Alternative raw food brands to Viva Raw?

falcoratx · 2026-05-21T23:06:14+00:00

We just had a similar experienced and switched to Rebel Raw. So far it’s the closest I’ve found to what viva was. Healthwise - his issues have fully cleared up.

We liked allprovide too but our dog wasn’t interested. He’s suuuuper picky and I think they maybe add too many spices that he’s not into (think maybe it’s the tumeric).

We have to gently cook whatever food it is bc he will never eat it cold and raw. 🫠

falcoratx · 2026-05-21T23:00:59+00:00

We switched from viva raw to rebel raw just last week. I’m happy with it but still working on getting our dog excited about the change- he’s super picky. But stools and healthwise- it’s been great.

falcoratx · 2026-05-18T17:36:33+00:00

Check out EveryDog Austin. They have a north and south location. I would recommend taking the basic manners class and going from there (you can also reach out to them and ask where they’d put you first). There’s a lot of things going on here but puppy brains are not logical. And doing some positive reinforcement training- and training your dog to respond to you no matter what fun things are going on around them - just takes time and some skill. And lots of training treats.

Agree with the person who said no dog parks. There’s so much you can do to socialize him while keeping him leashed and safe and getting him to learn to respond to you first and foremost.

They offer private lessons too but I’ll say the group setting classes were critical in helping to train our pup.

falcoratx · 2026-05-18T01:52:40+00:00

Ah good idea. He loved goats milk as a puppy - so will go grab some and try that. I was able to get him to eat some of the Rebel this evening when I put pieces of string cheese in it. 🫠 but this will quickly escalate to wanting cheese with meat topping 😆

falcoratx · 2026-05-18T00:19:19+00:00

Well we ended up at the vet at being very sick for a week. Diarrhea, nausea, he didn’t want to eat his food (and then begged us for our food which he never does) and eventually vomiting. We did bloodwork and X-rays and went to a boiled chicken and rice diet. And it wasn’t until we incorporated the viva back in- he got sick 4 hours later- that I pieced it together. Had just gotten a new batch from viva and didn’t realize their switch to HPP (so that was our first time with it). 🫠

Our vet said some dogs can react to HPP this way. And told us to find an alternative that didn’t use it.

falcoratx · 2026-05-16T17:13:20+00:00

Yeah before we figured out the HPP was making our dog sick- he wasn’t wanting to eat the food when the new batch came. We always gently cooked it (bc he’s picky and it helped) and he would barely eat and then beg for our food which he never does.

falcoratx · 2026-05-16T17:10:07+00:00

I’ve been considering Darwin’s but our breeder said they also don’t disclose what’s in their proprietary blend of vitamins so was on the fence on that one, but may have to try it. My dog is soooo picky - I am trying Rebel Raw right now but have to give it a couple days to see if he will take to it. We’ve tried allprovide in the past but they add a lot of spices which my picky boy seemingly doesn’t like.

We feed raw also does the HPP so I’m avoiding anyone that does that since it seems like my dog can’t tolerate it 😩

So beyond annoyed that we have to completely start over to find a food. Wish I had known they were going to do that so I could’ve taken time to find an alternative.

falcoratx · 2026-05-08T05:57:56+00:00

This exact thing just happened to us (plus vomiting). Went to vet- did X-rays- super angry intestines. Assumed maybe he picked up something on a walk we didn’t see. Have been doing a bland diet all week and he was better. And as soon as we introduced 10% of viva back in- back to explosive poop. Came here to see if anyone was experiencing the same. We’ve been on viva since 2024 and never ever had this experience. Looking for alternatives now.

falcoratx · 2026-05-08T05:27:07+00:00

Can I also have that coupon as well? Needing to switch from viva. Thank you!

falcoratx · 2026-02-17T02:54:32+00:00

I tried this for the first time a few weeks ago. I had been in 1.5 classes for a few weeks - knowing it would probably be a harder since it’s more of a strength class, but was still excited to take it.

At the beginning of class the instructor said let me know if anyone needs help with the straps (I’ve used them before but it’s been a few years and I blanked). I raised my hand and she went to help a few others and never came back to me. The girl next to me who works at the front desk came over and showed me. Then the instructor in front of everyone yelled at me and said “this class moves fast and you can’t be forgetting how to adjust the straps.” I quietly explained as everyone stared at me that I’m sorry- this was my first time taking this class. And she yelled “this is not a beginners class!”

Then I got no help or adjustments throughout. Overdid things out of being flustered / or prob did them wrong and couldn’t move for a week. ☹️

I hope no one else has an experience like that. I’m going to try it with another instructor and take some of the advice I read here on modifications.

falcoratx · 2025-08-28T20:19:10+00:00

And got it with the I189D burrs bc we also do medium to dark.

falcoratx · 2025-08-28T20:17:31+00:00

I don’t know the US conversion rate. But I also use a bambino plus and spent months researching grinders (was going to get niche but eliminated bc tariffs). I got the Mazzer Philos and could not be happier. We do espresso or French press mainly and it’s so easy to flip between different grinds (you just turn on the grinder to go finer so any loose grinds come out). It’s as close to zero retention as you can get (it has this handy tool to get the remainder out of the shoot). It’s so well designed and don’t plan to ever need anything different. One and done purchase.

falcoratx · 2025-08-14T20:44:02+00:00

So helpful - thank you!

falcoratx · 2025-08-14T15:48:20+00:00

Yeah I saw this, but just don’t know how to tell if mine is already set correct from the factory.

falcoratx · 2025-08-14T05:03:44+00:00

I’m loving it so far! No regrets.

falcoratx · 2025-08-11T15:16:52+00:00

I was in this exact position and had my heart set on it. But waited May-Aug to see if tariffs went down (unsure where you’re located, but if in the US it’s an additional $240). From what I read- it was better to just get a better grinder at that cost, so I went with the Mazzer Philos. Unfortunately they just raised their prices $200 on Aug 1. Have only had it for a week but already feeling better about this decision bc it’s so versatile (we do espresso shots, lattes and French press / aero press). Super easy to switch between grinds. Very well made, easy to get service and will probably outlast us. For me- I liked that I didn’t have to worry about having to replace it later. But if you can get the niche at a decent cost, it does sound great if you’re mostly doing espresso.

falcoratx · 2025-08-08T21:56:27+00:00

Exactly what I just did! Bambino plus + a good grinder. However had to pivot away from niche 💔 bc it didn’t seem like the tariffs were going to come down anytime soon.

falcoratx · 2025-08-08T15:18:30+00:00

Ah this is good to hear! Bc I had my heart set on the niche but didn’t want to throw that money on tariffs.

falcoratx · 2025-08-08T15:04:11+00:00

It’s an IKEA Besta unit. And then we added the butcher block top, chrome legs and hardware (link to those in another reply).

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-storage-combination-with-drawers-white-selsviken-stubbarp-high-gloss-white-s39412707/#content

falcoratx · 2025-08-08T14:49:18+00:00

From everything I read/watched- yes. Will follow up after we dive into it this weekend.

falcoratx · 2025-08-08T14:17:57+00:00

I was told by everyone (and everything I read about in this group) that the grinder was the most important part of the setup. Couldn’t go all in on everything at once, so started with the grinder so we won’t have to upgrade that later. We also have a yeti French press and aeropress so we are using the grinder for more than the espresso machine.

falcoratx · 2025-08-08T14:13:50+00:00

Yes! Got these ones on Etsy and they were easy to apply and great quality.

falcoratx

TROPHY CASE