Did you know that feeding our four-legged best friends a species appropriate, balanced raw diet doesn’t have to be complicated?
If I had known how easy and convenient raw feeding can be, I would have started much sooner than I did!
Note: Unfortunately, the brand discontinued its sales in 2021.
This post is sponsored by Balanced Blends. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about their Kickstarter Campaign, but K9sOverCoffee only shares information I feel is relevant to my readers & always provides 100% honest reviews. Balanced Blends is not responsible for the content of this article.
I began feeding my pups Missy & Buzz a raw diet in early 2015, shortly after Missy kicked her thyroid cancer’s butt.
To be quite honest, it was her cancer diagnosis that gave me the kick in MY behind to incorporate nutritional and lifestyle changes for both pups in hopes of a healthier future.
Fast-forward 12 months and their annual wellness exams speak volumes about their healthy bodies.
I’m not going to lie – I had heard repeatedly about the many health benefits of feeding a balanced raw diet:
- Reduction of Allergies
- Healthy Skin & Coat
- Improved Digestion – Less Poop
- Better Oral Health
- Increased Energy Level
- Better Weight Management
However, I wasn’t crazy about the idea of being solely responsible for putting together their food.
It kept me from following through with my intention of raw feeding for quite some time.
My main concern was figuring out how much to feed each pup.
I also wasn’t sure what exactly a raw diet needed to consist of to be considered balanced and nutritious.
Taking The Guesswork Out Of Raw Feeding
I found that the easiest and most convenient form of raw feeding is to have someone else figure it out for you – someone like Balanced Blends.
They make it their mission to know what a balanced raw diet needs to consist of and put it together for you.
All YOU have to do is place your order with them, receive it, thaw and serve.
Feeding a balanced raw diet really doesn’t get any easier!
Who Is Balanced Blends?
Balanced Blends is a Boulder, CO based company.
It was launched by three enthusiastic founders interested in feeding their dogs & cats a species-appropriate, fresh diet.
Together with veterinarians and a PhD nutritionist, they created complete & balanced raw diets for both dogs & cats.
Balanced Blends delivers their pre-mixed raw pet food within the continental USA (lower 48 states).
Benefits Of A Pre-Made Raw Diet
A pre-mixed raw diet is essentially raw goodness in its most convenient form!
As mentioned above, it arrives frozen and pre-packaged at your home.
All you need to do is thaw & serve.
No worrying about the right kind of ratio of meat vs. bones vs. veggies/fruit/minerals/vitamins.
Also, no time-consuming raw dog food meal prep!
Tip: I like to place the frozen meals into food storage containers while they thaw in the fridge. That way, there’s no uncontained leakage. Once they thaw, there will be some juices which can easily be dealt with in the container.
Conveniently Delivered To Your Home
You can set up a subscription to have the complete and balanced raw diets delivered to your home.
Again, all you need to do is thaw and serve.
You can manage your subscription on the Balanced Blends website where you can edit, change, pause or cancel your subscription conveniently.
Our Balanced Blends Chicken & Beef meals were delivered in a cooler covered with dry ice.
That’s the standard delivery method of raw dog food.
After Buzz inspected the order, I removed the frozen meals from the cooler and placed them into the fridge to thaw (they came in 1 LB pouches).
The thawing process took about 1 day.
However, you can speed it up by placing a meal into a container with room temperature water.
I don’t recommend warming it up in the microwave. That would get rid of the healthy nutrients and negate some of the benefits of feeding raw.
What Exactly Do Balanced Blends Raw Diets Consist Of?
Balanced Blends follows the B.A.R.F. model of raw feeding, which translates to Biologically Appropriate Raw Food.
BARF consists of raw meat, fruits, vegetables, and bone.
Just FYI, the Prey Model Raw alternative doesn’t include any veggies and fruit.
90% Meat, Organ, & Bone; 10% Produce & Vitamin and Mineral Mix (all ground)
According to Balanced Blends, their diets are formulated to meet AAFCO “Complete And Balanced For All Life Stages”.
They are 100% free of grains, gluten, fillers, artificial colorings & preservatives.
Where Are Their Ingredients Sourced?
All ingredients for Balanced Blends raw meals come from high quality, local farms which are USDA inspected.
Balanced Blends currently offers two protein choices: Chicken & Beef.
