jamie

Fish oil is only really needed if you're unable to find enough grass fed meat to provide omega 3s in the diet. Here in Australia I think most of our lamb and beef and of course kangaroo and rabbit are grass fed, so FO shouldn't really be needed unless your dog's main diet is chicken. I don't use FO at the moment, instead I feed as much grass fed red meat as I can find, and a raw salmon head or bunch of fresh sardines once or twice a week. Recently I've noticed one of my dogs has dandruff, so I'll be upping his whole raw eggs to maybe three a week for a while and see how I go. If no change, then I'll be trying the fish oil... Whole raw meaty bones - pork shoulder roasts, lamb leg roasts, most other roasts, maybe whole chickens or turkeys but they'll need more meat added in the long run, whole raw fish, and maybe lamb shanks and pork hocks (a little high on bone). Perfect would be a whole prey animal (lamb, goat) chopped into pieces and fed until gone. I've found it's much easier to go with a not-so-meaty bone like a lamb neck or chicken frame, with added boneless meat. One of my dogs gets a tiny bit of meaty bone with a separate hunk of meat every day, and the other dog gets a meaty bone one day, then a boneless chunk the next. Every dog is different... Examples of (affordable) boneless meat would be Ox tongue, beef heart and lamb heart, but if you look around, I'm sure you could find others - some butchers sell off-cuts that can be quite meaty. This post is spot on! I've found that feeding meaty bones with added boneless meat is also a very cost effective way to feed. Some of Bosco's fav combos are: Chicken frame stuffed with diced beef heart Roo tail with diced roo meat Lamb neck and lamb heart

I feed my dog using the method Tom Lonsdale describes in his book "Work Wonders" For me this means I feed a diet consisting primarily of: 1.Raw meaty bones ( lamb necks,chicken frames,roo tails,turkey drumsticks,chicken maryland and lamb shanks) 2.Fish (salmon frames,salmon heads and fresh pilchards/sardines) 3.Organ meat ( liver,kidney and heart) 4.Ocassional table scraps ( a chunk of apple or banana,leftover mashed veges) He also gets the occasional raw egg. I avoid feeding commercial dog foods,grains,excessive fruit and veg,minced meat and dairy products.

A mate of mine feeds his dogs basically nothing except meaty lamb bones and offal.He's been feeding dogs this way for about 50 years and he reckons his dogs thrive on it.He's a butcher so he picks out nice lean cuts for his dogs.He told me they live long,healthy lives and he rarely has the need for vet visits. Personally I couldn't do it unless it was absolutely necessary,half the fun for me is hunting out a nice variety of raw meaty bones.

After much trail and error, I've settled on a range of raw meaty bones that my dog likes and I can afford.I roughly spend a little over a dollar a day to feed my dog. This would be a typical weeks feedings: Monday:Chicken frame. Tuesday:Beef heart Wednesday:Whole Lamb neck+liver/kidney Thursday:Bone in Chicken thigh or chicken maryland Friday:Whole Beef heart Saturday:Lamb shank+liver/kidney Sunday:Salmon head/Salmon frame or whole fresh sardines He also gets the occasional table scrap. I would not label myself as either a prey model feeder or a barfer-just a raw feeder. I think anyone looking for a good book on feeding a raw diet should look at getting the book "Work Wonders" by Dr Tom Lonsdale. Here's a picture of the little cutie when he was still a pup.

Are you sure about that price, because that is less than what I pay wholesale for it.. I would be interested in where you are from. I should be getting it from your supplier. Ha ha,yeah I'm pretty sure,but it was a few months ago and the price could have gone up by now.I get them straight from the manufacturer in Brisbane-Big Dog Pets.I think they sell them for about $14 each if you buy one roll(12 patties) or $12 each if you buy a carton (4 rolls/48 patties). The funny thing is when I first started out feeding raw I was looking around for a supplier of Dr Bs patties,I was all prepared to drive to the other side of town to get some and then I found out that the actual factory that they are made in about a 2 minute drive from my house(duh). http://www.bigdogpetfoods.com/barfpatties.htm

That was an awesome post,thank-you very much. I personally prefer Tom Lonsdales approach to raw feeding,very easy and affordable.That said,I did buy a box of Dr B's BARF patties a couple of months ago and my dog loves them,especially if I give them to him straight out of the freezer on a hot day.I don't feel that the patties are even all that expensive,I got a box of 48 patties for $48,so for someone wanting a convenient,healthy alternative to tinned food or kibble,and is too scared to feed raw meaty bones,these are a good option.

Big Dog Pets are awesome.Great prices and very friendly service.