We want to take this opportunity to thank you for all of your support over the past 3 years. With the love of Back2Raw generating growth all over Ontario it was time for us to move from our small plant in Rockwood!
We found the perfect building located just north of Toronto, this 8,000sq ft building was designed to meet CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) Standards for the making of Human Food.
Featuring 5000sq ft of fully refrigerated processing, staging, shipping and receiving areas as well as tempering and blast freezers it has everything we need to continue to hit our high standards and keep up with demand.
We are delighted to become a part of the charming Georgina community and are proud to say 30 Hastings rd, Pefferlaw is now home.
We have found 3 hard working employees from the Georgina area to add to our team and are excited to continue to offer more jobs for the growing community!
Production room for our Raw Pet Food Factory
Back view of Back2Raw's to Raw pet food plant North of Toronto, Ontario Canada in Georgina!
Pefferlaw, Ontario Near Keswick in Georgina!
Back2Raw's New Raw Pet Food Plant.
]]>Here are five reasons why you should only feed raw food to your beloved friend.
Face it, you don’t like it when your dog shrugs away your invitation to fetch with lethargy. If your dog too has been seemingly tired for reason beyond your comprehension, chances are that his diet might be the culprit.
Dry and processed foods are usually full of carbohydrates and sugars, both of which don’t promise any positive behavior from your dog. In addition, processed foods are full of chemicals and preservatives, which may be safe for humans* but not for dogs.
Raw food, such as raw meat, on the other hand, is full of proteins and good fat, which is what your dog’s digestive system is made to process. Just feed your dog a raw food diet for a week and you should see a marked improvement in his behavior and energy levels.
You cannot ask your dog to brush his teeth twice each day. So how do they maintain their dental hygiene? Well, proponents of dry food for dogs suggest that dry foods, especially kibble, help clean a dog’s teeth. Kibble, as we all know, is crunchy and might be the worst food item that claims to clean teeth. It’s like asking a 5 year old kid to stop brushing his teeth and eat lots of nachos to clean his teeth. It sound’s absurd, doesn’t it?
There are three main kinds of dental debris – plaque, food particles, calculus (tartar). While food particles are the easiest to clean, plaque can be removed by brushing and for removing tartar you have to book an appointment with your dentist.
For dogs, it’s usually their food that has to act in multiple ways to clean all forms of dental debris. When your dog eats meat from the bone, the eating process massages his oral cavity, while the food’s mildly abrasive nature removes plaque and prevents other dental diseases such as tartar, calculus and periodontal disease. Simply put, your pet’s teeth are made to eat meat from a bone and not something that comes out from a can. (a great reason to add Edibones to your dogs diet)
We all know that hair is a protein filament and the more protein you have in your diet, the better your hair would be. Well, things are quite similar for your dog too. Dogs need a diet that’s loaded with protein and good fat for a glowing coat.
Dry food is often a blend of carbohydrates and low-quality protein. Needless to say, this low quality protein, which often times is made from vegetable sources with a sprinkling of ‘meat meal’ results in poor skin and coat quality. Raw meat, on the other hand, has high quality protein and high quality good fat. Both of these ingredients give your dog a fuller, shinier coat and better skin. (Back2Raw pet cuisine has an ideal ratio of protein to fat, click hear to learn more.)
To top it all up, raw food contains a blend of essential nutrients including vitamin A, B and E that are essential for processing protein and fats. Dry food manufactures add these nutrients by form of supplementation to the mix, but the fact remains that these nutrients are usually destroyed in the cooking process and long storage as they have a limited shelf life. If you want to nourish your dog’s coat with essential nutrients, fresh raw meat is the way to go.
What do you eat when you want to build up your muscle mass? Your answer probably would be protein-rich foods and not carbohydrates. Dogs too need a protein-rich diet for better muscular tone. Fresh protein and good fat in raw meat help shed carbohydrate fat and improve muscle strength. Moreover, as the chewing action of raw food diet involves crushing of bones and shredding of meat, it helps building up strength in your dog’s shoulder, neck and back muscles.
