Please help. I want to try my dog on raw food but a. So confused when looking online. He is 15kg how much grams would he eat a day? Does it all come frozen to be defrosted before giving toneat etc what types of raw food is best. Thanks in advance
Hi & welcome,
The first advice I will give is to do your research. Posting on here is a start but I advise that you read some online material so as to become more informed. I say this because your indicate you may have limited knowledge on the subject.
The second piece of advice is that you need to be satisfied that feeding raw is appropriate to you, your dogs & your household. You can get bacteria on your hands when preparing a joint for a sunday roast, however, do give proper consideration to sensible hygiene, ( human babies should be kept away from dog bowls & unwashed dog mouths immediately after feeding).
You may find the following links worth reading properly…
https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/articles/raw-feeding-101.php
http://www.thelabradorsite.com/raw-feeding-for-dogs/
https://www.cotswoldraw.com/faqs
http://www.wolftucker.co.uk/raw-advice/
http://www.nutriment.co/why-feed-raw/
http://www.paleoridgeraw.uk/raw-faqs.html
https://benyfitnatural.co.uk/pages/faqs
The first link is to an article on this website, the second is from a breed related website (although advice is not breed specific). The other links are to raw faq pages from a selection of manufacturers. i have provided links to their Faq pages as they provide answers to common questions posed by those considering changing to a raw diet.
You should be aware that the commercial links are to companies that sell raw complete Barf. Basically easy to feed products where the products should be all you need (unless you specifically want or need to add supplements). Using the commercial links you will be able to navigate to online shops & elsewhere to get a better idea of variety & price.
I mentioned that the commercial links are to those that sell Barf raw complete minces. You should also be aware that there are other ways to feed raw. Some feed minces that do not contain vegetables, some chose to make up their own raw based meals putting together specific ratios of meat, bone, muscle, organ meat offal etc. There are various suppliers that cater for the diy raw feeder. In the extreme some feed prey or whole prey…certainly not for the faint hearted.
You may find the commercial inks useful. Do bear in mind other manufacturers are out there. You can use this website to find reviews & more links to other manufacturers. Shipping or collection cost may be an issue depending on where you live etc…Your choice may be down to what is available within an acceptable travel distance for collection. Swapping from one decent brand to another will typically be less hassle than changing kibbles of varying quality.
If using mail order do try to deal direct with suppliers who use couriers that understand the product being delivered. You ideally want to be at home when food arrives…a case of raw food defrosting in the sun all day is not good…
Reckon on around 2% of bodyweight (300g per day) as a start point. To kick off you will probably introduce smaller feeds until your dog gets used to new food. As with any new food you need to stick with it for a few days or weeks. Do not expect an instant calm transition as dog & gut adjusts.
One bit of advice…Do not be tempted to go to nearest leading national pet food supplier, there can be better choices or decent raw complete minces from independent shops or dealing direct with manufacturers.
Please read my post & links properly & then get back if you have more q’s.
Hope this helps.
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Hello Leameyp and welcome to the forum!
There are, as you may suspect, different presentations of raw food, and manufacturers sell their raw food products frozen, and so these would be bought frozen, then would be stored in a freezer at the correct temperature, until needed. The individual manufacturers state how long their food is to be defrosted before being fed to a dog.
As well as frozen, raw food can be bought as an Air-dried product and also as a Freeze-dried product, which are again 2 different processes which the raw ingredients have undergone to produce the end result. These do not need freezing and may be worth considering.
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Hello Leameyp - welcome to the forum. You have had some useful replies already. You didn’t give us any information about you and your dog. You also didn’t mention why you are thinking of changing to raw food. If you could tell us a bit more about your circumstances, it would be useful. e.g.:
What are you currently feeding and is your dog ok with this?
Why are you thinking of changing to raw?
How old is your dog?
What is your dog’s activity level?
Is he in good health?
Do you have provision to store raw food?
Do you have time to prepare a raw diet?
What is your budget? Raw feeding can be expensive.
Do you have young children or vulnerable people in your home?
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I genuinely appreciate that owners considering changing food types should ideally make informed choices, based on their circumstances & considering pro’s & con,'s, however I hope the list of questions do not deter the OP or others from considering raw without good reason…
Some dogs live out their long lives ok without raw, however, I know owners of older dogs who have seen huge changes on it & one who claims changing to raw caused his dog to seemingly turned back the years.
Instead of asking… Why change ? Some might ask…Why Not ? Many who change report their dogs (young & old) doing well on a raw based diet
Raw can provide potential higher levels…(super unleaded makes my car run better but I don’t drive everywhere at max speed).
Other food types can can also cause medical issues. I suspect more kibble fed dogs die of bloat than sensibly raw fed dogs die from eating their diet.
I can fit 20 x 500g trays on one small freezer shelf of my larder fridge freezer.
As for time to prepare it might take a few more seconds to spoon scoop raw compete measure or weigh kibble.
Re cost…Decent quality raw complete meals can cost more than cheap kibble meals but raw compete daily cost can still be cheaper than many kibbles. A 15kg dog eating 300g or raw compete from a leading brand @ £1.50 per tray equates to 90p per day. You can reduce cost further by buying larger packs & drastically reduce if going down the d.i.y. route (be warned, quality can vary & a poorly prepared d.i.y. raw diet may cause issues).
I accept some humans have a higher risk from bacteria infection than others & that some need to take great care to protect vulnerable loved ones. That said a sense of perspective is needed for homes not containing those in high risk groups. Pause to consider where our dogs walk, sniff & roll. Also consider human food hygiene risks when eating out, touching door handles & using public toilets. Clearly there is a balance to be had between being unhygienic as opposed to turning Vegan , (to avoid meat bacteria), never venturing from a daily steam cleaned home & keeping away from pets.
Other food types exist…I have prior considered quality cold pressed foods & would not rule out feeding same. Quality can vary with all food types…this site should help those comparing ALL commercial food types.
I have a huge respect for valued posters on here, including the contributors on this thread. Many of us, (including myself) , feed as we do for a variety of reasons, (some personal). I am aware that I have recently been keen to add balance against raw feeding concerns & after recent negative & disputed media features…I do not recall typically seeing as many questions asked of those seeking advice re other food types !
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LeameyP - In passing, having glimpsed an earlier thread on the allaboutdogfood forum where a member was thinking of changing his dog from a dry food onto a raw dog food, I felt it may be helpful to leave a link, for you to peruse at your leisure.
There are further helpful posts here :
The “Changing Diet” thread
- We would be grateful to hear how you progress, as this could help others who are thinking of changing their dog’s diet.
Coaster - sorry that you are concerned re the list of questions but it would have been the same scenario if they had wanted to change to any other type of food, not just raw, the reason being that background information can be useful.
The OP gave no information other than being confused by what he or she had read online so I thought it would be helpful to stimulate discussion in order to better understand exactly what they are having difficulty with and why. He or she hasn’t returned to the thread but at least they have receivedhelp/advice so thank you to everyone who responded.
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Thanks for clarifying.
On reflection, I have prior asked q’s of new members with food change enquiries & limited info.
Apologies for the defensive tone…Still feeling a little Raw on back of recent media. Pardon the pun.
@Leameyp - it is important that raw feeding is done properly so well done for researching this before you begin. I hope that this thread has helped you so that you can decide whether it will be suitable for your dog and for your personal situation.
A good way forward would be to use raw complete and to choose a reputable company that has a good variety. You can then telephone their customer services team and they will guide you, giving all the advice you will need.