Raw food for Charlie?

As you all know, I'll be bringing charlie home in just over 2 weeks. I've heard lots of good things bout feeding raw, but I've also heard that you really need to know what you're doing because they need a specific balance. I'd like to try raw with Charlie and I know at least one of you feed raw to your dog (Caryll) I was just wondering if you could give me any advice and from what age they can eat raw? Thanks

I was just gonna say that I'm not too sure but ask Caryll!!!

Lol. Thanks janey. I know caryll feeds raw and she's great at giving advice. I wasnt sure if anyone else fed raw and could offer advice too. I just wanna do the best for Charlie and i've heard raw is the best way to go

I always wanted to do raw but I'm a pansy when it comes to raw meat lol!

I'm not too bad with raw meat. I've got a butchers just up the road so hopefully he'll have whatever I'll need.

Your lucky, we dont have butchers and I think it would be dreadfully expensive from a supermarket, but I will also be interested to know what to do too!

Hopefully Caryll will drop in with some good advice for us both then

Yea i must admit i dont no anything about feeding raw. Caryll is defo the best person to ask on that one.....x

Hey, I'm here!!! I knew someone would miss me one day!

Anyway.................

Yes I feed raw, but it isn't the easy option a lot of people think it is! You have to do your research & you'll also have to find out what your dog likes/dislikes and does well on.

For example, Bandit would eat anything, but not all the time. He'd eat well for 2 or 3 days & then completely go off food for another 2 or 3 days. He couldn't, however, eat raw beef, it sent him crazy!

Dempsey has an intolerance of chicken (found that out the hard way!) & I've since found out that a lot of dogs nowadays do - I've heard it hinted that it's to do with growth hormones being used in their rearing.

I don't have a butchers near me, so I have a deal with the local Morrissons who save me some lamb necks/ribs/shoulder blades & leave a fair bit of meat on them. Not many supermarkets can do this as they don't have a qualified butcher in store & all their meat comes in ready packed for the shelf.

If you're going to feed raw, there are several things you should be aware of;
Raw meaty bones are the staple part of the diet. Not the heavy, weight bearing ones as they take too long to get through & can be too rich.
ALWAYS supervise your dogs meal times when bones are being fed.
An extra meat such as tripe should be given in addition to the bones. I use tripe mainly because it is lower in protein and is easily digested. The only problems with it are that it can make the poop a little softer than other foods do, and it stinks!!! Although fed raw it stinks less than if you cook it!
With a young pup you won't want to give bones straight away - wait till the adult teeth are about to come through & then try them with a bone or two a couple of times a week & then gradually increase as they get used to them. The chewing & crunching on the bone will excercise the jaws & help loosen the milk teeth.
Some people like to feed fruit & veg with the raw diet. This is fine (although you should find out which fruit & veg NOT to give them) as long as you realise that they are not actually needed by the dog, and the dogg cannot digest them unless they are pulped. We give Dempsey carrots, cabbage, apples because he likes them, not because they are good for him!
Again, some people give dog biscuits. These aren't necessary either! However, most dogs love them & as long as they are not upsetting the stomach, they'll do no harm.

Phew. Have a look at these web sites
http://www.barfworld.com/
http://www.drianbillinghurst.com/#
http://www.naturalinstinct.com/

OK, I'm going back to sleep now, I'm knackered after that!

Great advice thanks, I must say its way more compicated than I thought!

Once you really get going it's simplicity itself. It's just that we've all got so used to just opening a bag/tin and pouring it into a bowl. We haven't had to think about what the dog needs or gets. It's just all-in nutrition. Which is fine, don't get me wrong, just not the way I want to go.

Thank you so much for that Caryll. I'll be doing alot of research in the next couple weeks, and i'll be heading up to the butchers to see what he has in. If I cant give him the bones for the first few months, do I just give him tripe and things like lamb necks? You said the bones were the staple part of the diet and I dont want him missing out on vital stuff while he's too small to eat the bones. Thanks again

i think your best bet will be give a high quality dry food to start off with do your reserce on a raw diet then slowely go over to it if you feel that is the way to go for you
memphis is on a dry diet but he still gets plenty bones and raw foods every so offen so if you go dry it dont mean they never can have fresh

Its basically because I've read some really scary stuff about what goes in2 commercial dog foods. Apparently euthanised cats and dogs, roadkill and lots of other unpleasant things go in2 dog foods. It was a real eye opener! But I think I may go for a good quality dry to start with then gradually change him to raw when he's old enough for the bones. Thanks Wazza

Shontelle wrote:Its basically because I've read some really scary stuff about what goes in2 commercial dog foods. Apparently euthanised cats and dogs, roadkill and lots of other unpleasant things go in2 dog foods. It was a real eye opener! But I think I may go for a good quality dry to start with then gradually change him to raw when he's old enough for the bones. Thanks Wazza

that is a load of drivel cooked up by people with the own aggenda there is no truth in them storys take it from me i done a job in the pedigree food factory in leeds and the meat that was going down the convayor belt had a diverter at the bottem the meat that went to the left went in to dog food and the meat that went right went into tyne brand tined steak(and thats a manufacturer that hasnt got the highest standards of dog foods)

Ok, thanks for that. That's reassuring to hear.

