Raw feeding

[Doodlekitty]

I would really like to switch my dog to raw feeding but am unsire the bast way to do this. Can anyone recommend good sites for advice or to buy food?

Thanks

[Thewolfsjustapuppy]

Ther e are a few Facebook sites that are great for support for raw feeding. I use raw feeding uk on Facebook - they have masses of files that will tell you everything you need to know.

[Cockerpoodledoo]

Also have a look at BARF UK, Rawfeeding advice and support, and Rawfeeding Rebels.

Re buying food - really depends on whether you have a local supplier/reseller or want to have food delivered. I have been using a local reseller (mixing/matching manufacturers, using pre-made completes and doing a bit of DIY) but will be trying The Dog's Butcher home delivery for my next bulk order based on lots of positive reviews on the quality of their meat. Other popular companies are DAF, Bulmer Pet Foods and Paleo Ridge.

[TheBoyWhoWouldntHoeCorn]

I get mine from here

honeysrealdogfood.com/

I've found them super helpful

[Pigeonpost]

We raw feed our dog using frozen patties from Luna & Me. However DH has tonight announced he's watched a programme on the BBC saying raw feeding exposes dogs to dangerous bacteria and wants to switch! I am off to do some research...

[Ylvamoon]

Salmonella followed by e-coli is one of the major risks. That is a combination of raw food and poor hygiene. (Not washing hands ect.)
Personally, I would not use raw feeding, if your pet has regular contact with children, elderly or any other risk group. Or if your pet is sharing spaces like sofa and bed regularly - the bacteria is in the mouth and through licking can be transferred to onto the coat than the bed, ...
(My personal option, after doing research!)

[Dottymum2]

We watched same thing, they didn't seem to prompte it at all and said there were no health benefits compared to feeding cooked meats. I don't really like the idea of giving raw meat to my dog but he is around my two daughters (and loves to lick everything!!)

[Thewolfsjustapuppy]

Ylvamoon, if those are your genuine concerns I suggest you give up meat and don't have a dog.
If you follow basic food hygiene rules you will not be at any more risk that handling food grade meat and unfortunately dogs eat and sniff and roll in a lot worse than a raw meat meal while out on any walk. All of which they will still have on their coats and in their mouths when they are back in your house lying on your sofa and licking the DC.

[Cocobananas]

Well said thewolf. My pup swallowed down a barely dead mouse our cat caught...if that ain't raw I don't know what is😝 And rolls in much worse.

[Ylvamoon]

Thewolfsjustapuppy- these are avoidable risks, specifically associated with raw feeding. We all know, that salmonella and e - coli are very dangerous for humans.
Your dog, your family, your choice.

[Thewolfsjustapuppy]

Anyone who has done a level biology will know that if you put your fingers/tongue/hair on an agar plate E. coli, salmonella and many many more bacteria are likely to grow. Bacteria is everywhere and it is sensible to take reasonable precautions. But some contact is unavoidable whether you have a dog or not and whether you eat meat or not. Your house, your rules, how do you convince your dog to use antibacterial hand wash after a walk?

[BagelGoesWalking]

<a class="break-all" href="http://dogsdinner2.m.webs.com/site/mobile?dm_path=%2Findex.htm&fw_sig_locale=en-US&fw_sig=e80268e03e0a9ab58b77329df0b960a7&fw_sig_access_token=a521c10f5dde60f608ee8fd6ca163ff6c384bc35&fw_sig_premium=1&fw_sig_permission_level=0&fw_sig_session_key=57c0a408db17874ebcbf3cb8795d917251ed260bda9558197c0f3f1687b78baa-85465967&fw_sig_api_key=522b0eedffc137c934fc7268582d53a1&fw_sig_time=1494456480678&fw_sig_tier=1&fw_sig_url=dogsdinner2.webs.com/&fw_sig_site=85465967&fw_sig_is_admin=0&fw_sig_social=1&fw_sig_permissions=none&fw_sig_partner=webs&fw_sig_potential_abuse=1&fb_sig_network=fw#2230" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">http://dogsdinner2.m.webs.com is a good website. Very clear and simple.

Raw feeding UK also has a list of suppliers all over the UK in their Files section.

Dogs can be fed outside most of the year, easily separated from children - if you have some outside space, of course. Very easy to buy pre-prepared "meals" in places like Pets@Home but it's also quite fun to source things from butchers/supermarkets if you have a bit of time. Eggs/salmon oil/tripe are also good additions to the raw food diet.

Don't worry too much about getting the balance right every day, it's more about balancing it over a week/fortnight. Good luck!

