Thinking of Raw feeding but have NO idea where to start

Hi

I used to come on here a lot when we got a new puppy and he was evil. Anyway, thanks to a lot of socialisation and advice (and a flipping lot of hard work) I now have a lovely 2 year old and a 13 year old, so thank you!
I am thinking of starting them on a raw diet but I have a few concerns and not much idea of where to start.

My older dog has never eaten raw - although he has had raw chicken on bones, I'm a little worried that it may upset him. (although it is because of him I am thinking of it, I have heard it is better for joints, coat, health etc)

I like to keep them on the same food, they always eat together and are a similar size, but I don't know how much I would need to vary it to suit them both (although they walk together, the youngest is obviously more active).

I looked into the prepacked frozen packs and it seemed to get quite expensive and it seemed a bit unclear whether you needed to add veg etc.

I'm sure I have read before that a friendly butcher will often give bones etc, but we are new to the area and to be honest, all the butchers are posh and don't seem as friendly as our old local market ones!

Does anyone have any tips at getting started? Or if there are any ways of buying decent quality food online? Where we live is quite isolated, though there is a Tesco and a couple of small shops there aren't any pet shops nearby and I don't really fancy a 1 hour and a half journey to get dog food on my day off too often!

I'd be really grateful for any advice.

Hello Jess and welcome this might be a good place to start..

A rough BARF guide

Thank you! That is really helpful, I hadn't thought about blending and freezing the veggies too!

There's quite a lot of companies out there who will deliver to you, the main thing is to ensure you have adequate freezer space really.
DAF are the nearest to you I think
http://www.daf-petfood.co.uk/4-daf-frozen-dog-foods
another very good one is Natural Instincts
http://www.daf-petfood.co.uk/4-daf-frozen-dog-foods

They'll all advise you as well as a newbie to it.
I grate and steam veg to mix in with the mince I get from my butcher,they have free bones and chicken carcass. You can buy chicken wings, thighs, drumsticks, legs etc from the cheap range in any supermarket. I also buy cheap frozen pollock,again from the supermarket,sometimes worth looking at the freezer shops on the local market precinct as well.
I have 4 pretty big dogs, I wean my puppies onto raw starting at about 3 weeks, and never looked back really.
There's a lot of books about nowadays as well to help you
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_...pup+with+bones

I always let my potential puppy families have a link with the books and they always research as well. Lots of different ways of raw feeding, and you need to find the one that suits you and your lifestyle.

I came on here and got advice about raw feeding. That was a year ago and I've never looked back since. One major bit of advice I was told and always remember was
"Don't panic"

The link that Meg gave you in message #2 is what taught me all about raw feeding, and I still refer to that post from time to time.

I moved my four collies a few weeks ago after number five came weaned onto raw which was the push I needed! I started with prepared minces but am gradually becoming more adventurous although I doubt I will ever go completely DIY. I collect the minces from the supplier as it is quite near to where I live but all the suppliers deliver.

Whether to add veg seems to be a personal choice as they don't add anything of nutritional value and I know plenty of people who don't. Mine only get veg if it is included in the prepared mince.

Although it has only been a short time, already their coats are looking heaps better, poo is much better and less smelly and they are really enjoying their food.

For a pre- prepared BARF diet (for BARF virgins and the nervous to go alone folk),try this brand:

honeysrealdogfood.com/
Honey's is a small, ethical, family-run working dog food company. We believe that working dogs should eat the same sort of diet that they would enjoy if they ...
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