I think the thing is, you should keep him on whatever the breeder is feeding him for the first few weeks, and that gives you oodles of time to read up & plan what you're going to carry on with. Some of the better dry foods are great, but I must stress that you get what you pay for! Some of the cheaper brands are just that - cheap rubbish.

Oh, and by the way, steer clear of Baker's - that stuff has so many additives it's unbelievable! It's produced to look good to humans but the added colours cancause hyperactivity & skin hypersensitivity.

Dempsey was on pedigree chum puppy (ugh!!!!) when we brought him home & we kept him on that (ugh!!!again) until he was completely settled. Then we introduced raw chicken (disaster - he's chicken-intolerant!), then we tried raw beef which made him hyper so we settled on lamb ribs & necks which he loves & he thrives on.

The only dry food i'd consider is jbw or royal canin. More expensive but for a good reason. I will be keeping him on the breeders food for a week or 2 while he's settling in then gradually change him over. I am most definitely going to look into raw feeding though. I like what I've heard about its benefits for the dog.

Shontelle wrote:The only dry food i'd consider is jbw or royal canin. More expensive but for a good reason. I will be keeping him on the breeders food for a week or 2 while he's settling in then gradually change him over. I am most definitely going to look into raw feeding though. I like what I've heard about its benefits for the dog.

Mines on Royal Canin and I buy it over the net and it does work out a lot cheaper.

http://www.petmeds.co.uk

http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk

One thing I really like about raw feeding is the complete lack of tartar build up on the teeth. The only time I clean Dempsey's teeth is just before a show & I use a whitening toothpaste just to smarten him up!!

I've heard that it's good for their teeth and skin, makes their coats nice and shiny, gives them loads of energy and is good for all-round health. It supposedly keeps them in prime condition while prolonging their lives too. Can't argue with that!!

I don't think I'd change back now. You do have to research, but after a while it becomes a lot easier, you get into a 'raw' mode of thought!

Caryll I've just looked on the natural instinct website and am vey impressed. I think I might try ordering Charlie's food from there. Because I've never fed raw, always fed dry before for around £20 for 15kg, I'm not sure how long the food will last. A 15kg bag of dry food used to last me about 4-6 weeks. On Natural instinct, they have a 10Kg box of raw puppy food for £35. Is that good? Any idea roughly how long it'll last?

Janey wrote:

Shontelle wrote:The only dry food i'd consider is jbw or royal canin. More expensive but for a good reason. I will be keeping him on the breeders food for a week or 2 while he's settling in then gradually change him over. I am most definitely going to look into raw feeding though. I like what I've heard about its benefits for the dog.

Mines on Royal Canin and I buy it over the net and it does work out a lot cheaper.

http://www.petmeds.co.uk

http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk

Thanks Janey, I'll have a look on there. Caryll directed me to a natural food site and they do raw puppy food on there. Really not sure what to go for. Just want the best for Charlie.

Shontelle wrote:Caryll I've just looked on the natural instinct website and am vey impressed. I think I might try ordering Charlie's food from there. Because I've never fed raw, always fed dry before for around £20 for 15kg, I'm not sure how long the food will last. A 15kg bag of dry food used to last me about 4-6 weeks. On Natural instinct, they have a 10Kg box of raw puppy food for £35. Is that good? Any idea roughly how long it'll last?

I'm honestly not sure. It's probably a bit dearer than the good dry puppy food, but it is very good quality. The food they sell is all graded suitable for human use before it's prepared. Don't forget that dogs need slightly less raw than commercial because their bodies can use more of the food effectively. I liked that site for 2 other reasons though. One because their delivery was next day and it was packed so well that it was still frozen rock solid when it arrived, even though it had been sitting in a neighbour's house for 4 hours before I came home. And two because if you order food from them they will also sell the raw meaty bones! If you're not near a butchers they can be hard to get hold of.

However, as I said, it's often a matter of personal choice. It's whatever suits your dog, and you. After all, it's you who has to buy it, prepare it & serve it!!

Hi Shontelle, did you start your raw feeding with Charlie yet and if you did how are you getting on?
Just been reading a lot of the threads about BARF and i really want to try Logan on it.

Just a little note - I've been trying to find out for ages whether tripe is considered meat or organ meat (offal). Just found out it's offal, so it can be used as an alternative to kidneys & liver if you want.

Thanks Caryll. Just been looking on the BARF Club UK and got loads of info. Gonna have chat with hubster tonight and see what he thinks. i 'm really keen to try it. After all, i only want the best for my boy! At least if your feeding raw, you know whats going into them!!