Cereals and other dry food items are rich only in carbs and increase your dog’s weight. Fresh raw meat tones his muscles to reveal his firm body.
Processed food manufacturers add salt and artificial flavour coatings to dog food to make it palatable for them. Without these, your friend won’t even go near that food. However, the additional salt & chemicals in dry and processed foods makes dogs dehydrated leading to drinking more water and passing more urine. This stresses their digestive system and may result in a kidney disease.
You won’t have to add salt or chemicals to fresh meat to make your dog eat. Moreover, proteins & fats metabolize throughout the entire digestive tract. This results in gastric juices being released slowly to properly digest his meal, resulting in firmer stools and an improved digestive track.
Dogs are like wolves and for them, nothing is healthier than a well balanced raw diet. They need a healthy dose of proteins, fats and essential nutrients like vitamin A, B and E. Just by cutting processed foods from your pet’s diet you will see a positive difference in his energy levels, behavior, digestion, muscle tone, dental health and coat.
Love your pet as much as he loves you and feed him Back2Raw.
]]>(fast food restaurants and heavily packaged goods) as negative for your health. Good eating and proper exercise is becoming mainstream and we're understanding the foods that are going into our bodies better than ever! Food can make us unhealthy, so choose the right foods!
Kibble is a heavily processed and so far from its natural form. And yet if I were to ask 10 veterinarians if kibble is "healthy" for my dog at least 9 would say yes.
on one hand we have people learning about "healthy fats', " Healthy vs Processed Carbs" And not to eat fast food 7 days a week, overly packaged goods with too many preservatives probably aren't healthy and so on. But on the other hand the medical professionals of the dog world saying that your best friend will be fine eating the same over packaged over preserved food that can sit on a shelf at room temperature for a very long time without "going bad" day in and day out for the rest of their lives.
The simple answer is yes to both. Dogs are very different than humans. They need a much different diet to survive and have a very different digestive system. However this does not mean we should ignore the primary principles to healthy eating. Fresh is best, the less processing the better. Kibble has been a very popular choice for a very long time. This could be due to no one knowing better or the simplicity and ease of feeding kibble.
We now know better and have no more excuses, just because the medical professionals of the dog world haven't caught up yet doesn't mean you should wait. Talk to anyone feeding their pet a good raw food diet, you will be pleasantly surprised.
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]]>The danger of single organ diets comes from two main components. Balance in your dogs daily, weekly and monthly food intake and sensitivities from too much of a rich organ like Liver.
Each Organ in your dogs raw diet has a specific purpose, some could be a high source of B vitamins, Zinc, CoQ10, etc... too balance this out we need to offer our pets multiple choices, like they would have in the wild. No dog would ever just eat the liver of their prey and nothing else every time. They would naturally create balance in their own diet over the course of weeks.
Too much of a rich organ especially liver can give your dog the runs, upset stomach and other unpleasant reactions.
Hopefully none of these brands are making it to the shelves at your local retailer as this can be super dangerous. A big part of what can make a raw with or without vegetables be a complete meal for your dog is the organs, they are so nutrient dense and necessary in your dogs diet.
As I was saying earlier too much of any one organ in the raw diet can cause issues with G.I. upset, so assuming the diet is too rich in multiple organs this could end in really bad G.I. Health and long term health issues.
All of this can be a ton to take in. However its not overly complex to solve. Back2Raw diets are formulated with the perfect answer and what we would recommend to anyone looking to purchase a raw diet or homemade one. 10% Organs tends to be the perfect balance. Mix this up with a minimum of 3 different organs, no more than 2.5% liver. Not only is liver really rich and should not be fed as more than 5% of the diet, but keep in mind many dog treats are made with liver. So 2.5% is much safer.
Here are a few great organs too look for in your dogs raw diet.
