I’m receiving Redbud’s free for a trial period so that I can review this on elephant. That fact does not change whether or not I like it, or should I say, whether my dog (Redford, a hound/lab mutt) likes it. ~ ed.

Okay, I’m through the first period of reviewing Redbud’s Raw Dog Food with my doggie Redford. Most dogs eat dry food, with a little wet mixed in at most. Redford eats two meals a day (a little dry in the morning, a bigger dry/wet meal around 6pm). I get the best stuff I can, at my local independent Farfel’s Farm. Though the dry food is not organic, and certainly not local, it does have all kinds of healthy stuff in it, is free from unhealthy animal byproducts (crappy scraps left over from meat production) and is antibiotic and grain-free. Then, I give Red a little wet food, and it’s easier to get free-range (bison) or organic (I usually buy Evanger’s). I also give him his share of veggie food, as dogs are omnivores and need plenty of healthy greens in the mix.

But now, reviewing Redbud’s, I’ve been transitioning Redford to 100% wet, 100% raw, local, organic meaty meals. I keep them in a freezer, then defrost a bag at a time, and give Redford a “puck” or two for breakfast, and two or three for dinner, and have been mixing in less and less of the dry. You can’t transition too quickly or dogs will have digestion problems, and throw up all over your bedroom floor.

1. Redford loooves this stuff. It’s basically raw meat, from a great local source, with some other real food goodness mixed it. I am vegetarian, so it’s interesting to serve such raw meaty fare up, but the dry stuff I was giving him had meat or fish in it, too, so there you go.

2. Redford always has a ton of energy, and is cheerful, and social, so it’s hard to tell if he’s better in any way. He’s in his prime, in great shape, very active. I can say that, as Jim the founder of Redbud’s told me would happen, Redford’s doggie doodoo is smaller and firm, meaning he’s digesting more of his food and not bloated and wasting, rejecting food he’s eating.

That’s all I’ve got to report, so far. It’s a little gross to serve, as a vegetarian, but if you eat meat you’ll be tempted to steal some of it and put it on the grill. It’s that real, local, good, healthy. The transition from dry processed stuff to this was easy. At this point, my only question would be price—if I can afford to continue long-term, I’m in. I’m a convert. This is the real deal and will likely add years of active life to my dog…and yours.

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For more info, including directions and health info and price, click here.

Redbud’s Facebook Page (with photo of Redford on my porch).