I’ve often considered feeding the dogs either a homemade or a raw diet, at least partially. When I got a book to research Sheba’s cancer and see what we could to help her stay healthy safely, diet is one aspect that was mentioned (I’ll be doing a full review of the book soon). Time is really the one thing that holds me back from either, but I really do enjoy cooking sometimes, so why not for the dogs?
There are easy ingredients to put together for a healthy meal, not just for Sheba with her cancer; but the other dogs benefit from fresher ingredients as well, even though we do feed high quality kibble and canned food. I only want to supplement their kibble, not replace it completely, so anything I cook is added to their current meal (with the amount of kibble adjusted to reduce calories). I don’t always have the time to cook meat specially for them though, and there are a lot of meats on the recommended list that my hubby and I don’t eat, so I’m not as likely to cook it separately for the dogs.
So when Chewy.com gave us the opportunity to try Instinct Rawboost Mixers, it seemed like the perfect way to let the dogs try some lamb, which I don’t care for. I had some leftover broccoli and oatmeal that I had previously cooked for them, so that was an ideal time to use that up and add some meat as well, in the form of these freeze dried raw meal toppers.
Here are a few of things I found attractive about this product:
- Made from grass-fed lamb.
- Packed with protein and other quality ingredients such as carrots, apples, squash, flaxseed, and salmon oil just to name a few.
- Manufactured in the USA.
- Helps with proper digestion, healthy skin and coat, and energy and vitality.
Supper time is quite a process at our house! The dogs are on various supplements and on this particular night I also added coconut oil and fresh basil to the mixture I had made.
I’ll be sharing more about some of the other things we are adding to some of the dogs’ meals in the future. We have also switched Sheba to a higher quality kibble as recommended in the book. By the way, we are able to buy that kibble through chewy.com (they carry 400+ brands)! We buy all of our dog and cat food as well as some treats and toys from chewy. Their customer service is fast….I often place an order and just hours later get an email that it has been shipped! Their prices are competitive and usually lower than our local store. Since we live in a rural area, there are really not many stores close by that carry the brands I like. Besides, I’d rather be home with the dogs than out shopping for their food!
*Disclaimer: We received a bag of Instinct Rawboost Mixers to review from chewy.com, but were in no other way compensated for this post. All opinions are our own.
Thank you to Golden Woofs and Oz the Terrier for hosting the new monthly chewy.com blog hop!
I have been hearing a lot about these mixers lately!!
They sound great!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
Is the raw boost freeze dried meat only? The doggie meals look yummy.
No, there are vegetables in it, as well as salmon oil, pumpkinseeds, flaxseed and a few other things.
PS. We love Chewy, too! Their customer service is the absolute best! And that’s coming from a professional customer service representative – I was a CSR in one capacity or another from my first job to my last – and I am very tough to please when it comes to judging quality customer service. I’ve been buying Shadow’s canned food at Petco lately only because she’s been so finicky about what she’ll eat. If I find she will continue eating the Merrick canned stuff, maybe I’ll go back to buying it from Chewy. I would just hate to buy a full case of each of the recipes she likes now only to have her decide she doesn’t like them any more.
Customer service is the #1 thing that can make or break a company for me! That is the only disadvantage to Chewy; I’d like to try some different canned foods but want to try them before committing to a full case. I guess I’ll need to visit the local store at some point anyway….we don’t have Petco or anything like that in our area though, so things tend to be pricier.
One thing I don’t like about the higher-quality kibbles is that they all have powdered probiotics/enzymes in the recipes. And the powdered ones just do not agree with either Shadow or Ducky (and didn’t agree with Callie either). I went back to just freezing yogurt in my pawprint and bone molds and giving them each a treat in the afternoon. Each dog is different, and some just don’t do well on the premium brands. Like my two.
These guys love yogurt too, and I’m actually surprised the book I read didn’t talk about it at all. I’m not sure if our kibble has powdered probiotics in it, I’d have to look. You are right that every dog is different, and I’m sure it is quite challenging when dogs have sensitive tummies like yours do.
My crew loves the mixers!
I am always looking for healthy stuff. I have considered raw food but not sure. This is a nice change for mealtime.
I also consider raw from time to time but am not sure either. This is a good way to give it a little try (without all the work too…LOL).
They look like they are really enjoying that food!
Funny, my mom keeps adding stuff to our regular food too. What is up with that. It used to be just the food, but no more. As long as it all tastes fine, I guess we won’t complain.
When I think back to our first dogs who got nothing but kibble for their meals, I feel bad for them! You guys have all got it pretty good!
Today on our way to practice nose work with friends, Mom was crying because of Katie. Bailie and I have gotten so many great opportunities with our sports, toys, food, treats, but Katie never really got those opportunities. Mom feels bad she didn’t know more when Katie was younger. She is so grateful for all the healthy things we now have and we think it is helping Katie in her senior years, but Mom feels so bad Katie didn’t have all the same opportunities we do. It is just life, people live and learn, but it does make her feel bad.
I completely understand how your Mom feels, Emma. I think about it when I’m making the special meals for Sheba and the crew…..how much Kobi would have loved it. It is just life, but it does still make us feel bad.
We love Raw Boost Mixers! It is our new go-to protein source to add to our Dr. Harvey’s Canine Health. Bentley and Pierre love it.
Nom Nom, love it that Sam was helping you out and getting a lick in. The whole gang loved it.
Sam always has to get in on the action – pretty good for a cat who is so fussy about her own food! Too bad I couldn’t just feed her the dog food…LOL.
Chewy is so great! They have the nicest customer service, too. It looks like your dogs are officially eating better than I do most nights! We got a sample of some mixers from a local pet store and Bar throughly enjoyed having that added to her meal, too!
Ha ha, I’m pretty sure they eat better than we do as well. Getting myself to cook for them takes some serious motivation, seeing as there are many nights when I can barely get up the ambition to cook for my hubby and myself!
I am glad to see you mixing some raw in with their kibble! You know Oz is fed all raw with fruits and veggies (his new favorite is collard or turnip greens!) and it really has changed his health in so many ways. It looks like the entire gang enjoyed it as well!
They sure did! I am always interested in raw and I can only see benefits to feeding it. I hope to at least transition over to trying it some, and getting away from all kibble.
I would like to come to you for lunch :o) we will look if we can find this mixer online, I would like to try it :o)
Chewy DOES deliver super fast!! Chapeau to you for mixing it up – every bit of healthier food helps! Nutrition plays such a big role in a dog’s overall health – I found out about that fact after our girl Missy’s cancer diagnosis and made the transition from kibble to raw over the course of last year. It was challenging at first, but now I got the hang of it and Missy & her brother Buzz are thriving on the new diet.
I think (hope) that this will be the beginning of transitioning over to more and more natural food – cooked or raw. It can only help, not hurt, as long as you do it right I think.
Absolutely. If you decide to feed a fresh raw diet, it’s important to make sure that it’s balanced (following the 80/10/10 rule: 80% muscle meat, 10% organ, 10% bone). Bon(e) appétit!