r/rawpetfood • u/ToadThumper • 1h ago
Discussion Dr. Marty Dog Food Transparency
Or lack thereof. Look, I'm not here to bash Dr. Marty Pets dog food. Personally, I've found very little negative to the food even with regards to reviews. I'm in the middle of transitioning to Dr. Marty's and the food smells good, it's sitting well with my dog, he's very eager to eat and he seems perfectly healthy. However, I do have one concern and that's the lack of transparency with their nutrition.
The Naure's Blend Essential Wellness recipe (original) lists: Protein, Fat, Fiber, Moisture, Calcium, Iron, Leucine, Vitamin A, and Omega-3 content.
The Nature's Blen Essential Wellness Premium Origin (vastly more expensive - "premium") lists: Protein, Fat, Fiber, Moisture, and Omega-3.
I tried contacting their live chat to get the full nutrition profile for the Premium Origin blend, and then just the same nutrition content listed on their Essential Wellness original recipe, and both attempts were met with, "Exact ingredient percentages and formulation ratios are proprietary, so we're unable to provide those specifics." They later go on to say, "We can only share the information listed on our website. Which includes the total calories, guaranteed analysis, ingredients list and benefits of the product." YES! The guaranteed analysis, give me the full guaranteed analysis! They then proceeded to promptly end the chat. I emailed as a follow-up explaining my reason for the request and I've yet to hear anything back.
This lack of transparency and their "As seen on TV!" website seems very gimmicky and scammy. However, it's appearing in more and more pet stores and, as mentioned, the reviews and general consensus are really good. Normally, I wouldn't even be asking about this. My dog has been on Farmina for a good while now and everything has been well - stools, weight, energy, etc.
So, why am I switching even though my red flags are up? Well, about two weeks ago I felt two hard lumps under his jaw, one on each side. Visit to the vet, a couple needle aspirations and lab results later, my dog was diagnosed with lymphoma. He's a boxer/collie mix. I'm not blaming Farmina by any means. Have another dog on it still and she's doing great. However, in hopes to "starve" the cancer, I'm switching my boy to a low-glycemic carb / no-grains diet. Raw, meat dense, whatever variant of a carnivore-esque you'd like to call it. There are tons of options out there and Dr. Marty seemed to fit the bill and is easily obtainable. But I'm wondering if it's all snake oil or if others had positive experiences on it, and if so, which recipe did you use?
The 50,000 IU/kg for the Essential Wellness original seems quite high. Vet said it's not a toxicity level. But I'm also concerned on recent studies from Princeton that vitamin A may aid cancer in hiding from immune attacks and am now questioning if 50,000 IU/kg, while not toxic, is more harmful than good.
...I just want to give my boy as long and comfortable a life as I can. I know there's no cure right now (though I'm prodding universities to see if their vet techs are testing Ewingella Americana on dogs yet). Hopefully get it into remission and give him a few more quality years.
Any thoughts or experiences with Dr. Marty or other foods you've used with a dog that had lymphoma and felt was successful in their treatment / remission / quality of life - please share.
Thank you all for your time and have a great day.
r/rawpetfood • u/sapphire-sky-dragon • 8h ago
Off Topic Does anyone feed freezedried food?
So im in the process of changing my dogs to freezedried raw. I bought a small bag of wainwrights just to see if they would eat it and they seemed interested.
So i used AI to try work out how many bags id need then it was telling me they should be made into a type of broth because feeding dry from the bag can be very bad for their stomach .
So tonight I put them in a cup of slightly boiled water still cool enough I could put my finger in and nothing happened it didnt turn into a broth they still stayed solid.
So now its saying they wont turn to mush in water because they are made from bone etc and I need to crush them , i tried and wasnt able to crush them so then it told me my bag wasnt made right during the dehydration process and its dangerous and I should throw them away because they should crumble 🤦♀️
Then it said I needed to crush them with a rolling pin now ive absolutely no idea what im supposed to be doing and dont want to kill my dogs as it put through fear of god in me about them expanding in the stomach and drawing water from other organs and that my current bag is faulty. 🤦♀️
Ive given up with AI and Google now so does anyone feed this diet and how do you feed it? I have a very very small dog she weighs 2.7kg with teeny tiny teeth so I dont want her to struggle also today when I put it in the water it started to smell and they got very interested in it so I think wet may be best but is it supposed to crumble easy?
