diff --git a/0001-update-the-other-two-_validate_version-functions-to-.patch b/0001-update-the-other-two-_validate_version-functions-to-.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7241e0c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/0001-update-the-other-two-_validate_version-functions-to-.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+From e28a89916a484e05ccc77bc603e61ecf892d1055 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
+From: Dennis Gilmore <dennis@ausil.us>
+Date: Thu, 18 Feb 2016 19:50:52 -0600
+Subject: [PATCH] update the other two _validate_version functions to allow for
+ Rawhide to be valid
+
+Signed-off-by: Dennis Gilmore <dennis@ausil.us>
+---
+ productmd/common.py   | 3 ++-
+ productmd/treeinfo.py | 3 ++-
+ 2 files changed, 4 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
+
+diff --git a/productmd/common.py b/productmd/common.py
+index 3447c05..b23d71f 100644
+--- a/productmd/common.py
++++ b/productmd/common.py
+@@ -195,7 +195,8 @@ class Header(MetadataBase):
+ 
+     def _validate_version(self):
+         self._assert_type("version", six.string_types)
+-        self._assert_matches_re("version", [r"^\d+\.\d+$"])
++        if re.match('^\d', self.version):
++            self._assert_matches_re("version", [r"^\d+(\.\d+)*$"])
+ 
+     @property
+     def version_tuple(self):
+diff --git a/productmd/treeinfo.py b/productmd/treeinfo.py
+index a14305e..67f5ed9 100644
+--- a/productmd/treeinfo.py
++++ b/productmd/treeinfo.py
+@@ -166,7 +166,8 @@ class BaseProduct(productmd.common.MetadataBase):
+ 
+     def _validate_version(self):
+         self._assert_type("version", list(six.string_types))
+-        self._assert_matches_re("version", [r"^\d+(\.\d+)*$"])
++        if re.match('^\d', self.version):
++            self._assert_matches_re("version", [r"^\d+(\.\d+)*$"])
+ 
+     def _validate_short(self):
+         self._assert_type("short", list(six.string_types))
+-- 
+2.5.0
+
diff --git a/python-productmd.spec b/python-productmd.spec
index e45f554..f78e4b1 100644
--- a/python-productmd.spec
+++ b/python-productmd.spec
@@ -15,13 +15,14 @@
 
 Name:           python-productmd
 Version:        1.0
-Release:        11%{?dist}
+Release:        12%{?dist}
 Summary:        Library providing parsers for metadata related to OS installation
 
 Group:          Development/Tools
 License:        LGPLv2+
 URL:            https://github.com/release-engineering/productmd
 Source0:        productmd-%{version}.tar.bz2
+Patch0:         0001-update-the-other-two-_validate_version-functions-to-.patch
 
 Obsoletes:     productmd <= %{version}-%{release}
 Provides:      productmd = %{version}-%{release}
@@ -54,7 +55,7 @@ and installation media.
 
 %prep
 %setup -qc -n productmd-%{version}
-
+%patch0 -p1
 mv productmd-%{version} python2
 
 cp -a python2 python3
@@ -110,6 +111,9 @@ popd
 %endif
 
 %changelog
+* Thu Feb 18 2016 Dennis Gilmore <dennis@ausil.us> - 1.0-12
+- add a patch to make rawhide as a version consistently an option
+
 * Thu Feb 18 2016 Dennis Gilmore <dennis@ausil.us> - 1.0-11
 - update from git to allow us to use rawhide as the version