Barf Vs Super Premium Commercial Foods

[huski]

I also find it's much more economical to feed raw than premium kibble.

I find it a lot more expensive. Granted, I have no wholesaler and have to buy everything from the butcher or Woolies. But my dogs need an awful lot of food to maintain weight on raw and my costs have skyrocketed.

I think having somewhere to buy it in bulk or that sells raw cheaply obviously helps. Woolies and Coles are super expensive! Though I do buy turkey from Woolies sometimes as I can only get turkey necks not wings or legs from the place I buy my raw from. It costs me approx $20 a week to feed three dogs and a cat on raw (well, the cat gets a mixture of raw and dried food).

[Andisa]

I am leaning back towards raw diet again, I don't know if it's a seasonal thing but I find that on BH alone the dogs are lacking something. Adding raw foods makes a difference in their coats. I am happy with BH and will continue to feed it but I am feeding less than I was.

Edited October 27, 2012 by Andisa

[twodoggies2001]

Also clinics are paid to sell the food as well.

Really???????

No vet clinic I have ever worked in was paid for selling any food. I would love to know who does actually get paid for selling dog food

wouldn't it stand to reason that the more the clinic has to sell off their shelves, the more chance of making sales and more profits?

[Clyde]

I also find it's much more economical to feed raw than premium kibble.

I find it a lot more expensive. Granted, I have no wholesaler and have to buy everything from the butcher or Woolies. But my dogs need an awful lot of food to maintain weight on raw and my costs have skyrocketed.

I think having somewhere to buy it in bulk or that sells raw cheaply obviously helps. Woolies and Coles are super expensive! Though I do buy turkey from Woolies sometimes as I can only get turkey necks not wings or legs from the place I buy my raw from. It costs me approx $20 a week to feed three dogs and a cat on raw (well, the cat gets a mixture of raw and dried food).

Yeh, I have been trying to source a fair price but no luck

How expensive have turkey necks gotten? Sheesh, I fed them yrs ago and they were about $1.50 for about 5 of them. Yesterday I went to grab some and they were about $6 for 4 With all my dogs it's just not viable to feed them too often.

Edited October 27, 2012 by Clyde

[huski]

Yeh, I have been trying to source a fair price but no luck

How expensive have turkey necks gotten? Sheesh, I fed them yrs ago and they were about $1.50 for about 5 of them. Yesterday I went to grab some and they were about $6 for 4 With all my dogs it's just not viable to feed them too often.

I know it's ridiculous. Chicken necks and frames are the same! I've seen them in the supermarket for between $3-$5 p/kg. What a rip off!

[Salukifan]

I'm old enough to remember when lamb shanks were pet food give aways by the butcher, not restaurant food. Good forbid the foodies discover lamb necks

As for BARF v Super Premium. I think the key to a good diet is the quality of the ingredients whether processed or raw. Shite is shite no matter what you do with it.

As for the cereal issue? Prey model aside, we all feed "fillers". Unless your dog is allergic to it, i don't see the issue. (This from a former die hard BARFer who decided that obsessing over my dog's diet was silly). I feed RMBs and Royal Canin and frankly the only difference I have noticed is that my Toy Poodle no longer has anal gland issues.

Edited October 27, 2012 by Haredown Whippets

[Andisa]

Yeh, I have been trying to source a fair price but no luck

How expensive have turkey necks gotten? Sheesh, I fed them yrs ago and they were about $1.50 for about 5 of them. Yesterday I went to grab some and they were about $6 for 4 With all my dogs it's just not viable to feed them too often.

I know it's ridiculous. Chicken necks and frames are the same! I've seen them in the supermarket for between $3-$5 p/kg. What a rip off!

I am lucky to have a chicken processor in the next suburb and only pay $1kg for frames, $1.80kg for necks and $2.20kg for wings but if I am lucky I will get 2nds wings for only $1kg - nothing wrong the quality, broken wings or bruised..not pretty but the dogs don't care. Also have a wholesale butchers that have a great selection for us and the dogs at great prices.