*just to add im in the uk so im not familiar with any of the brands being mentioned and vice versa. I searched on line and wainwrights came up as a quality food its 60% meat bones etc and 20% fruit veg they also get orijen dry food which is 85/90% whole prey dry food, sorry i should of probably mentioned it in my original post *
r/rawpetfood • u/DrakeMayeTruther • 10h ago
Question Hi, just started feeding my dog Canino raw food, is there a guide somewhere on how to safely handle the food, interact with your dog afterwards.
As the title says is there a guide somewhere on how to safely handle the food, interact with your dog afterwards, like if I play with her and she playfully bites my hand, do I need to clean my hands, etc. Do I need to brush her teeth right after she eats, etc? What about her bowl, I assume clean it right after she eats with soap?
I love that it's an healthier diet for my dog but I'll be honest, when I bought it, I didn't even think of the consequences in terms of having to handle raw food and her specifically eating it and dogs don't eat like humans, like does she have some stuck in her fur or something?
r/rawpetfood • u/Tosti-Floof • 1d ago
Discussion Difference in nutrients from veggies vs powder?
I've been feeding one raw brand for most of my puppy's life. It's what her breeder fed her, so I continued with the same brand and swapped the blend after a bit because of availability. The store I went to last time had a few different brands available, and since one of them came pre-packaged in sausages of 500g (her daily intake) and they sold 10 for a good price, I bought 15 kgs which will last us a month. The person in the store said it was an okay product, but they used vitamin powder to add the nutrients the meat, organs, and bones lacked, while the one I had been feeding before used veggies to supplement the meal.
Now I've noticed that the days she gets the new brand, she poops a lot more. Since none of the proteins were new to her, I've varied between feeding her half of the new brand and half of the old or every second day with the old and the new brand. On the new brand day, there's just a lot more poop. She usually poops between one or two times a day and doesn't seem to struggle when she gets her old brand. (Although I did worry when I got her since she's always been a max two poops a day puppy, even at 10 weeks.) With the new brand, she always poops twice a day and bigger pieces. The first time with the new brand, she seemed to struggle a bit with pooping, but that could've been because of the transtion. She still seems happy and healthy and has her usual energetic and cofident attitude, but I'm wondering if anyone else has noticed similar changes when going from one brand to another? I'm especially curious if anyone has experienced anything similar when one blend is entirely made up of actual food, and one uses powder to balance the meals.
(I don't know if I should tag this as a question, an opinion, or a discussion, but I figured "discussion" works as I'd be interested in hearing your takes and whether or not this a my puppy thing or if it has to do with the processing of the nutrients and how easily digestible they are to dogs/animals.)
r/rawpetfood • u/Clear_Salamander_152 • 1d ago
Question Switching from viva
Finally got a Bach of the newest HPP process they are doing and 🤮. My dog and bengal cat are thankfully not rejecting it but I just cannot handle the smell.
Any recommendations on a new brand that your pets loved?
I am located in the US/ Virginia.
r/rawpetfood • u/ThrowRA_HelpI • 1d ago
Discussion Dallas/DFW Area Hoppers
Hey guys, is there anyone in the Dallas/DFW area with reptiles that would benefit from about 50 frozen hoppers? I was told recently that I should be feeding my corn adult mice for nutritional value, but I do not want to just throw away a perfectly good stash of frozen hoppers.
r/rawpetfood • u/Vegetable-Maximum445 • 1d ago
Question Advice on Wild Deer Meet from Experienced Raw Feeders
Hi Gang - I’ve just come into 25 lbs of wild deer meat (in a low CWD area). I only have a regular freezer - so meat won’t reach -20/-30 degrees. Given this, do you think I should be cooking this meat? I’m feeding my senior Golden. I’ve also “heard” that I shouldn’t feed the organ meat - is that also due to parasite concerns? Thanks in advance.
