smaller portions look ok but I only order novelty meats. I don’t completely thaw the beef organs, just partially thaw and cut off what I need. Perhaps that’s why I have not experienced the leakage issue. Different products work for different people I guess.

[Michael H]

I’ve had no problems with my orders from RR thus far. As for holes being in bags, frozen chunked meats make for sharp edges, and even if they are frozen from raw within the bag, it will still expand and can cause perforation. Treat it like any raw meat being defrosted-put in a ziploc bag and/or on a container/plate to catch any drippings. Same for grocery store meats-I change bags even for water defrosting, as you don’t know who or how many people have handled the bags in transit to your home.

I’ve not ordered bulk meats, just the variety ultimate combos (one with RMB’s, one with ground in as my older dog is a gulper and keeps trying to choke on any rmb he gets), and all have been fine in the meat to fat/skin ratio.

[Kristin C]

So I thawed RR rabbit chunks this weekend and the bag leaked but as Michael says it was probably from the bones. The grinds do not leak. I do thaw them in a bowl in the frig regardless. I would like to add that if you are concerned with the fat content then don’t feed it as your sole source. I open one 2 lb bag of grinds per week for my dogs. That’s only 3 meals each of a novelty protein. I probably would never feed them raw from one company all the time anyway just to be safe.

[puppypiles]

I was happy with RR when I ordered from them. They’re based in southern Maine and they let you do pickup for free if you live close by (which I did) and shipping is free in New England!

Unfortunately my cat didn’t like their turkey or chicken grinds, but I gave what I had to a friend and her dog scarfed down every last bit and did really well on it. I too give RR two thumbs up.

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