The other day I listened to an education session about Primal Pet Foods and let me tell you, what was brought up in the discussion was crazy interesting!
I knew a bit about Primal from seeing it in the local pet store and have fed Beau a couple samples in the past, but I will be honest in saying: I never did very much research into raw or freeze-dried raw foods.
Given the fact that we don’t any pet stores that sell raw near us, my partner and I didn’t really think it was necessary to educate ourselves (especially as we need places to be within a walking or biking distance or accessible by public transit.) Unfortunately, the closest store that sells raw is about 45-1h bus rides away… Yikes! Hopefully, that changes sometime soon.
Basic Facts about Primal
Primal sells a number of different lines of raw food, including bones, treats, freeze-dried patties & goats milk. (I’m actually very interested in the goats milk, but need to find out where I can grab some from!) Primal is antibiotic and steroid free, which is super awesome to hear! Their food is organic and well balanced (which is probably better than the food I eat.) Their protein is actually USDA edible-grade and they test all of their farms for things like salmonella, Eccoli and listeria.
Although they have many products today we’re going to focus on their Freeze-Dried Collection.
Tips & Tricks of Freeze-Dried
Their freeze-dried collection is well-balanced and gives you the benefit of raw without having to take the time to actually prepare for yourself. For this reason: freeze-dried raw will be more expensive than raw. All their meat is sustainably sourced and can be fed either wet or dry. Note: when fed wet there is actually a much higher nutritional value. Please make sure to read the guaranteed analysis before feeding. (Biggest jump is the protein that jumps around 30% when rehydrated.)
My first worries about Primal
As mentioned, when Primal first hit our stores I was interested, but I had a lot of questions/worries about it. For instance:
- Given the fact that Beau doesn’t like wet food will he like freeze-dried raw?
- Given the fact that we have to feed Beau multiple times a day (so he doesn’t chew) and he likes to pace his food out, would Primal be a good choice of food as I would have to soak it?
- Would feeding only wet (or freeze-dried raw) cause Beau dental problems (in reference to the constantly discussed “is dry food better for cats” debate)?
- Is it going to be a lot more expensive? (This is always something we worry about in terms of: are we overpaying for a product? I definitely don’t mind spending money on our little ones as long as it’s worth it. If I’m paying more for a product that is equal or worse than the one I’m already using, why would I switch? But if there are hard benefits to switching, of course, I’ll switch over!)
- Is this product going to help or harm Beau in regards to UTIs?
Benefits to Primal
Although these questions weren’t necessarily directly answered at first, some of these facts about Primal & Animal Health started to give me hints.
- Cats & Dogs digest meats in their stomachs, but due to the fact that they do not create the enzyme in their saliva to break down substances like starch they have to do that all in their small intestine, which is quite a bit shorter than ours making it very difficult to fully digest kibble (which can be about 50-70% starch.)
- Starch also neutralizes the mouth which is what can lead to plaque and tartar issues which lead to things like gingivitis & tooth rot. Their stomachs also lose acidity which can lead to issues like UTIs (as the neutralization leads to the development of crystals.)
- Sometimes when a dog or cat throws up and eats it, it’s because their stomach is trying to create more acidity to digest food.
- A good way to raise the acidity in your little one’s stomach is by feeding them natural meats, making sure that they can easily digest their food and reducing the chances of stone development.
- Primal is beneficial even if it is not fed 100%. The beneficial bacteria that live inside of raw food can actually help sensitive stomachs and the brand is a firm believer that a little can go a long way.
- Primal also claims that their food helps with health problems like tear stains (as tear stains are commonly attributed to yeast buildup/infections.)
- Primal will also help reduce the size and smell of your little one’s poop. The bad odour is usually attributed to fermented starches.
But Johnny, my little ones have sensitivities and specific protein allergies!
Well, the great thing about primal is the fact that it limits it’s ingredients (since it’s raw.) They also make sure to find the most organic ingredients and actually help their smaller farms achieve organic status (how awesome!) I would also recommend only starting with 1/2 patties to see how your little ones take to the food. If you have good results, you’re in the clear! Most pet stores will allow you to exchange unused food, and I wish I knew the policy was from Primal themselves, but that’s something I’ll find out and let you know. Primal also uses the highest amount of meat I’ve seen in a formula ranging from 90%-93% meat content. (Amazing, eh?)
So, are you going to make the switch?
I actually think so. We tried a little sample pack which Beau absolutely loved. We put it in a bowl with too much water and he drank the whole thing. (Much more liquid than he would have had with wet food.) The only thing that still concerns me is: how long can you leave this food out, which is something I’m going to be asking the team and letting you know when they respond! Let’s hope this is another option for our little ones!