Hear is rich in protein, thiamine, folate, selenium, phosphorus, zinc, CoQ10 and several B vitamins. These nutrients helps build muscle, store energy and boost stamina and endurance.
One of the most common organs, liver is a great source of high quality protein and is one of the most concentrated sources of vitamin A, along with copper, folic acid and iron. It also contains Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), which is important for cardiovascular functions. But not more than 2.5% of the diet!
Lots of protein without lots of fat. Kidneys contain lots of B12, riboflavin and iron, as well as healthy amounts of B6, folate and niacin.
Thats just a few to get you started we also like Lung, Spleen and more!
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We will save the other topics for another day and focus on Bone Content in raw food today. The primary need for raw bones in your dogs diet is they are an excellent source of calcium and used to balance out the phosphorus in meat. If however the bone content is too high or too low you can throw off the balance and create potential issues. Ultimately the argument has been between 10% bone all the way up to 20% bone in your dogs raw diet. However from watching dogs on various raw diets for over ten years at a dog Camp I have seen very few dogs thrive on the higher bone content.
Always get the raw food with the bone content on the lower end of that scale. That way if your not adding anything to their diet at least it has proper existing bone content and if you choose to add R.M.B. Raw Meaty Bones to your dogs diet you will have some room to breath on the bone content. Many raw feeders feed raw meaty bones as treats, teeth cleaners or mind challenging toys. The last thing we would want is for your dogs diet to be made up for 25%+ bone and end up with dry painful stools or constipation as well as long term chronic health issues.
Whole Animal Diets need to be balanced out. A huge community would argue that although a chicken has 30% bone in its body that your dog would eat the whole thing and therefore someone who takes whole chickens and grinds them is providing your dog with the closest thing to a "complete meal". I see two issues with this. First a chickens organs are tiny and if your dog is eating 5lbs of bone and meat and only 1/8lb of organs they would be at 2.5% organs in their diet. Secondly no dog would eat the entire carcass of the chicken every time they got a kill. In the wild your dog would have known how to balance out its own food over time... Eat the whole chicken, but than eat only meat and organs from its next kill, etc. Not to say all whole animal diets are bad, just that if the nutritionist has not taken the time to ensure they are balanced they are less than ideal.
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This is a matter of looking back at what each breed would have done in the past. Would your tiny little Pomeranian hunt tiny mice? Would your Great Dane chase down animals in the wild? The short answer is yes, something along those lines.
Each breed would have its select food range based on size. This food would be mostly meat with a percentage of vegetables, fruits and grasses. But not grains. We can tell this by the dogs teeth. They move up and down, but not side to side like a humans, a cows or any herbivore. This can make it very difficult to break down grains properly. We can also tell by their digestive tract, it is much much shorter than that of any herbivore allowing it to process raw meats with little to no risk.
I think its a hard argument to say that raw would not fit for most if not all dogs. All breeds and all sizes.
]]>1. Supplementing fish oils. Contrary to popular belief fish oils are not the holy grail of omega's and other healthy fatty acids. Don't get me wrong, in theory they are full of such nutrients. The issue lies in the processing.
Most if not all the fish oil supplements on the market have been proven to go rancid the moment you open them, if not sooner. They are such unstable products that even in preserved form we are seeing them go rancid almost immediately upon opening them, and often before we even get the fish oils open. Even worse is if you are finding fish oils already in your dogs food, specifically their raw. Although the extruding process in kibble is hard on fish oils, the fish oils probably remain fine until you open the bag, than they are rancid. Surprisingly freezing is even harsher on fish oils and can de-nature and make them rancid even in a sealed bag.
Be very weary of dog foods with Fish oils already in them, or ones telling you to supplement with fish oils to create a complete meal. Omega oils are a very important component in a balanced diet for your dog, so try alternative sources. My personal favorite is Golden Flax Seed, we add this to all our complete meals and have seen great success, as a dry natural source of omegas it is much more stable. Another great option is to use actual unprocessed fish, the oils can be much more stable.