Best thing about buying wings in bulk - we share the wings with the dogs...they are only dog food when it's in their bowls :laugh: . I have been known to give them something else and put the wings in the oven for dinner :D .

Edited October 27, 2012 by Andisa

[twodoggies2001]

Yeh, I have been trying to source a fair price but no luck

How expensive have turkey necks gotten? Sheesh, I fed them yrs ago and they were about $1.50 for about 5 of them. Yesterday I went to grab some and they were about $6 for 4 With all my dogs it's just not viable to feed them too often.

I know it's ridiculous. Chicken necks and frames are the same! I've seen them in the supermarket for between $3-$5 p/kg. What a rip off!

I buy mine from my butcher at $1.50 and $1 respectively

[huski]

Yeh, I have been trying to source a fair price but no luck

How expensive have turkey necks gotten? Sheesh, I fed them yrs ago and they were about $1.50 for about 5 of them. Yesterday I went to grab some and they were about $6 for 4 With all my dogs it's just not viable to feed them too often.

I know it's ridiculous. Chicken necks and frames are the same! I've seen them in the supermarket for between $3-$5 p/kg. What a rip off!

I buy mine from my butcher at $1.50 and $1 respectively

We can get frames out here for .50c a kg, which is awesome! And makes the supermarket prices even more shocking!

[jr_inoz]

I'm old enough to remember when lamb shanks were pet food give aways by the butcher, not restaurant food. Good forbid the foodies discover lamb necks

As for BARF v Super Premium. I think the key to a good diet is the quality of the ingredients whether processed or raw. Shite is shite no matter what you do with it.

As for the cereal issue? Prey model aside, we all feed "fillers". Unless your dog is allergic to it, i don't see the issue. (This from a former die hard BARFer who decided that obsessing over my dog's diet was silly). I feed RMBs and Royal Canin and frankly the only difference I have noticed is that my Toy Poodle no longer has anal gland issues.

They have in my neck of the woods. I remember when I could get a lamb shank or lamb neck for 50c - great for soups. Not any more. Lamb neck was $3 a kilo the other day.

I have found a local butcher that will do lamb flap quite cheaply in my area. I have to trim the fat off it.

[mish13]

I noticed a positive change in my dogs when I switched from premium dried to raw about 4-5 years ago, I also find it's much more economical to feed raw than premium kibble.

I'm not hard core about feeding raw (it's my choice and what I find my dogs do best on, end of story) but I do think that the way dried food is advertised leads people to feel like you have to be a scientist to feed your dog a balanced diet. I think it scares people out of feeding raw because they feel like it's complicated or difficult to get the 'balance' right. My personal experience is that feeding raw is simple and I can't imagine feeding any other way. I talk to soooooooo many people who say the reason they won't feed raw is because they are scared of getting it wrong, and it doesn't have to be that way.

Would love to know what you feed that you find it more economical, I have five dogs and any attempt to feed raw has worked out way to expensive to continue. I just tried K9 Natural but two dogs wouldn't touch it even after three days of no other food and it was more then double the cost of feeding kibble.

One of my dogs hates any form of chicken bones and raw meat so I wouldn't know what to give him. He sits on the boarder of being underweight so I worry if he wont eat something.

Currently four of my dogs are given Nutro dry food and chicken necks and bones, my Newf is on Proplan and chicken frames plus add ons. Combined I have over 130 kilos of dogs so raw is costly, would love if someone has any tips on feeding them cheaper because I would prefer to feed raw.

[espinay2]

The main difference between feeding processed foods and raw foods is the 'live food' factor.

Foods that are raw contain enzymes and amino acids that are destroyed by heat. Many of these can not be artificially replaced and many we do not yet fully understand the benefits of. There are many amino acids present in the body and many of these can only be provided by diet.

Some we do understand a little better. An understanding of the importance of taurine for cats was thrust upon us as without it cats will become very sick and die. This was discovered in the 70's when cats fed solely on commercial foods were doing just that. Taurine is now required to be added in artificially to cat foods after the cooking process. BTW, the destruction of taurine via heat is one of the things the Pottengers Cats study shows clearly.