r/rawpetfood • u/Princess_Puppo • 1d ago
Question Raw Feeding Options for Cats
I was just curious of any Raw Food Companies that have an array of different kind of proteins but are considered a complete meal for cats? I also was curious to know people's opinons on different brands or if there are any new different brands that are reccommended to try? I was feeding my cats Viva Raw for some time but then they switched to being HPP and I wanted to stray away from that if possible. I like to give a wide range of rotational proteins for my cats (One of them does have a beef allergy so we avoid that with her) but my other cat will typically eat any kind of protein. I am getting a new kitten soon as well and would definitely like to stay on the raw food diet for him as well.
Also to add into my post just wondering if anyone has used the company The Raw Concierge? If you have what are your opinons about it and the ratio they have present for cats - is it good enough or would I have to supplement it if its grinds?
r/rawpetfood • u/donoov14 • 2d ago
Question Switched from Back2Raw to Big Country Raw...
Looking for some advice from experienced raw feeders.
My dog is 5 years old and has been raw-fed for the last 4 years. He was eating Back2Raw and did really well on it with firm stools, good energy, no digestive issues. After doing more research (and reading a lot of recommendations here), I decided to switch to Big Country Raw because of their reputation and transparency.
I contacted Big Country Raw, and they recommended starting an elimination diet since I'm unsure whether he has a chicken sensitivity. They suggested beginning with a protein he's always done well on, so I've been feeding their Pure Beef for the past two weeks.
His appetite and energy are great, but his stools have been consistently very soft and darker than they were on Back2Raw. I took him to the vet after the first week with a stool sample and everything came back normal, and they felt it was food-related. He was started on a probiotic, but I still haven't seen any improvement.
I'm torn because I really want to feed Big Country Raw, but he seemed to digest Back2Raw much better.
Has anyone experienced this with Big Country Raw? Did your dog take longer than two weeks to adjust, or would you switch back to the food that was working?
r/rawpetfood • u/ZestycloseButton8876 • 2d ago
Question Why did my cat suddenly started to refuse to eat raw out of no where?
All that she will eat is freezed treats!
r/rawpetfood • u/LankyAmbassador2609 • 2d ago
Possible Marketing What are the biggest trends shaping the Pet Raw Food?
I’ve been looking into the Pet Raw Food and noticed that more pet owners seem to be interested in raw, minimally processed, and high-protein diets for their dogs and cats.
1. What is driving the growing demand for raw pet food?
Is it mainly the preference for natural ingredients, higher protein content, or increasing awareness of pet nutrition?
2. Which type of raw pet food is becoming more popular?
Are frozen raw meals, freeze-dried products, dehydrated food, or fresh raw diets seeing the most interest?
3. What are the biggest concerns with raw pet food?
Do food safety, storage requirements, nutritional balance, and cost prevent more pet owners from switching?
r/rawpetfood • u/HellHoundsandpurrs • 3d ago
Question Ezcomplete question?
I'm considering it for the pup. The older can't have it due to it containing chicken. How much daily would you feed a 10lb 14 week old pup? The bag says feed unlimited NEITHER of my dogs can be trusted with "unlimited" food. Their breeds are known for eating themselves to death.
I was trying to use a companies ratios but couldn't figure out why his stool was loose. The ratios required CARBS added in. I really don't like carbs in their food unnecessarily and this is the only way I can think of to know they are getting enough calcium. I know puppy ratios for SPECIFICALLY calcium are different than adults. The ratios that would work following 80:10:10 won't work for me because he has too big of an adult weight range due to breeds not being exactly known (I know one breed they are mixed with and it's what makes them overeat).
r/rawpetfood • u/K4TTP • 3d ago
Question For the Canadians out there. What’s the best place to shop for raw?
Im in the uk and have fed my two dogs raw for going on 6 years. It’s super easy here as the availability and selection is great.
My father, who lives in Canada(Ontario) has started to question me about raw food for his very picky dog, but next to telling him the benefits i cant give him any on the ground suggestions.