2. Thawing too much food. Unfortunately in many circumstances we find ourselves rushing due to the busy nature of modern life. This can lead to trying to create convenience. Raw feeding sometimes can take a bit more time and memory than just scooping a scoop of kibble.
One of the solutions many people do to ease raw feeding especially when they have a challenging form of raw food like a big tub or difficult to open package is over thawing the food. The average raw company claims that you can only leave there food in the fridge for 1-3 days, but I often see people thawing out 4 lbs for a 30 pound dog who is going to take 5 or more days to finish that food. This could lead to rancid or bad food for your dogs consumption.
I highly recommend that you avoid this shortcut and do not exceed the maximum recommended fridge time for a raw product. Back2Raw prides themselves on a food that can stay fresh for up to 5 days in your fridge.
3. Not supplementing an incomplete food. Many and in fact all the raw dog foods I have seen on the store shelves are not complete diets. Most if them in small print will tell you to supplement with X for a complete meal. And many of the "complete ones" rely on fish oils in there products to balance out the meal.
If you cant take the time to add the supplements to complete the diet (and don't use fish oils) than try finding a raw food that has everything in it for a complete meal. This way not only will you benefit from the short term health, but also the long term.
Make sure to thoroughly read the bag or box and see what would be needed to make a complete meal. Our complete meals all have the right balance to ensure maximum health for your dog, no supplements needed.
All and all feeding raw dog food just like feeding kibble isn't always as simple as just placing food in a bowl. This is the food going into a loved ones body everyday and should be something we educate ourselves on.
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This article is directed for those of you currently feeding raw and those planning to feed raw.
Not All “Chickens” Are Created Equally
Although you have already made leaps and bounds in the direction of good health and wellbeing for your loved pets it's important to know that not all proteins are created equally. This also means that not all raw foods are created equally. Keep in mind that you get what you pay for. I don't mean go buy the most expensive raw, but keep in mind that if someone is selling you a “raw dog food” for less than you could buy that meat for from the grocery store. Odds are it's not of the quality you would want to feed a loved one and that includes your pets.
Not All Protein Is Created Equally
So although in our recipes we use high quality chicken’s and other meats it is important to keep in mind the nutritional value in a chicken good differ greatly from that of the nutritional value of beef or fish. On top of that we need to keep in mind your specific dog or cat breed may need more of the nutrients from lamb meat and less from turkey or vise versa. They could also be more prone to absorbing nutrition from pork than from chicken. You get the drift.
The Wild Animal Theory
When dogs were in the wild they would not be eating chicken everyday. They would one day hunt maybe a rabbit and the next a squirrel and maybe as a group take down a deer. The odds a dog in the wild would catch the same animal multiple days or weeks in a row is nearly impossible.
Dogs Need Balance Over Weeks Or Months Not Days
Its very important to know as a dog owner that dogs don't need to get every different nutrition on the planet in one meal or one week but that it's important over the period of a month or more that we balance out their diet.
Would You Eat Turkey Everyday & Every Meal For the Rest of Your Life?
Be honest would you have just turkey or just duck for everyone of your meals every single day for your entire life? I think not. Not only would you start to hate the taste, but you could build an allergy and get sick. So why would we feed our loved animals the same thing every day for their entire life?
So first thing. Make sure you are buying a high quality raw for your pet. I believe starting your dog on a single protein for a week or two well they adjust to the new raw diet is best. After that though it's all hands on deck, I would recommend rotating minimum of 3 proteins throughout a month.
Before we get into the tips and suggestions on getting your dog to finish their meals let's get a good understanding of why he or she may not want to eat. Many dogs do not want to eat simply because they do not like the taste of their food. Kibble is essentially flavorless until they run it through the final step called flavor enhancing. Flavor enhancing is essentially the kibble being ran through a mist or coating of artificial flavor and smell to entice the dog to dive into the bowl of flavorless kibble. Often times this will work and dogs will eat the kibble without asking too many questions. However from time to time their are dogs who catch on to this gimmick and stop enjoying the food. So all in all one of this biggest reasons your dog is not eating… is the food you're giving the.
