We have been feeding Latte BOM BOM raw pet food since February 2019. I think that's long enough to give a proper review! BOM BOM delivers raw meals, portioned and frozen in individual packs that you can just thaw, cut, and slide into a bowl for fuss-free feeding. Every pack has been calculated to meet your pet's needs based on their weight, age, health status, and daily activity level.
Screenshot of pet profile
Why we decided to try BOM BOM
I am always an advocate of feeding fresh food - the less processed, the better. You can read our dog food guide here. For some time, I was feeding Latte DIY raw but I have a confession to make - I didn't do it properly because it was a hassle to source for a variety of quality meats at affordable prices and buying and chopping offals took too much effort and wastage (what was I going to do with a whole slab of liver?).
So, I was on a lookout for a convenient alternative. BOM BOM came at a time when I wanted to wean Latte off Apoquel, an anti-itch drug. Its effect on her was fading and I also didn't want her to rely on it forever. You can read her itchy skin story here. I believe that sometimes food is the best medicine and BOM BOM looked promising, delivering individualised prey model raw meals using ethically sourced meats.
meals are conveniently vacuum packed into individual portions
What we chose for Latte's first BOM BOM delivery
BOM BOM advised us to continue with the main protein Latte was on to limit the number of changes we are making to her diet. After all, she's one sensitive pup. With that thought, they also suggested to keep things simple - no add ons, no supplements, no treats, just her meals.
So, we started her on beef with chicken bones (they didn't use to have ground bones but now they do!). Latte gulps down her food so bone was a concern. True enough, she did choke on her first meal. Subsequently, I had to hold the chicken foot in my hand for her to chew on it. Ever since they introduced ground bone, we have been taking that option.
Transition Difficulties
Transiting to BOM BOM was not easy but we also learned a lot about Latte during that journey.
Not enough food
First of all, the food delivered based on her weight was not enough. She was vomiting bile in some early mornings and losing weight until we increased the food amount to what's for a 9kg dog to increase weight (she's 6.2kg). Now, she's eating 225g of food a day - for a 7.5kg to increase weight.
If you are giving BOM BOM a try, I would advise:
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opting for weekly delivery so that you can still make changes for the following week, if necessary (they may charge a fee), and/or
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getting extra meat add ons just in case the food isn't enough
Inability to digest bone
Besides bile, Latte was also vomiting bits of bone she had trouble digesting. According to BOM BOM and also the internet, her stomach probably wasn't acidic enough. There were many times when I doubted my decision to feed her a new diet. Thankfully, this resolved itself after a few weeks. I guess her stomach did gain the ability to digest bone better.
Soft poop
This is almost every pet parent's nightmare and one that is very common in dogs switching to a raw diet. This is also an issue that took us the longest to resolve. BOM BOM was always there to provide advice, which we appreciate.
There could be many reasons for soft poop or diarrhoea. Some of which are:
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Gastrointestinal upset due to diet change
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Poor food handling
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Too much offal or fat or too little bone
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Food allergies or intolerances
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Lack of fibre
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Indiscriminate eating
Latte had a case of really bad poop and through that, we realised that she doesn't do well on pork. Other than that, her poop was always a little soft on a raw diet. We eventually fixed that after seeing her vet. She recommended us to add a little fibre, such as psyllium husk to her diet. We have been giving her Dom & Cleo fibre blend every meal now.
Understandably, many people give up on feeding their dog raw due to poop issues. No one wants to be embarrassed in public trying to pick up their dog's liquid poop or waking up in the middle of the night to a smelly mess to clean up (thankfully, Latte didn't do that to us). All I can say is, it took us a few months to get it right and we are glad we persisted.
Latte was weaned off apoquel after 6 months
We gave Latte Apoquel periodically when she was itching a lot and after six months on BOM BOM, we were able to stop Apoquel totally. Latte had some good days but she was (and is) still susceptible to flare-ups, which we are managing with Cytopoint (she took one in February and another in June this year until now.). We are happy with the overall improvement!
Denser fur and stronger body
With a better diet and Cytopoint, we could tell that Latte was getting furrier with time but what we didn't realise was that her body structure improved as well! BOM BOM suggested for us to take "before" photos when we first started on the diet. we recently looked back at them - the difference is so significant.
Look at how fresh her meal is! BOM BOM uses SFA-approved, free-ranging, antibiotic-free, hormone-free prime cuts.
What Latte is having now
BOM BOM has a nice variety of proteins to choose from:
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Poultry - Chicken, duck, turkey
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Red meats - Beef, lamb, pork
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More exotic proteins - Kangaroo, rabbit, venison
Screenshot of our order
By trial and error, we found out that Latte does better on turkey and rabbit. Hence, I was ordering these two proteins for weeks. BOM BOM noticed that and advised me to rotate between three to four proteins, especially one that's red so she gets nutrients that may be lacking in white meats.
So, we decided to keep turkey and rabbit as her main proteins and get add ons to add some red meat to her meals occasionally. It's great that BOM BOM monitors Latte's diet, showing that they care!
Meal balancers
To ensure that Latte meets her Omega 3 requirement without needing a supplement, we always add BOM BOM's Omega+, sashimi-grade oily fishes. We also add Forage+, curated organic herbs to improve her gut health and immunity.
Latte sniffing her bowl of kefir cubes
BOM BOM add ons
We love that BOM BOM regularly introduces new goodies to their menu of add ons. Latte LOVES their goat milk kefir, bonito flakes, and wild Hokkaido mussels.
Their newest addition - sashimi oysters, grown off the coastlines of Japan. They are rich in minerals like zinc, iron, and copper, Omega 3, healthy cholesterol, and antioxidants! We have added that to our next order.
Other interesting add ons include king salmon bone broth, raw chews, and antioxidant green cubes.
Supplements
While BOM BOM says that their balanced meals don't require supplementation, we still give Latte carefully selected supplements. She's currently having Dom & Cleo Fibre Blend (to clean her gut, firm up poop, and naturally deworm), Happy Again collagen supplement (for her joints), Adored Beast Healthy Gut (pre and probiotics with digestive enzymes), and Adored Beast Phyto Synergy (for antioxidants and trace minerals).
Weekly deliveries
One challenge with feeding raw is having limited freezer space! BOM BOM delivers weekly or bi-weekly so you don't need a large freezer and your dog gets freshly prepared meals.
Every evening when I take out Latte's dinner, I will transfer two packs of food to the fridge drawer to thaw overnight. When it's time to feed, just soak the pack in a bowl of water for a few minutes, cut open the pack, and pour the contents into the bowl. All done!
Nutritional support
For those of you who are new to raw feeding or have concerns with changing your dog's diet, you can always chat with BOM BOM. They have a team led by a nutrition consultant that will answer all your questions as soon as they can!
All in all, we are very happy with what Latte is eating now. Every time we cut open a packet, we are heartened to see how fresh it is. It gives me peace of mind to see exactly what I am feeding and seeing Latte looking better than she ever did.
Latte's meals are sponsored by BOM BOM and what we shared is our personal experience. If your pet has any existing health issues, do consult a trusted vet before making any changes to their diet.
Interested to know more? Head over to Bom Bom's website here.
