Raw feeders in East Sussex

Hi guys, just a quick question to see if there are any Raw feeders that live in east sussex that could help me out.

mainly looking for help on choosing the right provider for us and also maybe talk about it further over the phone etc.

we get £10 worth of mixed mince per week from our local butchers, but i can't guarantee that I will always be able to get it. in a ideal world I'd like to have two weeks reserve in Diesel's chest freezer just in case there is a shortage on cash or emergencies occur.

I've had a look on the RAW suppliers list and it sort of makes sense, but if anyone in the area or anywhere infact has a order list for a 25kg staff that I could use it would be awesome. I want to have a broad range for his diet so he can reach his optimum health and size.

major thanks in advance to anyone that may be able to help  

Ella is your girl on that

Well seeing as though you looked through the supplier list, i would recommend DAF i use them personally and they do deliver across alot of the UK

I did have a look, and looks great but I also have some others bookmarked that I would like some views on regarding selection etc.

The way I see it is that if I ask now I wont make a mistake that could cost me some serious pounds.
So the more help I can get the better for my wallet  

the sites I have short listed are:

http://teamilbreyanimalservices.webs.com/rawmeatordersheet.htm
http://www.manifoldvalleymeats.co.uk/
http://www.thedogfoodcompany.co.uk/products.html
http://basilsdogfood.co.uk/index.asp?m=3&cat1=1
and DAF  


sorry if I come across as a clutz but when it comes to money I want to be 100% sure I'll get my full moneys worth.

I use DAF for my bulk order but get bits from a local shop that stock manifold valley meats.

DAF have a much bigger variety and are cheaper, MVM are of good quality but are much more expensive and can have stock issues

Don't know the others haven't used them personally

could you possibly send me a normal order list that you'd make per month?
would be a great help

I don't order per month i order enough for about 3-4 months minimum

But this was my last order from DAF:

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t38693-delivery-day-lots-of-photos

Hi Pestey. If you do things right with raw feeding you shouldn't even need to use a commercial supplier for your supplies. Make friends with a butcher and ask them politely for any off-cuts, trimmings, sinew, fatty beef/lamb waste products etc ... most butchers will give any waste to you for free. If you live close to a local supermarket pop in on an evening when they're marking down the meat products and stock up. I regularly pick up good supplies of offal, chicken wings, whole chickens (which I just whack in two with a cleaver), turkey, duck, fish, beef/heart, lambs heart all for a steal .... a couple of quid at the most.

ATB,
Paul

Edit: apologies, I missed the bit where you said you get some of your meat from your butcher. But still, I would advise just having a look for meats that are on sale and hitting the supermarkets at the right time.
Paul

It's cheaper for me to order in bulk from suppliers, and then i made friends with a butcher and hunter who give me freebies.

Like my last trip to my hunter friend i got 15 rabbits and a wood pigeon for free

supermarkets are alright but IMO do not offer enough variety so i would not be happy just to feed a few meats.

ella wrote:It's cheaper for me to order in bulk from suppliers, and then i made friends with a butcher and hunter who give me freebies.

Like my last trip to my hunter friend i got 15 rabbits and a wood pigeon for free

supermarkets are alright but IMO do not offer enough variety so i would not be happy just to feed a few meats.

The only thing that I struggle to get hold of is Green tripe, but I feed plenty of organ meats to substitute. I can most other things from the supermarket, and scrounging from the butcher.

I also get rabbits off a pal of mine which I just cut into quarters and feed whole fur and the lot.

I'm not in anyway a purist in terms of raw feeding, and I certainly don't have any emotional bias towards what I feed. I generally just feed a variety of things; plenty of raw meaty bones, organs, fats, sinew, off-cuts, fish both fresh and tinned, eggs, mushes, pasta, rice, oats, sunday dinner - leftovers lol. All that I can get from local sources.
ATB,
Paul

I've fed raw for years but still don't fine enough variety in supermarkets they are good for getting offal and bargains but that's about it

See I feed things like venison, goat, whole rabbits in fur, whole chickens in feather, pigeon, squirrel. All of which no shop or butcher can get me

Variety of meats is very important to me in raw feeding and my two probably get a bigger variety then most dogs on here

I've hit the super markets but imo it's way to exspensive, and they are not aloud to give away/sell the waste for "legal reasons" maybe something to do with people saying its for dogs and then scoffing it their selves and getting ill and saying it came from such and such a place etc etc.

even the 3 local butchers have limited off cuts etc and mainly consists of lamb and beef bones, no venison, duck and all other manner of high end meats like mentioned above.

