Chewy.com reached out to me and asked if I'd like to take part in their Raw Feeding Thirty Day Challenge. Since no matter what I do, I can't keep weight on Bayleigh, I was ecstatic to take part.
Raw Feeding Thirty Day Challenge
As I said, Bayleigh is a very active girl. She always has been. Because of that, she has never put weight on very well. You can almost always see all of her ribs. We hoped that when she was fixed, she would hold weight better. However that just isn't the case. So we've been exploring her diet to see what we could do to add some weight, without making her unhealthy. When Chewy.com asked if we'd like to take part in the Raw Diet 30 Day Challenge, from Stella & Chewy's were excited to try it.
First Thoughts
When the thirty day order came in, my girl's were both all over the box. I'd like to say that they can tell it's a Chewy box just by looking at it, but let's be honest, their noses for news can smell those boxes coming! Inside was three large bags of Stella & Chewy's Freeze Dried Dinner Patties Raw Dog Food. We chose venison since both of my fur girls love when their uncles bring them deer meat.
The patties are the size of a small hamburger. Don't let the "dried" part of their name fool you. These patties are compressed and dried meat, but they are still a bit soft. You can easily break them up. When you're feeding your dog, you can simply break up the patties, and serve them that way. That is if, your dog drinks while he or she eats. (Make sure to have a bowl full of water for them if feeding this way.) If they don't normally drink while eating, then you can soak the patties to soften them. You use a quarter cup of water per every two patties.
I could immediately smell venison when I opened the bag, and my girls were right there waiting. They couldn't wait to try their Stella & Chewy's Raw Food. I did soften both of my girls patties. Bay will drink while she eats, but Josie doesn't always drink, so it was easier this way.
Weaning
Since you can't just switch your dog's food, we started by supplementing their dry kibble. Remember, when switching any of your pets diets, you must do it slowly. Otherwise they will get upset tummies, and most likely diarrhea to boot! I fed Josie two and a half patties. Bayleigh is much larger, so I gave her ten patties. (When she is completely on this diet she will require at least fifteen and half patties per day.)
They cleaned their bowls in a matter of seconds. I couldn't believe it. Especially since Josie is a VERY picky eater when it comes to dog foods. She licked her bowl so clean, you couldn't tell there was ever any food in it! So now we wait. I'll check bag in a couple of weeks and let you know how it's going. I'm excited to see if Bayleigh fills out a bit more.
Join us!
If you'd like to take the 30 day raw food challenge, then head to Chewy.com. Grab your pet's preferred flavor and get started. I'd love to hear what you and your fur babies think!
