Raw food help....

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Crackedhalo

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Hi, I know there are a lot of posts on this but I can't find the info I need.
I'm wanting to introduce some raw into three of my dogs diet, two whippet greys and a whippet staff, at the moment they get dry food with stuff mixed in. Natures menu, sardines, potatoes.
I cant afford to change fully raw at the moment but am thinking maybe three raw days? Would this work? Any advice?
Thanks in advance :)
 
3 days should be fine but I don't think you will find it as expensive as you think. I use Durham Animal Feeds and can feed 2 Bearded Collies and 2 cats for a month for about £35
 
I agree with cava14una - I started my 2 on raw a month ago and it's considerably cheaper than what I was spending before. It all seems very mind boggling at first but once you get started it's straightforward. I'm glad I made the transition! I found a local supplier, bagged a fridge/freezer for the garage off a friend and don't plan on looking back. Shiny coats, gleaming white teeth, no doggy smell and poo picking is a total doddle! You will find that you end up feeding less than they were eating before - my 2 have put on a few pounds so I'm starting to just give them a snack in the morning and a main meal in the evening.
 
Thanks guys, I would love to feed them raw full time. I think I will try it for a few days a week to start and see how it works out. Storage is the main problem as we have no freezer room. I'm going to go to the butchers later, what should I be asking for? I don't eat meat so no idea whats, what really!
 
I personally wouldn't mix raw with kibble. I know lots of people do, especially feeding tripe with kibble.

It's not as expensive as you think, especially if you are willing to visit butchers and fishmongers for offcuts.

I buy mine online in bulk frozen. A pound of mince costs me about 55p. I have nine dogs all bigger than yours and it costs me about £140 per month, I could easily get this amount down if I had the time and inclination!
 
Best to introduce gradually and keep the diet as steady as possible. Alternating days will throw their digestive systems out of sync all the time.

Most butchers will provide trimmings and offcuts on the cheap and if you are prepared to go to an abbatoir you can get tripes and more very cheaply. You don't need to mince everything as long as the pieces are not too big.

Grandad used to have a constant rabbit problem on his land and always fed the dogs on cooked (must be cooked and bones removed) rabbit as they were free. The smell of it cooking wasn't particularly pleasant and when we visited we would often get served it ourselves.
 
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Houndman said:
Best to introduce gradually and keep the diet as steady as possible. Alternating days will throw their digestive systems out of sync all the time.

Most butchers will provide trimmings and offcuts on the cheap and if you are prepared to go to an abbatoir you can get tripes and more very cheaply. You don't need to mince everything as long as the pieces are not too big.

Grandad used to have a constant rabbit problem on his land and always fed the dogs on cooked (must be cooked and bones removed) rabbit as they were free. The smell of it cooking wasn't particularly pleasant and when we visited we would often get served it ourselves.
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Er why must it be cooked and bones removed? kinda goes against everything raw is about. Many of us feed whole rabbit, raw, bones and all.
 
Agree with Lexidhb on this one -my greyhounds love whole rabbits, and are also partial to catching their own squirrels (grey ones of course!) which are of course are always fed raw.

I order from Manifold Valley Meats, I pay between 65p and 95p per lb but they deliver to my door, provide excellent quality products which are packaged into minced 1lb blocks so are a doddle to feed, and have brilliant customer service :) Before them I went to an abbatoir, which was cheaper but loads more hassle - nothing like dealing with 45lbs of raw pigs hearts after a day at work...

My four greyhounds cost me around £150 per month to feed - kibble might be cheaper, but the benefits of feeding raw mean I wouldn't choose anything else now :)
 
Also i feed a 30kg- (good doer) for £15 a month raw- couldnt get a really good kibble for that.

Im also not a fan of mix and match raw and kibble- but did, introduce raw one meal a day, slowly over time until he was fully raw- most just go cold turkey.
 
i feed my whippet and my bedlington on raw, at a cost of approx £1.50 a day for the two of them. Chicken necks from my butchers, and pet mince from them too. Along with Natures Menu from my local petshop. I do buy kibble if I go away and leave my dogs with friends as they are veggies and struggle with the raw meat, but then I buy Barking heads which is a high percentage meat. I would never feed raw and kibble together as the digestive process is different.
 
Wow i could never afford £150 a month, that's more than our food, lol! It costs me about £30 a month for four dogs at the moment (get food at cost).
I wouldn't be mixing the raw with the dry as i know they digest differently. They get fed twice a day so am thinking about six meals a week to start and see how they (and me!) get on with it.
So as a guide what would you raw experts recommend i start out with? I have one at 35lb, 28lb and 30lb and they are the correct weights for their sizes. I have heard chicken necks are good for them too chew? Would a chicken neck be one meal?
:-)
 
Need to feed approx 2-3% of ideal body weight. Bone/offal/muscle meat 10:10:80 I believe there is a sticky at the top of here I think. BUT this becomes difficult when you feed kibble alongside.
 
Good grief I would love it if mine only cost that - even when they were on kibble I went through 3 sacks of Skinners Duck & Rice a month, at a cost of £75 in total. Mine weigh 35kgs, 25kgs. 24 kgs and 21 kgs.

I have found the thing with raw is that you have to be able to feed by eye - two of mine put weight on like nobodys business on it, the other two find it hard to maintain weight and are fed considerably more than the 2-3% of bodyweight guideline.
 