Food choice is not the only issue though. If your dog is choosing not to eat canned foods raw or cooked high quality foods all of which contain flavor and you have tried a few flavor options there might be something else going on for your pooch.
Another major cause of a pet not eating is that they are having digestive issues. If your dog is getting a upset stomach or diarrhea and over all not feeling well. They will not want to eat. The cause of any of these could again come from the food they are eating. There is a real possibility that what they are consuming does not agree with them and they know better than to keep eating.
Let’s discuss a few ideas to help with our picky or non eating dogs.
Try hand or spoon feeding and coaxing. This is the best solution when introducing a new food to your guy or girl. It's brand new and they may be weary of it. Who better to trust than their owner. I have worked with many dogs introducing new foods and have been most effective with the ones I had the best bond with. Often times I would pretend to eat the new food in front of them, play with it or even hand and spoon feed it to them. Although this is the perfect solution for a new food to a dog it has been effective in coaxing non eating dogs to eat their food.
Try getting the food right to room temperature or even a little warm before feeding. I have great success from bringing foods up to room temperature or even a little on the warm side. It replicates how a dog would eat in the wild. A fresh kill would still be warm.
Some dogs will refuse food in hopes you will give them something better. If you have given your dog many foods over their life they can start to become really picky. They will start to want something different every day to keep things interesting for their palate and possibly because they know that they should be eating different proteins throughout their life to balance their nutritional needs. This is perfectly acceptable with raw feeding as I highly recommend rotating through different proteins for your dog. Often times this isn't as easy to do with large bags of kibble. I would highly recommend in this situation to get your dog comfortable with the food you are feeding them not give them any treats or scraps and ensure they understand that what you are giving them is their only option. He or She will almost guaranteed end up eating.
Feed breed specific. Try to get an understanding of your dog. Are they a Lab who will eat anything? Are they a Shitzu who is super picky and untrusting? Is it a Jack Russel who would probably love gamy meat? Or a Sleigh Dog like a husky who would die for Fish? Once you have figured out what your dogs breeds desire your one step closer to finding something or some things your dog will enjoy eating.
All this said I find that some dogs will be picky to specific food types and you may never have success with kibble or canned food. But you will never know until you try a bunch of methods. You will also find that dogs are most likely to refuse kibble and least likely to refuse a high quality raw.
Delsin Boyd,
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So let's go with the newly popular idea that dogs are in fact carnivores. Than why do we add fruits and vegetables to our recipes? The simple answer is that it's to balance out the meal for your furry friends, but let's get a little more in depth.
In the wild dogs would hunt wild animals, the animals that became their meals would often be herbivores or omnivores. The herbivores or omnivores would have undigested and partially digested fruits and vegetables in their stomach that the dog would consume along with the rest of the carcass. This would allow the dog to consume many vital nutrients for their health and well being.
In today’s closest replication of the natural diet for dogs. Raw feeding. We are often feeding farm animals, fish and tamed animals. These animals often have much more restricted diets than the wild animals your dog would have hunted. This can often be restricted to animal feeds and single item diets for many animals. And more often than not the animals available today will not be slaughtered with food still in their stomach, and more important the meat available to humans is cleaned of stomach content. This can create a lack of nutrients for your dog when sticking to a pure meat diet.
Well ground fruits and vegetables are more digestible to your dog than full fruits and vegetables. Sure it's easy to just add a apple slice or carrot to your dog's meal. But it's not necessarily anywhere near as nutritious to your dog as well ground fruits and vegetables. The other issue with adding vegetables separately is if you have a picky eater he/she may avoid the vegetables all together.
We create a balance of fruits and vegetables to fit your dog's nutritional needs, we balance out vitamins and minerals of all kinds to create a nutrient rich raw food perfect for your pet's best health. Our finely ground fruits and vegetables nutritional content is super available to your dog and easily palatable.
