Your Stories

Simba & Kat

Simba was 16 weeks old when we adopted him and his brother, Mouse. He had stitches, a stump where his tail used to be, but he was the sweetest little boy I'd ever seen. We fell in love with him immediately.

His weight fluctuated in his first year of life, he went from a normal weight, to skinny, to a bit porky, and back to skinny again. But the most concerning thing is that he scratched around his face and neck constantly, to the point where he had bald patches and scabs. Before going raw, I took him to our conventional vet who said it is most likely a food allergy causing his itchiness, and that an elimination diet or novel protein diet could help.

I found Raw Essentials through an online search and haven't looked back. We go to the Hamilton branch, and the resident vet Rebecca has been so wonderful, we really feel cared for - she always asks after Simba and how he is going and has given so much guidance. I'm pleased to report that Simba's coat is noticeably softer and has grown in beautifully from where he was scratching, he now absolutely goes nuts for his food and is a healthy weight. Currently he eats a raw meat diet including organs and bones, even bone broth and probiotics which is a better diet than for me, his mum!

We have a little way to go yet, but I'm confident we will get to perfect health with the raw diet and the amazing team that is Raw Essentials. Keep up the good work!

Willie & Adrianne

Willie has suffered Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD) all his life, which was well controlled with a specific dry food diet.

In November last year, Willie suddenly went off his food and began vomiting regularly and losing weight rapidly. I was at my wits end with what to feed him. I tried cooked chicken and different wet foods - which he would eat once then wouldn't touch it again. My Vet recommended trying a raw diet, so I visited Raw Essentials in Hamilton and they put him on a gut healing protocol. From then on he's been amazing - loving his food and never missing a meal.

I'm a vet nurse and had been skeptical of raw feeding but my mind has changed completely. I now make bone broth for our sick inpatients and we stock veal meat onsite for our sick raw fed dogs.

I'm so grateful for Raw Essentials - their help and care has been a life saver

Floki & Gemma

Floki always had allergies - mainly seasonal and from grasses. He did okay on a good quality kibble but would get an unsettled tummy for no real reason, and would have us up in the night to eat grass. The one time we did try a different kibble and introduced it slowly (like we were told to do) his stomach was very upset.

For this reason, I always just thought he had a very sensitive stomach and put off the people who told us to switch to raw for his allergies and tummy. I honestly thought his stomach would be all over the place with such a big change.

However, around 3 months ago, Floki had a terrible bacterial skin infection and I felt I had no choice but to make the change. So we finally made the leap and switched to raw - it happened to fall on a long weekend so we had 4 days at home with him in case his stomach didn’t settle.

We went to Raw Essentials and the staff were amazingly helpful and gave us all the info we needed. We switched him according to the recommendations and he had zero stomach issues. I was honestly thrilled.

His coat is looking lovely and his fur grew back within a month. He loves the food and is super excited to eat. His poop is smaller, and his stomach seems so much more settled than it ever was on kibble. Super happy we made the change to raw!

Digby, Griff & Merran

When our first dog (Digby the Lab) was a puppy I put him on to what I believed was a high-quality kibble as raw feeding options were somewhat limited in our area. He was always a large puppy and is a particularly big lab however by the time he was a year old he was approximately 10kg overweight.

In switching him to a raw diet, at a recommended weight-loss quantity, the weight came off him quite easily and he is now at an appropriate weight which our vets are satisfied with.

Our 2nd puppy Griff (Staffy X) was rescued at approximately 10 weeks old and was underweight at that time. We put him straight on to the same raw diet as Digby and he was very quickly a much healthier and happier puppy. He had some stomach upsets early on but with a good diet this has settled to just occasional bouts.

Weight, gut, dental and general health are all benefits we’ve noticed with raw feeding and we’d certainly recommend raw feeding for all these reasons. They love all the food and their shiny coats and eyes are a great testimony to the health benefits of their diet.

Jasper & Paula

Jasper was a 4-year-old rescue cat that we adopted in 2008. He felt at home straight away and fitted in happily with our other two kittens, also recently adopted from the same place. Jasper was fine on a diet of biscuits and tinned for awhile but, in 2010, he developed asthma and was a regular visitor to the vets, including frantic 1am visits.

We persevered with various medications for awhile but we wanted a different approach. So, I researched raw feeding and made the change. He swapped over without fuss and loved it all! I stopped his medication and it wasn't long before he stopped having attacks. Jasper stayed on the raw diet for five years without a single asthma attack and was medication free before he passed in 2017.

I know he appreciated feeling better without regular asthma attacks... you could just tell. I am very grateful that Raw Essentials were available, so I could make that choice for him.