I will keep trying to source myself a few more suppliers, will also get my mum and missus to bat their eyelids at any butchers they wander past in the slight hope a bit of skirt swings a few meals  

all men are a sucker for a good old woman.

Pestey wrote:I've hit the super markets but imo it's way to exspensive, and they are not aloud to give away/sell the waste for "legal reasons" maybe something to do with people saying its for dogs and then scoffing it their selves and getting ill and saying it came from such and such a place etc etc.

even the 3 local butchers have limited off cuts etc and mainly consists of lamb and beef bones, no venison, duck and all other manner of high end meats like mentioned above.

I will keep trying to source myself a few more suppliers, will also get my mum and missus to bat their eyelids at any butchers they wander past in the slight hope a bit of skirt swings a few meals  

all men are a sucker for a good old woman.

Yeah I appreciate and understand what you're saying with regards to supermarket produce, but if you've got the time it's just about getting the timings right and you cant some real steals. I shop a couple of times a week at my local Asda, I go between 8 and 9 o'clock and for a couple of well spent pounds I often come back with a good selction of meats - the usual suspects are pork ribs, whole chickens including all parts quarters, wings etc, whole fresh fish mainly trout and mackerel, eggs, turkey/beef/pork/lamb mince, hearts and organs.

With regards to "high end" meats, yes weird and wonderful meats are nice to have on occasion, but does your pooch really need it? .... it/they will be more than happy and healthy with 3 to 4 animal proteins (all available from local sources.

Some of the best advice I have ever been given with regards to Raw is to just do your own thing and do what works best. Don't follow the fads of categorizing yourself under the "Barf" or "Prey model" regimes, they are all very owness in their approach and many follow them religiously like some sort of cult  . Feed the dog not the bowl. Variety in their diet can be achieved over time.

Good luck with whatever way you want to go!
ATB
Paul

YES my dogs need high end meat.

Venison is just about THE best meat you can give a dog so why shouldn't they get it?

Sorry but 3 or 4 meats is NOT enough IMO you should aim for the biggest variety of meats, and more red meat and less poultry that you can.

ella wrote:YES my dogs need high end meat.

Venison is just about THE best meat you can give a dog so why shouldn't they get it?

Sorry but 3 or 4 meats is NOT enough IMO you should aim for the biggest variety of meats, and more red meat and less poultry that you can.

Hi Ella,

I hate to disagree with a fellow RAW feeder because at the end of the day we’re all trying to achieve similar things, but a diet based on 3-4 animal proteins is more than enough in my humble opinion. My dog has raw chickens, turkey, beef, pork, lamb, fish, organs, fats, along with occasional pasta, porridge, scraps of our own food, and more.

She has good teeth, healthy skin and coat condition, no bad breath, she has little body fat and is full of vitality.

You certainly need more in the diet than has been advised, but it's a good starting point. Incidentally, the “high end” meats and high red meat ratio that you advocate I would say is very debatable and somewhat questionable.. However a full debate on that is most probably beyond the scope of this topic and perhaps one for the future. Of course a high white meat or poultry diet on its own is not a balanced diet - raw bones are a critical part of a natural diet, for the Calcium and other properties- and the equivalent of the intestines and other viscera, and the scavenged foods are also required. But it's not rocket science … it's common sense.

I am certainly not bound to the mantra of feeling like I'm doing my dog some kind of injustice and that she won’t live a healthy and free life because I don’t offer her venison in her diet.

ATB,
Paul

Well i'm afraid i do massively disagree with you, also i do not ever feed my dogs, fruit, veggies, oats anything of the sort they are NOT needed by dogs and it can do more harm then good.

3-4 meats is not good enough for a healthy dog, with no allergies, health complaints etc IMO

I choose to feed raw (i have also always fed raw) because it is the most species appropriate diet you can give a dog, and the best meat for a dog IS venison. Not chicken, turkey... venison. In fact you would do well to limit the amount of white and poultry meat in a dogs diet.

I am part of some of the largest raw feeding groups there are and have done and continue to do extensive research to continue to improve my dogs diet, and i would never ever recommend just feeding a few meats, as different meats contain different minerals, vitamins which aren't found in others (or as readily available) and THAT is why you should feed a hugely varied diet.

Hi Ella,

Apologies if I've come across as being argumentative, because I really don't intend to be, I do like a good debate. But a gut feeling I have does conjure up a sniff of elitism in your most recent reply. There is more than one way to approach a natural feeding program. I always keep an open mind.

I appreciate that i'm fairly new to the forum, have a low post count and may not come across as an almighty oracle of knowledge, but I am in no way stranger to the breed or canines in general.