Lévrier;12433201 said:
I have found the thing with raw is that you have to be able to feed by eye - two of mine put weight on like nobodys business on it, the other two find it hard to maintain weight and are fed considerably more than the 2-3% of bodyweight guideline.
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this

also, beware thinking feeding raw is feeding cheap. Raw feeding is fantastic, if it is done properly. It’s never as simple as getting the odd offcut from your butcher and it’s the people feeding cheap crap that end up having problems. It has to be balanced, good quality and properly packaged and stored. I wouldn’t mix raw and kibble, even as you suggest OP. Once you see the ‘transition’ the guts go through (by way of what comes out) from kibble to raw I wouldn’t put a dog’s digestive system through that on a weekly basis. It’s not complicated to come up with a balanced weekly plan and many of the raw suppliers are more than happy to assist you. Otherwise, if you dont have the time to do that, Id advise going with a ready prepared, balanced raw diet such as provided by the likes of Nutriment. If you speak to them they are very informative and will go over the points Ive made here with you. Good luck.
 
Houndman said:
always fed the dogs on cooked (must be cooked and bones removed) rabbit as they were free. The smell of it cooking wasn't particularly pleasant and when we visited we would often get served it ourselves.
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Love the misinformation on here today! And rabbit is delicious, used to be a standard meal in many homes for the humans.


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OP, source a supplier first, here's a list. http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-health-nutrition/197702-raw-food-supplier-list.html

For multiple dogs, a freezer is a must and check your ratios: 80, 10, 10 meat, bones, offal. I wouldn't feed dry then raw on alternate days personally, but I guess it could work.

HHO raw food sticky: http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?408903-Another-Question-about-the-RAW-diet
 
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Lévrier;12434741 said:
LOL! How could I have forgotten that essential element of diet assessment :D :D
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Never in my life have i studied/ talked about dog ***** so much since i started feeding raw LOL
 
lexiedhb said:
Never in my life have i studied/ talked about dog ***** so much since i started feeding raw LOL
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Ha ha my new boyfriend has now realised that he will have to provide all appropriate information when I asked him if Amy had got over her stomach upset.....he did say he had never expected 6 months ago to be exchanging text messages on the subject :D Pah, he has kids, he should be used to it :p
 
Thanks for all your input :)
I've been doing a bit of research - looked into nutriment which looks really good but would cost me about £200 a month! Don't think the OH would be happy with that, so I think I'm going to try out the natures menu tins, I can get 12 tins for about £9.50 so will work out ok money wise, and its pretty close to raw. Then maybe a few chicken necks and lamb ribs in the week?
I just want to give them as little crap as possible! Lol.
 
Thought i would give a little update on this, I started the three dogs on natures menu, chicken tins, three weeks ago. For the first two weeks they lost excessive weight and had poorly bellys, They seem to have got over that now and adjusted to the food. However they all look extremely thin - they are lurchers, one at 15kg and the other two about 12kg. I was giving them a tin and a half, i've increased this to two tins and they have a chicken wing each every other day. Is there any food (natural) i can give them to bulk them up, they are struggling to put weight back on.
Too be honest the tins are costing a fortune but i don't have freezer space to put them onto raw. Don't want to go back to dry but i need some cheap weight gain options. They do race a couple of times a week usually but i have kept them off while they adjust!
Any help appreciated!! :-)
 
Without freezer space, I cannot think of a way of keeping the costs down. I bought a smallish freezer and put it above an under the counter one as space is at a premium here as well. I get 15 kg delivered at a time from They love it dog foods and I add free flow beef, tripe and lamb mince bought from the local pet store to have the right meat to bone ratio. Not ideal cost wise but all good quality and the dogs thrive on it.
 
Oily fish- like tinned or fresh pilchards/ mackerel. Lamb - also fatty and good for weight gain. What does natures menu suggest they have per day?

Have to say I wouldnt be happy having just the one meat source, but each to their own.
 
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lexiedhb said:
Oily fish- like tinned or fresh pilchards/ mackerel. Lamb - also fatty and good for weight gain. What does natures menu suggest they have per day?

Have to say I wouldnt be happy having just the one meat source, but each to their own.
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This is only their third week on this diet, which is why they are just having chicken, plus they have had dodgy tums. They are usually good doers and get fat sniffing food! Lol
The tin says between 1 and 3 tins for 15 - 25 kg dogs!!
 
Brown bread and rice wont put weight on- dogs not really designed to process carbs.

Sounds expensive would the free flow minces/ blocks of minces you can get in pets at home (so no need to bulk buy be cheaper?
 
I have been and bought some natures menu for Huntley today, and it am so confoooosed! I got the frozen blocks, and a bag of the beef bones. I am going to change gradually from burns dry, and nature diet, but not sure quite how, and what to do. He is an 8 month labradoodle, and he weighs 24.5 kg. he is the lean working type.
 
Seriously, a freezer is not essential for such small dogs, just use your freezer space! Chicken carcasses are what I look at for weight gain, plus lamb mince. MVM raw comes in long tubes, so would take up little space. It's a 10:10:80 ratio, so no need to mess round! Chicken wings reduced in the supermarket are fab, but you are meant to stick with one protein for one week then add in different ones. 3 weeks is way too long on one thing.
 
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