Advice on raw food

[Sus]

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Have been thinking about and looking into raw food feeding for some time, I do think it could solve some of my dogs problems
She is a rescue and had a lot of problems, I have had her for nearly a year and we have had some difficulties along the way but hopefully things are getting better and I hope will improve
I have tried raw chicken and veg she would'nt touch it, boiled it and she ate it
She ignored a beef bone
Want to try properly prepared raw dog food but they all seem to come in big quantities
I feed her about 100gms of wet food and bout 25 gms of dry food and do not like the idea of storing food in the fridge for more than a day
Is there a company that provides small meals, also what about the vitamins and essential oils? are these included in the food?

 

[RGC]

You should be able to find smaller quantities (500g) of complete raw food in any reputable pet shop. I appreciate your reluctance to buy larger quantities initially until you’re both happy with it. That’s what I did at first and now Mabel’s on Cotswold Raw. I order it on line in 8 1kg containers which works out at a reasonable price, although it’s a fag to chisel bits from it - you can get it in 500g but that’s more expensive. She has 90g x 2 daily. It’s stored in the garage freezer and I only have 2 days worth of meals max in the fridge. My advice, and I appreciate there are more experienced people on the forum, would be to buy a small amount locally. As for how you introduce it to your dog’s diet, I’ll leave that to others to guide you. Mabel took to it with no problems. Hope it goes well.

 

[RGC]

I should have made it plain that Cotswold Raw arrives deep frozen and that’s why I have to chisel sufficient amounts from it to thaw out in the fridge.

 

[excuseme]

Some of our dogs take a while adjusting to the raw product and learning to enjoy the fantastic product, having been fed on kibbles for most of their lives.
"Natures Menu" is a good product to start with and can be purchased from most pet stores with a freezer (small amounts can be purchased)
If your dog is not keen on the raw product try flash frying it or give it a quick boil so that it is still pink inside! Over cooking the product can alter and damage the benefits of the meat.

May I suggest that you treat yourself to a lovely little book "Honeys Natural Feeding Handbook for Dogs". This is so helpful and interesting to read. It is an easy to understand little book and I love it.
It can be purchased from either e-bay or Amazon for about £3, if you get onto the "Honey's" website I have noticed it is still free.

There is also information on this site about raw feeding

 

[JudyN]

If you buy frozen, then you can actually let it defrost until it is sliceable, portion it up, and freeze in small portions. Or you can buy free-flow, so you only need to pour out what you need.

Cooking it slightly, e.g. searing it in a frying pan can make it more enticing for fussy eaters, and then you can gradually reduce the amount of cooking till it's completely raw.

If it is a good 'complete' mix, such as sold by Natures Menu or Natural Instinct, you don't have to worry about adding extra minerals, etc.

 

[Sus]

Thanks for your replies.
I already have the book and after reading it am more interested in trying the raw food, I was hoping that some company did the food in 100 or 200gm sizes although I have been unable to find one.
That sounds ok though, slicing it up into portions. I was wondering how I could break it up. Those 500gm quantities sound much more appealing now
I have got about 4 weeks food left here at the moment, think I will use up about 2 weeks of it then have 2weeks food left to mix with the raw till she will hopefully take to it

 

[Tinytom]

You can buy natures menu nuggets ... they come in fish different meats and are a complete meal ...easy to defrost and small bags

 

[excuseme]

Yes, their nuggets are very easy to thaw and feed.

 

[Sus]

Thank you all for your replies and advice which has helped me to start Biddy on raw food which has helped enormously I think, though it is early days
Her scooting has completely stopped. She used to poo 3 to 4 times a day, semi hard turning to soft then loose. Now it is once a day (rarely twice) and is hard and easy to pick up. I was concerned at first but apparently this is normal for a dog
I have started her on Honeys raw food so thank you excuseme, they provide it in 250gm sizes and as I feed 100gms a day I do not have to keep it in the fridge for longer than 2 and half days
She loves it, she still has skin issues and I'm treating with Duoxo mousse and shampoo which seems to be clearing it up, although it may be a combination of that and the raw food, I do not know
Thank all of you for so much good and expert advice

 

[JudyN]

That's so good to hear, Sus

 

[JoanneF]

That's fantastic news!

 

[excuseme]

Good luck and enjoy.

 

[arealhuman]

Glad to hear this @Sus! My boy Rusty is on Honey's too, and it has cleared up any loose poo problems, although for the last 2 orders they have forgotten his packets of treats We use the same 250g packs, really handy.

 

[Hemlock]

Brilliant news - so good to hear! Thanks for letting us know.

 

[wub1234]

Glad things have settled down!