See something wrong? Think a fact is inaccurate? Let me know in the comments below so I can fix it right up!
I’ve used Primal for 8 months now and my cat loves it. He would not eat any canned food. I give him Primal for breakfast and dinner and leave out Open Farm kibble all day. Your pictures make it look like soup. I only add the 3 tsp of water per puck that they suggest and I’ve found that my cat doesn’t like it too wet. I’m surprised your cat ate the Primal in the pictures you posted. Also, you don’t have to soak it. I crumble it up by hand and then stir in the teaspoons of water – ready in minutes :). You can leave it out for up to 6 hours, but my cat always eats it within minutes. He wolfs it down. I don’t give him as much as they say since he also eats kibble. One puck in the morning and 1.5 pucks at dinner. The amount that they say on the package is a lot more than that, but my cat is a healthy weight and maintains his weight with the 2.5 pucks per day. His favourite flavour is rabbit. He would eat that every meal if I let him (of course it’s the most expensive….!)
Good to know! Beau refused to eat it when it wasn’t soaked. He’s the same with wet food, we have to soak the food for him to be interested. He’s an oddling! Glad to hear that your cats love it though, and isn’t that always the way it is… only the most expensive for my kitties ;P
I have tried freeze dried with my cats and they were not interested in it. Well, they like it as is and not rehydrated. I don’t believe freeze dried food is raw anymore, and many raw feeders feel the same way. We also don’t like HPP food because if it is treated to kill pathogens then it is also killing the beneficial enzymes. I do think it is better than a lot of canned foods and absolutely better than dry.
as for the whole dry food cleans teeth, that is a complete and utter myth. it *sounds* good, so a lot of people keep repeating it, including vets, but when cats eat dry food they generally eat it whole – evidenced when they regurgitate it and you see hydrated dry food pieces that expanded when it hit the liquid in the stomach. They are in the exact same shape that you put them in the bowl. When they do use their teeth on the food, their sharp pointy teeth – designed to rip flesh from bone not grind grains – simply shatter the kibble. There is no scraping action, no ‘cleaning’ of teeth. Even if it did, it would be a bit like you trying to clean your teeth with a saltine.
I really appreciate this comment. There are definitely a lot of great thoughts that make me want to go even further with my research. I definitely agree with the whole “kibble argument” though. I mean, I understand the fact that it isn’t as effective as people say that it is.
My doggy brofur loves (sometimes…) the freeze dried foods, and sometimes the Primal Lamb is all he will eat. Vet said at last check his teeth were OK, and he didn’t need a cleaning…which last was done in 2013. He eats it dry and then goes and drinks gallons…well a lot. He won’t eat it if petcretary wets it, go figure. On the other paw, I Pipo disdain any of that kid of noms…I want the kibbles! So I eat grain free, and have no issues even at my age of almost 13.
Our pet shop, and even the grocery store will take back opened food bags.
Those foods can be purchased at Chewy as well. And many other brands of freeze dried as well.
MJF Has tried 4 brands…Stella and Chewy, Natures Instinct and Primal get eaten with the most appetite.
Nobody here likes the frozen foods that need to be thawed before serving. And while we know raw is good, petcretary just cannot do all that work, and we have not enough space to store it either.
I feel that. I’m happy Beau likes Primal at least. I really, really want to try it on a kitty when we adopt another, but I’m so nervous to take him off the special diet in case something happens!
hello johnny its dennis the vizsla dog hay hmm i do not think i hav tried primal but i hav had sum other freez dried fuds and they wer doggy krak let me tel yoo!!! so i bet if i tried primal i wood like it!!! ok bye
Glad you’re a fan of freeze dried foods! 😀 Which ones have you tried?
This is a great well-researched post! The choice of what to feed our kitties is overwhelming at times – conflicting advice – all the choices – but it seems like you at least took a step in the right direction!
Of course! But that’s biology for you. I guess that’s why I’m always trying to educate myself more and more, especially as we have a very needy kitty on our hands!
Great review, and very interesting information ! We’re glad Beau enjoyed his new food. Purrs
😀 Glad you liked it 😀
I need to try this for my cats, it sounds fantastic.
Try it out! Tell me how it goes for you 😀 <3
Very interesting; thank you for the education! Looking forward to hearing how Beau does on this food!
I hope it goes really well <3
We’re glad to see Beau likes the Primal. We tried it and weren’t thrilled with it. Ernie really likes the Stella & Chewy freeze dried raw and the Vital Cat freeze dried raw.
I’ve been checking out the Stella & Chewy. We actually don’t get a lot of those in our store, but they’re definitely I’m thinking of trying!