Advice please!! Over the years we have fed various complete dry foods but as 'treat' given fresh meat mixed in. Lately with some of the more well known dry foods the dogs bowel habits are more problematic. We are thinking of using fresh meat (tripe etc) with chicken wings and mixer. but would like more info. Also what exactly are 'chicken backs' as someone mentioned these. We have German pointers so what sort amounts would be needed and cost etc. i don't want to sell the dogs short and am looking to give good basic diet. Is this sort of diet any better than dried complete? I looked at the BARF site but got completely confused. Is barf more extreme in its fundamentals
Sue

Hi Sue

If you feed a raw (I refuse to use the other word) diet it should consist of meat, bones, organ meat,fruit and veg, fish plus any supplements that you choose to use such as cottage cheese, yoghurt, linseed oil (obtainable from horse feed outlets), kelp or seaweed power.

On the bone side of it I feed primarily chicken but also add lamb breasts, rabbit when available, fish, turkey, duck, pork and lamb necks.

Imagine a boned chicken with no legs, wings, innards and the breasts removed. If you chop this in half, back and front you are left with frame/carcass which has the ribs on it and the back which is what would be the back of the chicken, tail and where the legs join.

You do not need a mixer if following a totally raw diet. There are various books available and they all give slightly different advice (of course) along with the many web sites that deal with raw feeding.

The site you mention may be the Billinghurst based one? This is based in the US and, in my opinion, seems to go to extremes.

I have found the cost to be slightly under what their food was costing me before and I did not use a premium food.

Christine

Thanks Christine.what sort of quantities of these combinations should I be looking to use and how many meals a day? It takes a bit of getting my head round when we have really only used dried before.
Sue

Hi Sue,
If you do a Search under my name you will find links to sites that I posted for someone recently. I changed around Sept and my dogs love me for it. It really isn't as hard as it first seems. This is a good site for asking questions, owned by a vet who raw feeds Here
Lots of very down to earth people who like to be asked questions. If you want to ask questions feel free to email me privately but I'm no great expert, just near enough starting to remember how scary it can be
Anne

thanks again anne, you are my guardian angel. I ahve registered on the site you suggested so now await info when I am accepted.