Fruits and Vegetables – Organic.
Fruits and Vegetables – Organic.
Is Balanced Blends’ Safe To Feed?
They use the following best practices in making their raw dog food:
- Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)
- Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP’s)
- Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP’s)
Additionally, Balanced Blends raw diets are applied with high pressure processing (HPP) in their final packaging to eliminate recontamination.
They also use the “Test and Hold” protocol where their foods are lab tested by a third party laboratory and only released for sale after the pathogen test results come back negative.
Transparency – Nothing To Hide
Balanced Blends believes in being 100% transparent and invites you to just ask them anything about their raw dog food.
They will be happy to answer any questions you might have about their food, ingredients, and operations.
They answered a question I had about their ingredient list – I was wondering why salt was added to the recipe.
I found out that Balanced Blends uses a tiny amount of salt in their food because it is a good source of chloride & sodium.
Both are essential and also part of the AAFCO nutrient panel for “complete and balanced” diets.
Salt helps in maintaining the balance of the cellular fluids of the body.
To put it in measurable perspective, about 1/3 of a container (like Morton) we can get from the grocery store goes into 1000 LB of food. It is almost unmeasurable in their daily portion.
The exact amount of salt Balanced Blends uses is the result of the calculation by their board certified PhD nutritionist.
I was beyond satisfied AND educated with this detailed response.
How To Transition Your Pup From Kibble To A Raw Diet
If your pup has never had raw dog food before, you should allow 7-10 days to make the switch.
Essentially just as long as switching from one kibble brand to a new one.
Slowly decrease the amount of old food and increase the amount of new food until you’re only feeding the new, raw dog food.
Are There Any Downsides To A Pre-Made Raw Diet?
One of the benefits of feeding your pup raw, meaty bones as part of his raw diet is the oral health aspect.
Since the bone is ground in a pre-made raw diet, it can’t act as a natural toothbrush by helping scrape away soft plaque deposits.
One way around this is to continue brushing your pups’ pearlies manually.
Another option is to give them a raw meaty bone once or twice a week in addition to the pre-mixed raw dog food for ultimate oral health benefits.
For example, a duck neck or a chicken leg quarter, depending on the size of your pooch.
Is There Any Room For Improvement?
For now, Balanced Blends offer raw chicken & beef meals.
I personally would also like to see some other protein sources such as lamb, venison, and/or fish.
Rotating proteins is important in order to keep mealtime interesting and avoid potential protein intolerances.
As far as serving the raw meals, I would have liked a more effortless opening of the pouches the food came in.
Since they don’t have an EZ peel opening, I had to use scissors to access the dog food.
Granted, not the biggest inconvenience in the world, but if it’s going to be convenient, I want convenience all the way!
…a little birdie told me that an EZ peel opening will be added to the product in the very near future, and that more protein choices will also be added to the menu.
Pre-Order Your Balanced Raw Meals On Kickstarter
Get your paws on your very own raw pre-mixes during the Balanced Blends pre-order launch on Kickstarter – their “Early Cat/Dog special” saves you $20 to $30 on 10 LB of raw food. Now THAT’s a deal, especially when you have several mouths to feed!
Additionally, all backers will get 5 LB extra for every 20 LB order of the same item from the Balanced Blends website, for 3 or 6 months, after the Kickstarter campaign ends, depending on which tiers were backed.
All pre-orders will receive free shipping (ships only to lower 48 states).
After the Kickstarter campaign will be over, regular orders over 20 LB from the Balanced Blends website will also receive free shipping.
*****No Risk – Money Back Guarantee****
If for any reason you are not satisfied with Balanced Blends’ food, they include a money back satisfaction guarantee with every order you place.
In case you’re not satisfied with your order, please contact Balanced Blends directly at 1.800.446.0979 or via hello@balancedblends.com and they will be glad to discuss how they can help resolve the issue.
If, for any reason, they are unable to resolve the issue, they will refund your order.
Are you new to raw? Do you have any additional questions about the transitioning process? As always, we’d love to hear from you in our comment section!
Related Reading:
- Balanced Blends Raw & Steamed Dog Food – New Lines Review
- Making Raw Feeding Fun with Balanced Blends Pet Food
- Try Raw Dog Food with Balanced Blends Starter Packs
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