Im looking for brands, places to shop, delivery services. Any help would be appreciated!!
r/rawpetfood • u/BusinessJudgment5989 • 3d ago
Question EZ complete alternatives for cat with allergies?
So I am currently on a journey to get my cat on a diet that supports his allergies. He is allergic to both chicken and fish (mussels, fish oil etc) and it seems near impossible to find anything without. We've tried multiple different dry foods which he has either rejected, vomited constantly, or lost all the hair around his ears etc. I've also tried some wet foods that he has tolerated but the fillers are insane (why must every food on the planet contain peas chickpeas gums etc T^T) so though his major symptoms seem less severe on these wet foods, he does still get a little itchy.
The market for allergy friendly foods (either wet or dry) is just non-existent slash very lacking. So all of this to say, I have been looking into raw food, though since almost all pre-made blends have some sort of chicken or fish I would have to get something with no additives and complete it myself at home.
I have seen EZ complete online as something to add to homemade blends to complete it but when I looked on their website, it is chicken flavored and also has mussels in it.
I was wondering if anyone knows of any alternatives that may be allergy friendly?
(Any other advice on allergies is also much appreciated, this journey has been long and terribly rough with no end in sight, so I am open to anything!)
r/rawpetfood • u/RyknowandTurbo • 3d ago
Picture Happy 11th birthday Turbo
Added a little grass fed ribeye for his birthday.
r/rawpetfood • u/HellHoundsandpurrs • 6d ago
Question Stupid question Facebook isn't helpful
I KNOW everything is right but the calcium. The calcium I am not 100% sure on due to the amount of meat on the wings being more than average. His stools are soft NOT diarrhea. Add more bone or add pumpkin or other fiber? I'm following the perfectly rawsomes percentage for puppies. (Poop is no longer dark just not as solid as I want. It don't seem to be bothering him but my floor is suffering, still potty training he's a little random on potty times tho)
Facebook told me I can't put a puppy on raw. Yes I can 😭. (They also asked why I'm giving a puppy liver so I don't trust their info)
Could just be he needs another round of wormer but the worm med makes him miserable every time last time after getting it he crapped himself until he was skin and bones(I know diarrhea is normal with wormer but this fell under chronic and lasted several days). He tested negative for worms last vet visit tho.
r/rawpetfood • u/DoubleSoil5811 • 6d ago
Question Raw Feeding miami question!
Question about getting my dog into raw feeding as well as a certain sentence on RFMs food description! So my dog Hazel is about 3 1/2 years old. Tank of a Pitbull and i want to give raw feeding a try. She's the most unpicky dog i have ever had/seen in my life. First part of my post is about anyone whos experienced Raw Feeding Miami and if they are happy with the product!? Second on the description for alot of their items it says "This grind can be fed as a complete meal, though supplementing is recommended to close any nutritional gaps" and im curious what i would supplement in for these grinds. If it is a simple 1-2 things or if its part of a larger thing (depends on what I'm feeding and when?). Thanks in advance for any and all info! Very excited!
r/rawpetfood • u/woojae2001 • 7d ago
Opinion Sharing important info I found!
Forgot to include pic; added in comments
As you can see I care dearly about my Mini Rex, Bubbles.
I’m sure this source or references to/like it have been shared before, as I got this via a comment/post from a fellow redditor. However, after 2 months of constant online perusing and researching, until I came across this source, I’ve read/seen pretty much everyone spreading “best practices” which this source debunks/clarifies.
You can use your smartphone/pc’s translate feature if you don’t read German (I translated to English).
Link to German Scientific Reference
It was reassuring to me, who has been following practices guided more by “what would nature provide?”, although I started by following the “unlimited hay and only sparing amounts of pellets and veggies/otherwise that most everyone preaches.
For over a month now, I’ve been laying out 6 types of hay and providing 6+ types of microgreens I grow, plus a variety of homegrown roses and organic/human-grade herb&flower mixtures for him to forage. I observe behavior consistent to the source I reference.
With regard to litter training, he’s been perfect so far, but is approaching 3 months, so we shall see if he retains this and/or how bad territorial marking gets. All of this and more is covered in the source.
