[embee]

That's great. You go to the top of my breeders list! It's a shame I'm not looking for another cockapoo!!
I've also seen the difference that barf makes to the teeth, breath, poo etc, and have fed it to previous dogs, but being a busy and fairly lazy mum, I was really pleased this time to find a company who do all the work for you and mix it up into one convenient complete food. They use raw veggies, but double grind them to break them down enough for the nourishment to be absorbed. The only thing I give as an addition is lamb or beef bones as treats. Haven't got the heart to do the fast though!

So Helen, I'm being seduced by all the BARF talk. How do you work it with Dylan. Do the packs come in meal sized frozen pieces or do you defrost a pack in the fridge then use it over a few days. How much does Dylan eat each day? 1 or 2 meals a day? Could you explain how you work it day to day, how much you bulk buy and how long it lasts!!!!!

 

[embee]

The food comes in 1kg packs, frozen.

Thanks - I might take the plunge and give Natural Instinct in the morning and Orijen in the evening. One last question - How big is a 1kg box so I can figure how many I can fit in the freezer??

 

[embee]

Jukee Doodles what exactly do you feed, Ive looked into raw meaty bones before but always felt I might get it wrong, mine have a chicken wing a day which is their favourite have given ribs and rabbit before but like anything else its having the confidence and not wanting to do anything wrong, its just not that specific on the site I looked at . Any pointers would be appreciated x

Have you switched yours to Orijen? What do you do at the moment give them kibble (Orijen) for one meal then a chicken wing for the other meal?

 

[embee]

Thanks for all your info on food products. It gives us much more options with weaning our puppies, because of the convenience we've previously had to use a puppy kibble with cereal in. We have now joined Orijen Breeder Programme so can give their puppy packs with each pup and we can tell new owners about Natural Instinct. This leaves is free to experiment with weaning our pups straight onto a BARF/Orijen puppy diet from now on. We're really chuffed about this. Thank you!

I would be very happy to have a new puppy that had been weaned onto Orijen, so great that you'll be doing this.

I think the only downside of weaning a puppy onto BARF is that a lot of new owners wouldn't maintain them on BARF and might put them straight onto a cereal based kibble on arriving home. This might mean you would get lots of calls from new owners experiencing tummy trouble with their new pup as it was moved from ideal BARF to kibble with cereal that could upset their tummies. Weaning a puppy onto non cereal based kibble, like Orijen, seems a good option and would also encourage new owners to feed a 'good' kibble in the long term.

 

[embee]

A friend told me about another BARF diet supplier called Basils Dog Food. The website is www.basilsdogfood.co.uk

What do you think Dylansmum (compared to Natural Instinct)? You're our resident BARF expert so would be interested in your opinion as I would like to switch Flo in next few months (once I can sort a second freezer!)

 

[embee]

Natural Instinct still seems to have the edge.

Thanks - NI it is then. Have started to replace the odd Origen meal with 2 chicken wings and will switch once I sort the freezer - presumably you either have a very big freezer or another just for Dylan?

 

[embee]

I really like the look of Applaws, and can buy it locally. Natural Instinct looks good also, but I don't really have the freezer space. Would it be possible to feed mainly with Applaws, but with the occasional Natural Instinct meal (I'd only buy a few packs at a time), and chicken wings, bones etc?

Also, what can be put into a Kong? I've heard of them, but don't know much about them!

Thanks all! Your help and advice is invaluable!

S xx

I feed Flo with Origen kibble and give her the odd raw chicken wing meal which seems fine. I'm not an expert but from what I've seen the main thing is to give either a raw meal or a kibble meal and not to mix them together as they digest each differently and at different rates which can upset a dogs stomach sometimes. I think raw gets digested in 5-6 hours and dry food, especially with cereal and/or rice in it takes 10-12 hours.

You can stuff anything your dog will eat into a Kong. I put in Nature Diet wet food with peas, top up with water then freeze. I also put in raw chicken bits which I freeze to make it last longer and that is Flo's favourite. You can also just plug the end and fill with stock and freeze for a dog ice lolly. If we are having a BBQ I get bits of steak and stuff them in so she doesn't bother us when we are cooking. Others on here will have lots of ideas.