Muay & Renee

Muay really struggled with her food when we first got her. We kept her on the same diet as her breeder as we heard it was good quality. However, she would only occasionally graze at it. She became very skinny and it was tough to get her to eat. I spoke to someone else who had a similar experience with their puppy and they recommended we try Raw Essentials. When they switched their dog to raw food, it made such a huge difference and their dog loved food for the first time.

It’s only been a week since we switched, but the change is incredible. She is SO excited about food and never leaves anything in her bowl. Her nose is moist and her skin already looks incredible. We are looking forward to continuing her raw journey, especially after seeing what a difference just a week makes. The support we received from our local store has been amazing. They gave us great recommendations, come up with a feeding plan, and have checked in with us. I’m so glad we found Raw Essentials!

Gretch & Amelia

We adopted Gretch in mid-2018 and she weighed over 9kg - pretty hefty for a wee sausage dog! After trying multiple food brands and making no dent in her weight loss we decided to give raw feeding a go... fast forward to now and Gretch is down 2kg and counting! Her renewed energy levels and thirst for life has made her a completely different dog to the one we adopted back in June.

We can't thank your team in Wellington enough for their advice and help along her journey.

Khan & Cassandra

This is my old boy Khan. He’s coming up 15 years old. I adopted him when he was much younger. He would gulp his kibble down and then spew everywhere. He was also constantly thirsty and drinking water - which seemed like forever!

Since changing him to a raw diet many years ago he hasn’t spewed once and rather gulping it down he has to chew and work through the meat and bone. His teeth and fur look amazing for his age!

Radar & Ellis

Radar had been on biscuits most of his life and after about 5 years, his body started to reject them. He was overweight but would vomit after most of his meals and wouldn't keep food down. I tried a prescription diet for a few months but, still, he kept vomiting.

I started him on a raw diet 3 years ago when I got my dog, who was not interested in biscuits either. Radar is now 9 years old and has lost weight and almost never vomits. Thank you Raw Essentials

Diezel & Jen

We found Raw Essentials in Wellington over 8 months ago. We have 3 dogs, Stella, Diezel and Lucy. Since they've been on your raw food they've all thrived, maintained a good weight and are so happy. Most so, Diesel. He was a massive 40kgs, and for a Border Collie Huntaway cross that is very overweight! He's lost over 15kg just from being on raw food.

All our dogs are so happy and healthy now. Thank you, Raw Essentials, Lynnie and the staff members in the Wellington store are amazing!

Louie & Deena

Our Boxer puppy was struggling to gain weight, not interested in his dry food and in and out of the vets' for various allergy flare ups and gastro upsets - which we suspected were IBD or colitis. After researching we decided to give Raw Essentials a try before going ahead with a colonoscopy and invasive therapies. We had constant reassurance and help from the minute we stepped into the Glenfield store.

As Louie took a bit of time adjusting and had a few residual gut flare-ups during his transition, we were put in contact with Rebecca, Raw Essentials' vet, who is an absolute gem! She called almost daily to check on him and gave the best advice if he had any flare-ups and at each new stage of his transition. It just really felt like she genuinely cared for our boy.

He was 16kg, skin and bones when restarted, had dull fur, gunky eyes, and was either completely backed up or popped 5 times per day. Less than 3 months later, he's 23kg, has the softest coat, looks strong, bright eyed and is THRILLED at mealtimes! We could not be happier and are so grateful to Rebecca and the team. Our boy is a totally new dog!

Harley & Megan

Harley is our crazy tortoiseshell cat who didn't have the easiest start to life. This little girl had been waiting all alone at the pet store for three months - so we abandoned our plans for an SPCA adoption and took her home to join the family! 10 months in she developed cystitis. Our vet recommended more meat to help with water intake, so we stopped feeding biscuits and fed her meat only - including supermarket cat meat.

Harley rallied, but fast-forward a year and she was diagnosed with feline leprosy. She had 13 lumps surgically removed and looked like 'franked-kitty'. Her changes of survival didn't look so good either. Months of treatment later, she was still with us but had allergies. Itchy scars made her scratch continuously and her fur fell out.

Our friends who'd recently started their dogs on Raw Essentials recommended switching Harley - as they thought her allergies could be related to fillers like wheat that can be found in supermarket cat meats. After very little convincing with the Power Mix, Harley quickly adapted to her new diet. Her skin was no longer irritated and she stopped scratching - finally giving her scars time to heal. Her fur grew back so soft and shiny! She now loves feeding time and you can see she's a happier, healthier cat. I'm so glad we made the switch.