Raw feeding

[poiuytrewq]

I’ve been looking into this and Cecil being ill yesterday kind of made me think about it again.
The terriers currently have Butchers canned food, just small amounts mixed with Skinners working dog food.
I know that’s not the best. At first I had a few problems with itchiness (cecil) and fussiness (Basil) and after fiddling around this is what suited both.
Some of the things I’ve read though just confuse the hell out of me!
All the percentages of fat, protein etc required.. that doesn’t sound too complicated now I write it but getting it right and knowing the right amounts to give sounds difficult.
How can I simplify it all. Are there any good books I could look through?
Then the next issue is I’m a bit rubbish at shopping, half the time we don’t have food in the house for us forget about having to think about fresh meat for the dogs.
Truthfully!! Is it an expensive way to feed dogs?

 

[Starzaan]

Personally I have found it works out much much cheaper for mine, but I buy in bulk. I bought a huge chest freezer and I fill that once every two months.
I buy from The Dogs Butcher, they’re fabulous and I chop and mix my own food, balancing their diet over a two week period. I know a lot of people who buy premixed as they don’t want the faff of balancing it, but I personally enjoy it.
I’ve seen enormous health benefits in my own dogs, and the research is there backing it as the best way to feed for health and longevity.

 

[MissTyc]

I have fed raw for over 20 years now. I also have a separate freezer in garage (free one was from Facebook Marketplace) as the bulk buy saving more than offsets the electric costs.

I buy some 80/10/10 completes (including TDB, same as Starzaan) for convenience and also mix my own meals, which is cheaper and also preferred by my current terriers. Recently, I have used some cheaper cuts due to rising costs of everything, and they're still doing very well, so I mix higher and lower value cuts. I also feed a lot of free stuff like locally shot rabbit from culls, etc.

 

[CorvusCorax]

It's mostly cheaper than feeding dry.

There's a sticky with over 500 responses at the top of this section of the forum.

 

[Highmileagecob]

My local butcher puts the chicken carcasses through the pulveriser and adds 10% carrots and greens. My son has switched his dog onto it, and the itching and vomiting has stopped. I have also raised a kitten on it and now have a big, strong healthy cat with good health and no sign of rickets. Plenty of companies out there who will deliver pre packaged mixes to your door if you don't want to go down the home made route. Good luck!

 

[poiuytrewq]

Thanks all, am reading through the sticky. Will take me a while!

 

[Btomkins]

I feed Able raw. You can order it on subscription at any interval so you don’t forget and run out.

It comes in loads of choices of packet sizes so no faffing with portions.

It’s also has one of the best nutritional ratings on all about dog food - 99%

And my dog LOVES it!

 

[Morwenna]

Mine’s been on raw for a couple of weeks now as kibble wasn’t agreeing with her. I have very limited freezer space and barely have time to plan and shop for my own meals so I’ve gone with the minces for now. Best thing I ever did. She loves it and is doing so well on it. She’s also noticeably calmer round the house.

 

[splashgirl45]

I wanted to feed raw but don’t have the freezer space so feed mine wolfworthy which is a kibble of 80% meat and fish and 20% veg, for 2 tiny terriers and a whippet cross it works out just under £50 per month. they also have a pouch of natures menu between them as a topper. They cost just under £15 for a box of 12. the wolfworthy is delivered to my door at 4 weekly intervals so I don’t have to remember..

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

You can get pre-made stuff-Nature’s Menu is one. I have a local supplier of green tripe, chicken, lamb mince and an 80/10/10 beef mix he created when we spoke to him about those percentages. He has a decent sized plant going on. I buy fish on offer from Morrisons, plus liver, heart and kidney from there. Nowhere else seems to do offal. I’m still hacking up lumps of chicken as the youngsters pass pieces of bones otherwise. We bought a very big freezer so we can buy big amounts every few months.

Durham Animal Feeds deliver round the UK, there are other companies, but this is reasonably priced comp to some others. https://www.daf-petfood.co.uk/category/shop/durham-animal-feeds-frozen-meats/minces/

This thread got me started 12 years ago. https://www.petforums.co.uk/threads/raw-feeding-everything-you-need-to-know.111437/ The basic principle is 80/10/10-meat, bone, offal. Liver may well give them the runs, as might lily fish. Go easy, start with maybe one type of mince eg turkey, then introduce another after a week or so.

 

[kidsandponies]

I had never fed raw before 7 weeks ago when we got our puppy and he had been weaned onto it. It’s been an eye opener (have read and researched loads) and a game changer!
We are finding it much cheaper. Luckily we have a local butcher who makes up minces for us, small chicken carcasses are cheap enough (free last order!!) and I bulk buy chicken wings.
Fish we buy when on offer but he also loves the tinned sardines in tomato sauce from Aldi’s so has that once a week.
I have also stocked up on readymade 80/10/10 minces from The Raw Food Company just to add a bit of variety and offal, he has that once a week.
I purée up spare raw veg and then freeze into ice cube trays so I can just “pop” out the required amount if feeding veg with his mince (I feel like I am weaning a baby again!!) and he has a raw egg once a week.
I was completely baffled to start with but you get into a routine and he is thriving on it!

 

[Prancerpoos]

I started feeding Bella and Duke subscription meat a month ago and my dog loves it. Unfortunately she eats a kilo a day and that is not cheap, but, as a vegetarian, I do not want to be chopping up meat and bones or worrying about if I have got the mix right.

 

[Highmileagecob]

Be careful if you are adding heart, kidney and liver as you are altering the balance of the diet and may start to see rickets.

 

[Annette4]

I buy complete mixes from a local supplier as one of mine will not eat bones and they love it and are doing incredibly well on it. I did start mixing my own which isn't too difficult once you get your head around it but between Dobby refusing whole bones and being away a lot camping it became more difficult so we've made the switch. Slightly more expensive but not excessively.

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

Be careful if you are adding heart, kidney and liver as you are altering the balance of the diet and may start to see rickets.

The recommendation is 10 in balance with the 80:10 meat:bones. I certainly wouldn’t go above.