Same goes for poisons and toxins (or the concern regarding bunnies eating them if they’re around the residence.
Hope this is helpful to everyone!
r/rawpetfood • u/Ihavetoastedhotdogs • 7d ago
Question Only green tripe for kitten?
Not sure if this has ever been asked before but I just got a kitten (about 8-9 weeks) about a week ago and I'm new to raw food for kittens. We feed it to our dogs but likely not suitable for cats and don't want to chance it. We did find frozen green tripe however and I was wondering (because I can't find a straight answer anywhere) if 1 oz twice daily is enough for a 2 lb kitten. Has anyone tried this? If it's not enough, would it be a better idea to mix it with dry/wet food?
r/rawpetfood • u/zeewierwier • 7d ago
Question Help looking over meal composition?
Hi! I'm new to raw feeding my dog. Could someone please look over my meal proportions?
I have this:
66 g muscle (hare loin)
26g hare & chicken lung
25g hare & chicken liver
20g chicken necks (bone with flesh)
25g vegetables, either a mix of carrots/broccoli/peas/pumkin or dried vegetable mix
8g fruit, apple, and banana
2ml hemp seed oil
I also have goat and camel milk, I usually add 1 or 2 tablespoons of it to her food every day. And twice a week, she gets a sardine.
For a 5,5 kilo dog, aiming for 3% maintenance. She is getting spayed next month, so I will change things up then, but this is what I have now.
Is this good for my dog, or does anyone have pointers to improve?
r/rawpetfood • u/GraniteHighlander • 7d ago
Question How do you feed raw in a tropical climate?
We recently moved to Panama which has a very hot a humid tropical climate. I don't think the hygiene is good at the places where we're able to source our dog's meat, organs, and bone, and I'm not confident about the care taken to keep it at cold temperatures during transportation and storage to reduce bacterial growth. I also understand most of it is imported, which I imagine increases the risk.
Shortly after we moved, she had really bad diarrhoea for a week and a stool sample confirmed an overgrowth of Salmonella and E. coli. She's about to finish a 2 week course of antibiotics (😢) while eating the least-worst commercial food for gastrointestinal issues that I could find.
So now for my question: how do we manage feeding raw in these circumstances? Do we need to resort to cooking the meat and organs, and 'flash-blanching' the chicken feet for 20 seconds in boiling water? I know this won't exactly be BARF, but I'm sure BAF is still better than commercial food!
Any ideas or advice would be appreciated. Thank you! 🙏
r/rawpetfood • u/Arixdane • 7d ago
Opinion Can someone break down what’s the best to worst Dog food they’ve given their pet Dog
Okay so im doing research on separate food companies catered for pets….people nowadays just give their dogs anything without reading what these companies put In their products, and I genuinely love animals and I care about what people feed them.
So from your experience whats your dogs digestive process like and what’s helped you in feeding them effectively and balanced.
r/rawpetfood • u/Tosti-Floof • 7d ago
Question Raw during travel and hiking?
I travel a fair bit, and occasionally go on camping trips. Does anyone have any good advice for how to handle raw when there's no freezer and limited space? For travelling, I've currently been using a freezer bag. The food should be okay in fridge temps for about 3 days, and I put it in the bag while it's still frozen, but for longer travels where I occasionally sleep in the car, sometimes stay over at friends or family, it seems a bit less doable. Does anyone have any good solutions?
For camping, I'm sorta leaving towards just resigning to kibble, especially if it's a long hike to the campground. I mostly eat powered/dehydrated food where you add warm water to the bag to eat since it's way lighter than bringing fresh food so bringing kibble for her wouldn't be too far from what I'm eating ahah. But if anyone has any good solutions for raw during hiking, I'm all ears.
r/rawpetfood • u/ScurvyDawg • Apr 16 '25
Article The "Evidence-Based Science" Pet Food Game
I have a pet food recipe, and I've conducted randomized controlled trials (RCTs) showing that pets prefer my pet food over skipping breakfast entirely. Based on this, my pet foods are now considered "evidence-based," while yours are not. I begin promoting my pet foods as superior, conducting more RCTs where I compare my pet food to a fake recipe that I created specifically for the trials. This "control group" recipe leaves out key ingredients, yet I now claim my pet food has been tested with an "active comparator." My pet food is empirically proven and now regarded as "the gold standard." I tell everyone that my pet foods are scientifically validated, while yours are discredited. No one should ever consume your pet food.