[Doodlekitty]

Thanks guys. Having a look round as Im still undecided but thats more due to laziness than any other issues. He would love it though

[SparklingRaspberry]

We raw feed our dog using frozen patties from Luna & Me. However DH has tonight announced he's watched a programme on the BBC saying raw feeding exposes dogs to dangerous bacteria and wants to switch! I am off to do some research

Please do not believe this! I also watched the same programme and felt so angry throughout. Dogs have different digestive systems and immune systems to us. They are designed to eat raw meat, not crappy kibble, so unless the meat itself is ridden with horrible bacteria than no your dog is absolutely fine! Your dog isn't gunna kill over with salmonella...

At the end of the day it's common sense. Whether your handling raw meat for your dog or yourself, you wash your hands afterwards. I've raw fed my pup and previous dog for years, I've had them lick me after eating, I've walked on the kitchen floor after they've demolished a chicken wing, I've rearranged the bed after she's hidden a raw bone amongst her blankets yet I'm still alive and well and so is my dog.

Vets make money from sick animals. If we all fed our dogs a raw diet they'd be a hell of a lot less visits to the vets, which of course they don't want that because it means less money for them.

At the end of the day dogs aren't clean animals. They eat and sniff shit and dirt, they'll roll in muck and grimey stuff. The dirtier the better for them - they expose themselves (and us) to so much because of their natural behaviour, so catching salmonella from feeding them a raw diet really is the least of your worries

rawfed.com/myths/zoonotic.html

[BagelGoesWalking]

Knew it was on but didn't watch as I knew it would annoy me!

My brother has been feeding his Bichon/poodle for nearly 9 years and, touch wood, she's been incredibly healthy and has never been to the vet for any health issues. His gf's two dogs also raw fed and perfectly fine.

Can certainly help with skin problems, also digestive issues and helps keep teeth clean.

Pork can be too rich. I would start with mainly chicken and see how it goes. The website I posted earlier is very clear and simple.

[MarcoPoloCX]

Who fancies some meal replacement shakes or food that's been processed with vitamins added or some wholesome meal with fresh meat, fruit n' veg?
Why do we convince ourselves or in denial that processed dog food is healthy?
Kibbles is kibbles at the end of the day.

[MarcoPoloCX]

The premium kibbles may contain less fillers but it's still processed and nuked.
Dog food testing is not as strict as for humans. Just because dogs do not have adverse reactions to it doesn't mean they're thriving on it or it's healthy.

[Pigeonpost]

I did the research. Happy to ignore the programme, I would much rather our dog eats raw food than shitty processed crap. My DH is utterly shite with food hygiene so there probably IS a risk here but it helped focus his attention on what he needs to change and it ain't the dogs food...

[Pigeonpost]

Oh and the Luna & Me things are great. Basically like raw burgers which come delivered frozen once a month. Have resisted the temptation to cook and try one so far but tempted! Our spaniel prefers the chicken and turkey ones to the lamb. Funny how dogs can fuss over the difference between chicken and lamb but still eat cat shit/horse shit/cow shit...

[Siwdmae]

Very useful link: www.petforums.co.uk/threads/raw-feeding-everything-you-need-to-know.111437/

Yes, you should be careful with hygiene, no, you shouldn't try to frighten people with tales of salmonella etc. Dogs bring in far more shit on their feet than they have in their mouths (as do you) and God help you if you have cats who walk on your work surfaces.

I don't believe that there is one decent kibble/commercial dog food available in supermarkets. Some of them have as much nutritional value as floor sweepings.

[MaxwellAndPeterson]

If you don't feel confident doing it yourself from scratch, try one of the ready put-together packs, such as Nutriment (which is what my dog has). The meat, bones and vegetables are all minced together in frozen packs, so it's just a case of defrosting in the fridge overnight. It will be good for 2-3 days in the fridge once defrosted. One 500g box gives my dog 4 meals (2 days) and it's averaging out at a cost of £1 a day, so it's working out cheaper than the tinned and dry food I was previously giving her.

Interestingly - and it's only been about 5 weeks so far, so it could be coincidence - her digestive problems have eased up, she's stopped snoring, and she's stopped scratching as much.

With regards to hygiene, I keep the pack at the bottom of the fridge, I wash my hands after putting it in her bowl and I wipe the work surface with a dettol spray, and the dog's bowl goes straight in the dishwasher when she's finished. Same as when preparing raw meat for my own meals actually. I do give the dog's face a wipe over after with wet kitchen paper and close doors to other rooms for a while, so she can't go wiping her face on my furniture. So far, all has been fine.

