Leaping Lizards! 2 Weeks on a Raw Food Diet

It has been two weeks since I wrote my post "...One Giant Leap of Oz" in which I told you how excited I was about starting on a Raw Food Diet.  In that post, I also told you how nervous Ma was to switch over to the Raw Food Diet - I think I even called her a "chicken".

Well, in two weeks a lot has changed around here and I want to tell you all about it!

Ma Was Afraid of the Food Prep.  I think it is simple and delicious!

It's not like Ma has never handled raw meat before so I have no idea why she was so nervous.  Though I do believe some on a raw food diet mix up their own meal, which requires knowing a good deal about the proper percentages of meat to bone (etc.) which can be overwhelming. 

However, once Primal Pet Foods contacted me about potentially being part of their Product Review Program, Ma did a lot of reading both of their website and a few others.  The Primal foods are all prepared raw diets and come in either frozen or freeze-dried formulas.  How much easier can you get?

I started with the Primal Frozen Venison Nuggets as well as the Primal Freeze-Dried Duck Nuggets; this way Ma could test out preparing both.  

The frozen nuggets are super easy - we just remove them from the freezer and let them defrost in the fridge.  When it is meal time, Ma just breaks the nuggets up with a spoon and the meal is prepared.

Primal Venison Nuggets - still frozen

Venison Nuggets - defrosted and prepared

The freeze-dried nuggets store well in the pantry and are super easy to prepare as well.  Primal recommends breaking the nuggets up into smaller pieces, then you add some water and stir the nuggets so they "soak" up the water.  Give it a final stir or two and the meal is ready.

Freeze-Dried Duck Nuggets

Freeze-Dried Duck Nuggets - broken into bits

Freeze-Dried Duck - ready to eat!

Ma Was Afraid of the Price.  I think I am worth every last penny!

So, is the prepared raw food more expensive than kibble or canned food?  Yes, I believe it is.  Though only being on the prepared raw food diet for two weeks, I cannot say how much more it will cost over time compared to kibble.

Ma is hoping that being on this diet will be healthier for me which would mean spending far less money at the vet's office for prescription medicines and shampoos to combat my itchies and other ailments that may or could arise.  Maybe we should start keeping track of pennies spent and pennies saved to see?!?

Ma Was Afraid of My Itchies Sticking Around Despite the Change.  I think I am far less itchy already!

I would say, after three days on the Primal Raw Food Formula the itchy rash on my back and hind legs started going away.  The redness and inflammation of the rash was gone and a lot of the rash started to "dry up".  Of course, I had chewed my leg raw (if you remember from my previous post mentioned above) but we were happily surprised to see the redness and inflammation had almost disappeared there as well!

I admit, I still itch every now and then especially on my paws but I think that is a grass allergy (like the stupid V-E-T # 1 told Ma way back when).  The itchies on the rest of my body however are almost nonexistent at this point.  *high paws*

Mind your own poop!

Ma Was Afraid the Raw Food Diet would give me Boo-Boo Belly.  I think she should mind her own poop!

There were a few times, early in the transition, that my belly got grumbly.  Sometimes, it was just that I still felt hungry since I get served less food on the Primal Raw Diet.  Other times, my body was trying to adjust to the new food and yes, I had an instance of boo-boo belly.

Outside of those few times, and the one time I had the "trots", the transition went really well.  And I know it is weird to talk about poop but your poop really does change on the raw food diet!  It is much smaller and has little to no odor - something Ma didn't believe would happen, but it did.

Well...that's been my two weeks on the Primal Pet Foods' Prepared Raw Food Formulas.  I am thinking of doing another post soon to tell you more specifically about the Primal Pet Foods' Formulas I am using...nutrition information, etc.  What do you think? 

Are you interested in hearing more about my switch to raw?

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For those of you who are interested in reading more about different raw food diets - whether prepared, meaty bones, etc. - you can pop over to +Kimberly Gauthier 's new blog, Raw Dog Food Reviews.