Just because I'm not part of the "hardcore raw/ inner wolf/ prey model" online feeding groups doesn't mean that my ways are wrong or to be de-valued.

I have learned from experienced people who are close to me, whose opinions I value. People who have had consistent generational success.

Like I say my ethos is that there is no right or wrong way - if it works great, if it doesn't, it isn't.

ATB,
Paul

Just because I'm not part of the "hardcore raw/ inner wolf/ prey model" online feeding groups doesn't mean that my ways are wrong or to be de-valued.

This bugs me. I'm not the sort of person who sugar coats sh** but yes this do bug me alot.

You would be surpirsed what you could learn if you broadened your mind and looked at some of these 'groups' and perhaps do some more reading.

I'm not saying your dog is going to drop dead because you feed differently to me, but YOU choose to get a dog, YOU choose to feed raw so why do you not strive to feed your dog THE best possible diet you possibly can?

Hi Ella,

Like I said I don't intend to make this an argument. I've come here to speak with like minded people and enjoy the boards.

The irony is you actually think that i'm the narrow minded one here .. which is a bit of a shame.

Ella, i'm no stranger to the PMR feeding regime and what it's all about. From what I've seen and the people I've spoken to many treat it very religously .. almost like a cult following ... very eltist and dictorial, and dare you decide to disagree with them; woe betide you!! ... a lot of the information is very scetchy and contradictory.

I'm not a purist with it ... I really can't be bothered for one thing lol .... I do lots of research and make my own mind up on the information I want to take on board, so please don't think i'm ignorant to it. I don't like BARF either if that makes anything better.
ATB,
Paul

going slightly off topic now.
but i do agree with the no veg and fruit because you will never see wild dogs going to the bottom of the garden to dig up some greens, they get all their veg from the intestines of their kill.

wild dogs kill all manner of wild animals ranging from dear, pigs, horses etc and will also pick up dead birds etc.

I'm sure that there was a thread with some for and against arguments and also the nutritional values of raw feeding.

Yer i'm narrow minded  try staying on this forum and you will soon realise how stupid that is...

PMR, barf, RMB they are all just names, some take it to far and facebook is a prime example of that. But if you research into natural/diets leaving names aside you will see a theme running through all credible sites/papers what not that a widely varied diet IS what you should aim for and it is to the up most benefit of YOUR dog.

The funny thing with these type of debates is that we all want the same things for our dogs: wellness and longevity. It's just people do things differently that's all. Happy days!

I believe in achieving balance over time, and I wasn't suggesting not to vary your protein sources, but I work on accessibility and what's available or what's on sale etc. I do occasionally feed duck (legs/wings), rabbits and game. But the majority of the time I just grab whatever I can get hold of. Without being repetitive and boring I am a big believer in the term "feed the dog, not the bowl". 

Just for the record the majority of what I feed is a diet based on meat/fish/organs/RMBs - Yes I do feed the odd left over Sunday dinner, or bowl of pasta, porridge etc but it's all high quality grub and doesn't dilute the larger percentage which is RAW.

I don't feed fruit and veg unless it's some cooked veg that i've made for my family and again only as a filler.
ATB,
Paul

The boys diet is balanced over 3 months but in that time they can get a huge variety of meats, parts organs whole animals whatever

Also I forgot to mention I hope you are aware of the usually high levels of salt in a lot of supermarket meat?

ella wrote:I hope you are aware of the usually high levels of salt in a lot of supermarket meat?

That's interesting Ella. Do you have any research to support that?

ATB
Paul

all you need to do is look at the ingredients on the packaging.

Hakuna wrote:

ella wrote:I hope you are aware of the usually high levels of salt in a lot of supermarket meat?

That's interesting Ella. Do you have any research to support that?

ATB
Paul

Not getting involved in the raw discussion as such, because I'm not an expert, but actually, all of them use a lot. A couple of months ago, there was actually a target set for supermarkets to reduce the salt content to meet targets, and they all failed. They're used as preservatives.

Going to add that this was in the UK, by the way.

Any luck with suppliers, Pestey?

the misus is doing a run tomorrow to the butchers, so fingers crossed her charm will work  

I'm going to call round the ones listed earlier tomorrow and also do some hunting for any slaughter houses, butchers and hunters that may have anything for me now or in the future. Don't ask don't get lol

Good luck with it! If you have any questions, feel free to ask! There are quite a few people on the forum who feed raw or have done in the past (Ella included), so there should be a lot of people willing to help with anything.

what ever they offer me I will take it then ask the questions here.
any haul with pictures is always better

Good idea I'm not an expert on it, so I probably wouldn't know a steak from a burger, but I'm sure somebody could give feedback!