Taurine is not yet required to be added to dog food, though some I think have started to do so (you would need to check whatever food you are feeding). Taurine deficiency in dog can contribute to issues such as heart disease (in particular dilated cardiomyopathy) and some breeds may be more prone to this than others (particularly the giant breeds such a Newfoundland's, though I understand American Cockers are another that can be prone).

http://avmajournals....urnalCode=javma

http://www.vetmed.uc...pdfs/Torres.pdf

http://www.vetstream...eeform/fre60031

IMO, whatever you choose to feed, providing at least SOME raw foods i.e. raw meat, is of benefit to provide amino acidsand other 'live food' elements which may not be present in a commercial processed product.

Providing it in large chunks of muscle meat or as raw meaty bones provides the added benefit of teeth cleaning, jaw exercise and mental stimulation which provides also better mental and physical wellbeing.

Edited October 28, 2012 by espinay2

[huski]

Would love to know what you feed that you find it more economical, I have five dogs and any attempt to feed raw has worked out way to expensive to continue. I just tried K9 Natural but two dogs wouldn't touch it even after three days of no other food and it was more then double the cost of feeding kibble.

One of my dogs hates any form of chicken bones and raw meat so I wouldn't know what to give him. He sits on the boarder of being underweight so I worry if he wont eat something.

Currently four of my dogs are given Nutro dry food and chicken necks and bones, my Newf is on Proplan and chicken frames plus add ons. Combined I have over 130 kilos of dogs so raw is costly, would love if someone has any tips on feeding them cheaper because I would prefer to feed raw.

I think as I said above it's largely whether you have a good supplier of raw to get it from who is affordable. My three also don't eat huge quantities, well the pup eats more than the two older dogs, but it's still not a huge amount.

[espinay2]

Combined I have over 130 kilos of dogs so raw is costly, would love if someone has any tips on feeding them cheaper because I would prefer to feed raw.

As you can imagine I have a lot of kilos of dogs to feed here ;)

The key to less expensive raw feeding is good suppliers and ample storage space. It really does depend on where you buy and how much you can store as buying in bulk does reduce costs. Sometimes it can take some searching to find good suppliers that are easy enough to get to regularly and some places may have better or more options than others. Take a look in the pinned topic on where to buy raw for instance.

[mish13]

Thank you for the reply's, I have found a butcher that I can get chicken carcass's necks and wings for a pretty good price. Its knowing what else I need to put with it and how much. Plus Oscar my standard poodle just wont touch it. If you put a tin of Pal ( I know disgusting) in front of him he would eat it all,put a brisket bone or chicken neck in his bowl and he will walk away.

Any tips always greatly received, sorry to hijack this thread

[SupaDupa Mini Cooper]

If you put a tin of Pal ( I know disgusting) in front of him he would eat it all,put a brisket bone or chicken neck in his bowl and he will walk away.

Is it the ingredients or the way it is presented? Would he eat minced up meat (i.e. no effort to eat)?

Cooper is our first dog and thanks to DOL I was able to learn about raw feeding. Whoever it was above that said that commercial foods are marketed to make you feel that you "have to have them or your dog will miss out" is totally right. When we swapped from a puppy kibble to adult kibble we tried a few different varieties and none seemed to appeal to him (sniff and walk away) or on the last food he got a very upset tummy and I couldn't think what else it could have been. It was at that point I decided to try chicken wings and he went nuts for them - which was a far cry from his fussy ways on dry foods. I wasn't confident that I would get the right balance to his food so I then started buying the BARF patties and he currently gets 2 chicken necks or a wing for brekky and half a BARF patty for dinner. He will occasionally get table scraps but not very often. I'm happy that it works out cost wise cheaper (or at worst when chicken isn't on special, roughly the same price) as feeding premium kibble. I also like the fact it is closer to a natural diet (less processed) and the main part is he is so happy at meal times. :)

If/when I get adventurous enough may try making up my own BARF mix and freezing them.