[witwootoodleoo]

I've been raw feeding cats and dogs for 8 years with no problem. Over the years I've used Nutriment and Honeys but I'm a recent convert to Naturaw because their own make stuff has much more environmentally friendly packaging and they have a massive range.

[nellieellie]

The BBC should be ashamed of itself for 'Trust me I'm a vet'. First off when you think, totally objectively, what must be the very best food for your dog? A highly processed diet? Or a fresh food diet? Is there anything intrinsically unique about our dogs that means their food has to be blasted at incinerator high temperatures that removes all the goodness, bad and good bacteria, destroys vitamins, and then has to have a load of artificial vitamins and amino acids added back in together with dye and spray blasted fat to add artificial flavour as all natural flavour has been removed? I think not. So, I go to my vet to check my research and ask for advice about how to feed fresh food to my dog. He/she/they don't know. Although interestingly I am told to feed my large breed puppy a 'high calcium' food. Something which a small amount of research will tell you is a dangerous error. (As purina have found in research, resulting in deformed dogs with severe joint issues). They can though, point me to 'large breed puppy food' that happens to be lining the shelves in the waiting room. Mmmmm.
So, why does food need to be processed before it is healthy and balanced. It doesn't. The first episode of trust me I'm a vet found that most processed dog foods are not balanced and could lead to health issues. What does it advise? Using different brands in the hope that the inbalances will cancel each other out. What! How mad is that? No, just tell people what dogs need for a balanced diet. Don't make out it's all this big mystery which only the huge multinational companies who own the money spinning dog food companies can possibly know how to do properly!
People say to me 'why do you feed raw'. My response is 'why do you feed highly processed kibble?' Are you giving your dog the best by giving - corn, beet, chicken meal, soya, pea protein, and in some cases artificial colours and flavours. Or are you giving the best by giving fresh meat, and veg? The scientists who do the research paid for by the dog food multinationals say there is no scientific evidence that raw is healthier. Well, 2 things, there is research, (NZ study recently reported), but honestly, do you NEED research to tell you fresh food is better than highly processed? And we are talking HIGHLY processed, worse than the sausage and bacon we have been warned about.
If you worry about bacteria, remember that there are bacteria everywhere, that there are thousands of strains of salmonella, only some dangerous, that one in 3 people carry mrsa bacteria on their skin,. Are all the people that are worried about bacteria, vegetarians? Using standard food hygiene procedures such as washing hands, wiping and disinfecting surfaces, cleaning bowls etc are quite sufficient.
I fed my pup 3 years ago on kibble, but as a mum who spends a lot of time ensuring that her vegetarian family are fed healthily, I felt increasingly uneasy at what I was giving my dog. He was uninterested in food, would go days without eating a full meal, would scratch so much that even on walks he would lie in the street to have a scratch. After much research I changed to a raw commercial food (Nutriment), joined some raw food pages, 'raw feeding advice and support', 'barf uk', 'raw feeding uk', 'rawsome and holistic', and now feed a mix of commercial raw and DIY. Dogs itching stopped within 2 weeks, he was crazy for his new food, and more focussed in training. I adopted another dog and swapped her to raw immediately. She grew a shiny new topcoat. Both are healthy dogs with shiny coats and, I believe, good immunity. I would never feed anything else.

[sparechange]

I've been raw feeding for years without any sort of food poisoning/salmonella incidents, because I use the same sort of food hygiene as I would with any other raw meat.
Currently using Nutriment for the convenience factor (it comes with my supermarket delivery) but really hate how much plastic packaging I throw away so would love to find a lower-waste alternative.

In my mind, there is absolutely no doubt it is the best possible thing you can feed a dog.

We travel quite a lot with our dog, and don't always have a fridge to store raw food so once or twice a year, we have to put her onto kibble for a week or so.

Within 24 hours, the poo goes from firm and nearly-odourless pellets to huge stinky Mr Whippy things.
Within 48 hours, she starts smelling 'doggy', and within 7 days, she gets dandruff.

It is pretty clear to me that is because she is not designed to eat kibble. We've tried every premium brand under the sun, but none come close to raw feeding, and some of the kibbles work out more expensive than raw feeding

[witwootoodleoo]

If you need a travel friendly food for raw fed dogs the Pure stuff is great. Its basically just dehydrated raw that you add water to and let it soak for 10 mins before feeding. I use it when I travel and dog's poo stays same as it does on raw :)

[witwootoodleoo]

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