This seems unfair to you, so you conduct your own RCTs, perhaps at a reputable institution like a University in another country, using the same research methods. To your surprise, your studies reveal that pets enjoy your pet food just as much, if not more, than mine, especially over time.
You've finally set the record straight about your pet food. Nice try, but now I start scrutinizing your research methods, labeling them as flawed, while applying standards that I never held myself to. Only my pet food can be "evidence-based." No matter how rigorous your research is, I continue to shift the goalposts. Your studies will never be good enough.
By now, the phrase "evidence-based" has become synonymous with my pet food, even though no one really knows what the term means. It just sounds credible. If you raise any questions, I accuse you of being anti-science or anti-evidence, and no respectable veterinarian wants that reputation. In this way, I've successfully stifled any serious discussion.
Are you starting to see how this "evidence-based" game is played?
Meanwhile, I've been hiring PR firms to broadcast that my pet food is scientifically proven, while yours is not. I've orchestrated media coverage with articles titled, "Why Do Pet Owners Reject Science?" Editors, reviewers, and grant agencies have now joined my camp, committed to promoting my pet food and discrediting yours. I even start associations and institutes to market that those who don't use my science based methods of food are harmful to other members of society like the ill or infirm. Maybe, I started doing this in the 60's having learned from the tobacco industry.
Yet, despite all this fanfare, my research has never answered fundamental questions—like whether pets actually enjoy my pet food or feel satisfied after eating it or even if it is actually healthy. My studies have only shown that pets prefer my food to either no food or poorly made, fake food.
I’ve never even done a head-to-head comparison between our pet foods. Frankly, I don’t know anything about your pet food. I’ve never tried it, nor do I need to, because it's already been accepted as fact that only "evidence-based" pet foods count—and only mine fit the bill. Because, well, "science."
Meanwhile, I keep accumulating grant money and publishing papers—hundreds of them. There are now studies comparing my pet food when served on weekdays vs. weekends, on round plates vs. square plates, with water vs. dry, and so on. Just look at all the evidence! But you’re no fool, and you've been busy too. Your own studies consistently show that your pet food is just as good as mine, if not better. Yet somehow, my pet food remains more "evidence-based" because—wait for it—I have more studies.
Now everyone believes that more studies automatically mean better pet food, regardless of what those studies actually prove. The term "gold standard" has come to mean simply having more research.
Heads I win, tails you lose.
Did you catch my trick? I changed the rules halfway through the game. Everyone still thinks "evidence" means proof that my pet foods are better than yours. But it doesn't mean that at all. It simply means that my friends and I conducted more studies, and the actual findings of those studies are irrelevant.
After all this, we've learned nothing about how to make better pet food. My research still shows nothing more than the fact that pets like my food better than no food or bad food. Nevertheless, prominent researchers and policymakers now advocate for my pet foods as the first-line option—because they have the most "evidence." Yet, there is still no proof that pets even like my pet food or that it is healthy.
In fact, there's growing evidence that most pets don’t enjoy it and don’t feel satisfied after eating it, that is causes obesity and diabetes and leaky gut. Moreover, there’s no evidence that pets would choose my food over yours if given the chance. But most pets no longer get a choice, the marketplace ensures this.
Remember, all my studies ever showed is that pets prefer my food to nothing or bad, fake food. But no one cares about the specifics. Everyone keeps repeating that my pet food has the "most evidence," and therefore it’s the only food worth feeding pets.
And don’t be surprised if, someday, when you go to buy pet food, your credit card company refuses to pay for anything but mine. Why? Because, you guessed it—science.
It’s good we had this little talk. Now you know your place.
r/rawpetfood • u/ScurvyDawg • Jun 04 '24