Took the plunge

So Gus has just started his raw food. We have struggled from day one to get Gus eating he is so fussy. Well chicken and tripe is a hit, he wolfed it down. It absolutely stinks though! Chicken wings for tea. It will be interesting to see how things go going forward. If anybody has any tips or hints on feeding raw please feel free to share as it's all a bit daunting for us.

Excellent news that he loves it! Where did you end up getting it from? Or have you made it yourself?

We ordered it from Duran animal foods. They were very helpful and friendly on the phone. Gus didn't know what to do with the chicken wings for tea, but once he got started he loved them.

It can take a bit of time for them to get used to it, and for you.

I used to feed raw but then Millie decided she was no longer going to even consider it (she's a bit of an odd one) and to be honest it was a relief to me as I'm veggie so handling raw meat was always an ordeal. For the dogs, though, I still think it's the best diet.

I'd say go with the flow - the tripe mixes stink, much worse than others, and Gus is old enough now that he should be fine with other things. Go easy on other offal to start off with, especially liver as it's very rich and can give them the runs. The guide is always start pale and get darker, if that makes sense. So start chicken/turkey and move up through lamb to beef, with the offals towards the end.

Bones - I didn't give too many wings and things after a while as I found the bones were too small and got swallowed/sicked up. I still feed raw bones as they are the best teeth cleaners, but go for lamb/veal and ribs. Whole turkey wings are ok but they are huge, and trotters are good too.

And one practical tip as it gets warmer - keep a carrier bag or something in the freezer to put the old wrappers in, otherwise you end up with a mound of stinking meat wrappers festering in the bin.

If you have a Morrisons supermarket near you, you may be able to buy trays of Lamb Spines. They're big enough that they won't get swallowed whole, and soft enough not to damage teeth!

ooh Liz, I will be doing that freezer wrapper trick! would never have thought of that and with the hot weather we've had a few maggots

Thought that might be a handy hint! Took us ages to work that one out.

Bones - I've had a look at DAF's website and they have a great selection of bones. I'd go for the lamb and veal, you should be fairly safe with them.

This forum is brilliant. Thanks so much for the hints Liz, gillybrent and Paris 1990