Raw options

Pretty much made my mind up on going raw - I have been worried I will not give him the right balance/mix and cause some growth/health issue and this has been what is putting me off, but I think I am just going to have to bite the bullet and go with it.

So, have been looking around at the options available.

If anyone is able to give me feedback on the pros/cons/completeness of each of the following that would be much appreciated.

Pre packaged options:
- BARF
- Vets All Natural .. http://www.vetsallnatural.com.au/images/stories/Products/raw76sheet.pdf )

Or if I am doing it myself, I have access to:
- Lamb, kangaroo, chicken, beef, pork meat (I may also be able to get emu meat)
- Lamb, kangaroo and chicken wing/drumstick bones
- Lamb and beef tongue, heart and brain
- Fish (whole fish not so easy to come by, but I can get fish from the supermarket)
- Washed tripe (I am told green is not allowed to be sold here)

Thanks in advance

definitely do it yourself! over commercial every time

Seems you can get a good variety which is important eventually

Forget about the washed tripe it's no good for dog

I think the DIY is better, its more of a range tbh.

Start with the lower things like chook/turkey/pork then to beef, roo, emu.

Ella is the raw queen, but if i fed raw i would feed one day meat of any type (raw, fresh, furry, feathered...), next day bones and barf, 2 days mild meat, repeat!


Don't make it just food, make it fun. Make em work for it!

Thanks Ella

Can you tell me, or link me to info on how to get started and how much to feed? He has gone off his dry food again and the vet has put him on wet food short term to get him eating again (he has lost quite a bit of weight) but I don't want to keep this up past a couple of days.

His usual diet is chicken/beef/lamb/turkey/chicken with an egg and a lamb spine bone everyday, with dry food as the main food though.

Also, do I need to buy oils/vitamins/herbs etc and if so, which ones?

Also, minced meat or chunks? (minced is easier to come by)

PS ... Sorry for all the questions!!!

Hayley wrote:I think the DIY is better, its more of a range tbh.

Start with the lower things like chook/turkey/pork then to beef, roo, emu.

Ella is the raw queen, but if i fed raw i would feed one day meat of any type (raw, fresh, furry, feathered...), next day bones and barf, 2 days mild meat, repeat!


Don't make it just food, make it fun. Make em work for it!

Thanks Hayley

I swap around the meat he gets each day now (minus the BARF) though I am not sure he has to work too hard for it .. does sit and wait count I did start with chicken and pork, but only because that was available in my freezer .. had no idea there was levels

by work for it i mean have the meat on the bone, or in fur

I cant speak for ella, but from what i see in her posts she has as a general meal - easy nutritious meat (e.g a liver or a kidney or a heart) a play meat (e.g. a chicken leg, a spine or a rib) and some mush (e.g. a brain or lung or mince)

Ella will tell you any vits/treatments she gives which help worms and fleas, but as a rule meat and bone and barf should be enough for physical health!


Just be aware taht store bought mince (or any mince really) is very high in fat.

I'll post some links and that later hun am on my phone ATM and it's a pain to do

Sounds like you have a fantastic selection over there Kell

Kell wrote:Thanks Ella

Can you tell me, or link me to info on how to get started and how much to feed? He has gone off his dry food again and the vet has put him on wet food short term to get him eating again (he has lost quite a bit of weight) but I don't want to keep this up past a couple of days.

His usual diet is chicken/beef/lamb/turkey/chicken with an egg and a lamb spine bone everyday, with dry food as the main food though.

Also, do I need to buy oils/vitamins/herbs etc and if so, which ones?

Also, minced meat or chunks? (minced is easier to come by)

PS ... Sorry for all the questions!!!

have a read of these links to get you started:

www.preymodelraw.com
https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t14787-raw-diet

some meal ideas
https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t19197-what-s-in-the-bowl-today-graphic-photos-raw

I personally feed prey model raw rather then BARF so they get no fruit/veggies/grains or anything like that

If you can get whole foods or meat chunks, go for them over mince, although a bit of mince in their diet does no harm

Vitamins i don't buy, most things oils, powders etc i have are part of my first aid kit RATHER then part of their diet.

However i do give salmon/fish body oil with vitamin e, coconut oil and apple cider vinegar with their food, all from ebay

Fleaing i give garlic everyday/other day, and i worm using diatomaceous earth and carrot seed oil for lungworm, again all from ebay

Hayley wrote:by work for it i mean have the meat on the bone, or in fur .

Didn't think sitting and waiting would actually count

Thanks again for the info Hayley .. I managed to locate some of each of the nutritious, fun and mush meats today

RoxysMum wrote:Sounds like you have a fantastic selection over there Kell

When I saw Ellas raw posts I actually thought we had a really poor selection Turns out if you go to the butcher, pet shop and supermarket you can get a fairly good mix of bits most days

ella wrote:

Kell wrote:Thanks Ella

Can you tell me, or link me to info on how to get started and how much to feed? He has gone off his dry food again and the vet has put him on wet food short term to get him eating again (he has lost quite a bit of weight) but I don't want to keep this up past a couple of days.

His usual diet is chicken/beef/lamb/turkey/chicken with an egg and a lamb spine bone everyday, with dry food as the main food though.

Also, do I need to buy oils/vitamins/herbs etc and if so, which ones?

Also, minced meat or chunks? (minced is easier to come by)

PS ... Sorry for all the questions!!!

have a read of these links to get you started:

www.preymodelraw.com
https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t14787-raw-diet

some meal ideas
https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t19197-what-s-in-the-bowl-today-graphic-photos-raw

I personally feed prey model raw rather then BARF so they get no fruit/veggies/grains or anything like that

If you can get whole foods or meat chunks, go for them over mince, although a bit of mince in their diet does no harm

Vitamins i don't buy, most things oils, powders etc i have are part of my first aid kit RATHER then part of their diet.