Delsin Boyd,
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The wording transition your dog to raw isn't exactly appropriate which is why I chose the title switching your dog to raw. It isn't really a transition.The methods I recommend are closer to a cold turkey switch over. This is because the rate at which kibble is digested is different than the rate at which raw is digested. This can create an upset stomach for your dog or expose them to bacteria longer than needed. Dog’s have a short digestive tract which allows them to eat foods we cannot. But it works more efficiently when its cleansed and not blocked up.
Dogs can digest certain bacteria much better than humans because of their short digestive tract. That is why raw can be totally safe for your dog. That being said some people have seen small difficulties when first introducing the raw. So we will discuss these worries and how to overcome them for a healthier, happier and better dog.
This happens, don't be to surprised. Many dogs can be weary of new food whether it's raw, cooked or even a new kibble or canned food. I highly recommend working your dog through this and not giving up. The first thing we do with dogs who are hesitant is try to hand feed them the new food. You're their leader, they trust you. If this doesn't entice them to at least try the food don't give up yet.
The next step if your dog isn't devouring their food yet is to not give in. By this I mean don’t give your dog something else to eat. If you give your dog something else to eat like his original food again, your dog will not try the raw food. If however you take the food away from your dog and give him nothing else until his next meal odds are they will try the raw food at that meal. Keep that process going for upto 24 hours to give your dog a fair chance to change his health and life. Do not fret, your dog is a feast and famine animal meaning he/she will not starve during this process. Ensure your dog still has access to water and they will be fine.
Good your dog is eating raw food now, let's move on to other potential worries for people.
This is absolutely normal. Your dog is getting a much higher concentration of water in their raw food diet than they are in a dried out kibble. Animals in their natural environment get a lot of their hydration needs from the animals they hunt.
As long as your dog is still drinking some water and urinating healthy. You have nothing to worry about. Most dogs on raw diets drink less..
Well this one definitely isn't a surprise. Your dog has adjusted to the raw now and is loving it. Most dogs don't love their current food but eat it for survival. My dog tahlia when on kibble barely even finished a bowl of it, but now that she’s on Back 2 Raw she licks the bowl clean then keeps licking.
You should definitely watch your dog to ensure they are maintaining a healthy weight as knowing how much to feed a dog is not an exact science but varies from dog to dog. If your dog is maintaining a healthy weight and is acting hungry it is almost certain they just love the taste of their delicious new raw dog food.
Delsin Boyd,
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Minimal Nutrition Loss
All pet foods on the market today have nutrition loss. Some more than others. I have an article explaining the different nutrition loss in different pet foods ranging from kibble to freeze dried. We are happy to announce Flash Freezing has amongst the lowest possible nutrition loss in your pets food.
No More Sticking Together
Many of the raw pet food patties on the market take lots of time, energy and tools to pry apart. This can be super annoying if you are in a rush or trying to thaw patties just before bed. Our special method involves fully flash freezing the raw patties before packaging. This allows you to easily remove the desired amount of patties from the bag with no need for difficult prying or tools. One less reason to excuse yourself from feeding your cat or dog a raw food diet :).
No freezer burn
Our raw patties will be freezer burn free. When raw meat is frozen at such a low temperature at such a fast speed it prevents the buildup of ice crystals or freezer burn. This means a tastier, fresher and more nutritious meal for your dog. It also contributed to the previous point. Without the development of ice crystals the patties will not freeze together.
Faster thaw time
Meats that have been flash frozen actually thaw faster than meats frozen in standard methods. This means you can get your frozen pet food to a nice serving temperature quicker than with traditionally made raw pet foods.
Delsin Boyd,
Certified Pet Nutrition Specialist
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Broccoli - boost enzymes that detoxify carcinogens
Celery - acid neutralizer..
Apples - eliminate toxins in the gut and strengthens intestinal muscles.
Cranberries - great for preventing UTI's
Blueberries - great for heart health and loaded with antioxidants