[Blue8091]

I would be so grateful for some feedback. I have an 8.5 yr Shih Tzu. Allergic to poultry. For the last 2 years I’ve been feeding Urban Wolf. I have no complaints (just got a perfect health review from vet on annual check up) except for the expense and it’s labor intensive to make – I was doing 6 week batches at a time (bagging/freezing). Looking to reduce cost and time. So, I transitioned him into Bravo Beef Blend. I miscalculated the amount to feed (my bad) and even at just less than 3oz per serving 2x a day, I’m at around $70 a month (Urban Wolf was slightly less). I work a lot of hours and so defrosting has been trying and when totally thawed – GAG. Blood everywhere and I’m having a hard time hanging in there. I re-freeze (1 5lb chub was about 12 days worth) once bagged into indv servings. Weirdly this morning he threw up – (prior to being fed and after his walk). A lil scary since he never throws up. I also note that the amount of his poo has decreased by half since on Bravo, and it’s super soft- on the edge of runny. His whole life he’s been very consistent in the poo area and never super soft – I’m really nervous about this now. He may be a perfect candidate for Bravo, it might turn out that I’m not the perfect dog owner for Bravo (lol). Is all this unthawing and refreezing bad?

Once upon a time we did the Innova EVO Red kibble. So, this morning was reviewing here because I have a lot of respect for the opinions. I see Innova has a fairly new product (maybe a year or sold old) Innova Prime Beef/Bison and Salmon Herring kibble and also Innova Farmhouse stews (wet). I was thinking about topping kibble off with a spoonful of the stew. I’ve talked to a few locally owned pet retailers and they are all thumbing their noses at Innova (Natura) because of the pet food recalls. I understand that, but I’m also thinking that Natura is hopefully addressing what went wrong and are back to producing good dog kibble and food. I’m not going to be making the money I have been and I have to get Loki moved to a food which is both good, not so expensive and in terms of time – not labor intensive.

Innova gets good reviews here and I’ve not seen where this has changed due to the recalls. I’m wondering if anyone has some advice for me. I’d be truly grateful!

[pugmomsandy]

Look into See Spot Live Longer dinner mixes or CarnivorRaw by Young Again Pet Food (they also have a good kibble). And I package my raw into packages that would last 3 days worth. I fill a gallon size freezer bag only half full so I can flatten it and so the food thaws quickly then I transfer it to a Tupperware once thawed out.

[Blue8091]

Hi PugsMomSandy!
I realize I should have posted in the raw category. Thanks so much for your suggestions. I am especially drawn to See Spot Live Longer dinner mixes. It’s strikingly similar to Urban Wolf but much simpler. If I didn’t use the sardines – exactly how would I add the fish oils? Would canned pink salmon work? I had a system going – make one large batch (80-88 servings) which I would divide 14 servings into a 1 gallon freezer bag. I’d withdraw 2 from the freezer daily (ready for the next day). I was never exactly sure how long until fish (salmon or chub) would go bad in fridge. I add a small bit of beef broth and pop in the microwave for about 15 secs to take the chill off. The price point is excellent – just need to figure out how many lbs of beef! Does your lil pug eat SSLL?

[Blue8091]

Thanks for all of this helpful information. I am knee deep in research!

[Blue8091]

I wanted to follow up – after reading and making my head swim, I read my own post. That old adage – if it’s not broken, don’t fix it came to mind. Loki threw up again after eating this morning (within minutes). I took all of the unopened Bravo frozen product back to the store and came home with more Urban Wolf – currently have the stove going!! I have to acknowledge that at 8.5 yrs old and getting a perfect health score for his annual exam, I will just grin and bear the labor intensive cooking/bagging once every six weeks, because I love my dog more than I hate the time I spend making his food!!! I don’t serve completely raw – I cook everything (except beef livers 2 mins/each side in water just barely covering) to about 50%. The only modification I’ve made in the last 2 years was to cut the sunflower oil by 50%. I calculated the price out to about $66 per month, everything included. I don’t add fish oils, I add canned salmon. This time I purchased the giant bag for $125.00 and it should last me 6 months. I no longer have to give him allergy medication so it’s all good! I guess this thread turned into a recommendation for Urban Wolf, which we are now heading into our 3rd year using. I can’t ask for anything more than having a healthy dog!!

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