However i do give salmon/fish body oil with vitamin e, coconut oil and apple cider vinegar with their food, all from ebay

Fleaing i give garlic everyday/other day, and i worm using diatomaceous earth and carrot seed oil for lungworm, again all from ebay

Sorry it took me so long to reply, busy few days - have had a look through the links though, and will keep watching your meal post for some more ideas (and probably information - I still feel clueless!)

We are now three days in to feeding all raw - Chiquito got egg, chicken thigh and some beef mince for breaky, a half turkey neck for afternoon tea and some beef mince/kangaroo/lamb mince for dinner tongiht and all seems to be well. I do have to ask just a couple more questions though ...

Is it normal for him to act like he is hungry all day long? And does the raw food effect their bladder/wee habits? If Chiquito wasn't begging for food today, he was off being for the 15th time in the house

Yer it's normal to act hungry, they tend to enjoy their food so much they just want more of it! don't give in to them!

Don't forget to take it slowly and don't add foods in all at once, as that causes belly upsets

Erm on the bladder issue, raw fed dogs drink ALOT less and sometimes don't seem to drink much at all which is very normal, but doesn't really affect the amount of times they pee though. You may find that they don't go for a poo half as often either too

Or if I am doing it myself, I have access to:
- Lamb, kangaroo, chicken, beef, pork meat (I may also be able to get emu meat).
- Lamb, kangaroo and chicken wing/drumstick bones
- Lamb and beef tongue, heart and brain -
- Fish (whole fish not so easy to come by, but I can get fish from the supermarket)
- Washed tripe (I am told green is not allowed to be sold here)

I just started the last 3 days as well, just a few questions about where to find everything.
When you list the meats, is this as a mince you have found it?
What petshops have you found that has good raw?
And where did you find the tongue, heart and brain?

ella wrote:Yer it's normal to act hungry, they tend to enjoy their food so much they just want more of it! don't give in to them!

Don't forget to take it slowly and don't add foods in all at once, as that causes belly upsets

Erm on the bladder issue, raw fed dogs drink ALOT less and sometimes don't seem to drink much at all which is very normal, but doesn't really affect the amount of times they pee though. You may find that they don't go for a poo half as often either too

I have noticed the not so much water thing - he usually empties his bowl once a day but has barely touched it this week. As I said though, he does seem to be peeing heaps though it might just seem like a lot because he has taken to doing them in my house instead of outside

Glad to hear the hungry thing is normal - I was a bit worried that I wasn't feeding him enough. And, yet again I have another question ...... (sorry!) is there a time frame to adding new meats - say one every couple of weeks for example - or is it just that I shouldn't mix them up too much?

Thanks again for all of the advice and info ><

Annie and Maxi wrote:

Or if I am doing it myself, I have access to:
- Lamb, kangaroo, chicken, beef, pork meat (I may also be able to get emu meat).
- Lamb, kangaroo and chicken wing/drumstick bones
- Lamb and beef tongue, heart and brain -
- Fish (whole fish not so easy to come by, but I can get fish from the supermarket)
- Washed tripe (I am told green is not allowed to be sold here)

I just started the last 3 days as well, just a few questions about where to find everything.
When you list the meats, is this as a mince you have found it?
What petshops have you found that has good raw?
And where did you find the tongue, heart and brain?

I can get all of the meats as mince, it seems to be easier to find than actual meat, but the only one I haven't been able to find as a meat is the kangaroo. Also, I have found that the meat tends to be pre cut up into chunks which is a bit of a bugger.
Nose to Tail have a really good range of pre-mix raw and also have things like roo tail bones with meat on them - they have things like goat meat patties as well, though I did note that both times I went in these were out of stock and you had to make a special order
The tongue and heart I found at Woolworths, I also picked up some lamb kidney and turkey necks in there as well. The brain was at the local butcher.

I have asked a friend of mine to go to their local butcher for me this weekend and ask about what I can order from them - they slaughter the animals themselves, will let you know how I go

PS Annie ..... Australia really does seem to be a bit behind the rest of the world in what we can get - I was looking at all the links to the overseas raw food suppliers that Ella put up and we have nothing even vaguely similar here

Kell wrote:

ella wrote:Yer it's normal to act hungry, they tend to enjoy their food so much they just want more of it! don't give in to them!

Don't forget to take it slowly and don't add foods in all at once, as that causes belly upsets

Erm on the bladder issue, raw fed dogs drink ALOT less and sometimes don't seem to drink much at all which is very normal, but doesn't really affect the amount of times they pee though. You may find that they don't go for a poo half as often either too

I have noticed the not so much water thing - he usually empties his bowl once a day but has barely touched it this week. As I said though, he does seem to be peeing heaps though it might just seem like a lot because he has taken to doing them in my house instead of outside

Glad to hear the hungry thing is normal - I was a bit worried that I wasn't feeding him enough. And, yet again I have another question ...... (sorry!) is there a time frame to adding new meats - say one every couple of weeks for example - or is it just that I shouldn't mix them up too much?

Thanks again for all of the advice and info ><

can't help on the peeing in the house that i can't see having anything to do with the change of diet!

Yes it's best to add in new foods slowly, so every 1-2 weeks is the norm, so they have had time to get used to the new food

We are behind yes, in Tasmania it is even illegal to feed animals offal :O
I get oswalds food from Woolworths, redlea and the butcher

Thanks Mel ... I thought it was bad up here in QLD, but the no offal wins it for Tasmania