[jr_inoz]

If you put a tin of Pal ( I know disgusting) in front of him he would eat it all,put a brisket bone or chicken neck in his bowl and he will walk away.

Is it the ingredients or the way it is presented? Would he eat minced up meat (i.e. no effort to eat)?

Cooper is our first dog and thanks to DOL I was able to learn about raw feeding. Whoever it was above that said that commercial foods are marketed to make you feel that you "have to have them or your dog will miss out" is totally right. When we swapped from a puppy kibble to adult kibble we tried a few different varieties and none seemed to appeal to him (sniff and walk away) or on the last food he got a very upset tummy and I couldn't think what else it could have been. It was at that point I decided to try chicken wings and he went nuts for them - which was a far cry from his fussy ways on dry foods. I wasn't confident that I would get the right balance to his food so I then started buying the BARF patties and he currently gets 2 chicken necks or a wing for brekky and half a BARF patty for dinner. He will occasionally get table scraps but not very often. I'm happy that it works out cost wise cheaper (or at worst when chicken isn't on special, roughly the same price) as feeding premium kibble. I also like the fact it is closer to a natural diet (less processed) and the main part is he is so happy at meal times. :)

If/when I get adventurous enough may try making up my own BARF mix and freezing them.

How does your guy go chewing chicken wings and necks?

I can't risk them with mine - have never risked a wing, but two chews and a neck is gone (swallowed) which scares me to death and defeats the teeth cleaning purpose. I've tried lots of things, but lamb flap has been the best so far I think (I trim off excess fat). I am wondering what else I can try - roo and beef are a bit too rich for them.

Do others have suggestions? THey are only small dogs - 7kg. Some bones are too big for them.

[Crisovar]

If you put a tin of Pal ( I know disgusting) in front of him he would eat it all,put a brisket bone or chicken neck in his bowl and he will walk away.

Is it the ingredients or the way it is presented? Would he eat minced up meat (i.e. no effort to eat)?

Cooper is our first dog and thanks to DOL I was able to learn about raw feeding. Whoever it was above that said that commercial foods are marketed to make you feel that you "have to have them or your dog will miss out" is totally right. When we swapped from a puppy kibble to adult kibble we tried a few different varieties and none seemed to appeal to him (sniff and walk away) or on the last food he got a very upset tummy and I couldn't think what else it could have been. It was at that point I decided to try chicken wings and he went nuts for them - which was a far cry from his fussy ways on dry foods. I wasn't confident that I would get the right balance to his food so I then started buying the BARF patties and he currently gets 2 chicken necks or a wing for brekky and half a BARF patty for dinner. He will occasionally get table scraps but not very often. I'm happy that it works out cost wise cheaper (or at worst when chicken isn't on special, roughly the same price) as feeding premium kibble. I also like the fact it is closer to a natural diet (less processed) and the main part is he is so happy at meal times. :)

If/when I get adventurous enough may try making up my own BARF mix and freezing them.

How does your guy go chewing chicken wings and necks?

I can't risk them with mine - have never risked a wing, but two chews and a neck is gone (swallowed) which scares me to death and defeats the teeth cleaning purpose. I've tried lots of things, but lamb flap has been the best so far I think (I trim off excess fat). I am wondering what else I can try - roo and beef are a bit too rich for them.

Do others have suggestions? THey are only small dogs - 7kg. Some bones are too big for them.

Turkey neck pieces?

[juice]

I think its what the dogs does best on, i feed my BT VANS and chicken mince ( roo is too expensive), and necks. When i changed from Advance it was really expensive, but found i was feeding way too much.

Condition wise, no different whatsover, however she loves it and will lick the bowl for ages when its all gone :laugh:

My other 2 are on Advance, wings and necks, my dally needs low purine so raw is not good for him otherwise i would have them all on it.

I am lucky i have a chicken shop near me and buy necks and wings in bulk and freeze them.

[toshman]

If you put a tin of Pal ( I know disgusting) in front of him he would eat it all,put a brisket bone or chicken neck in his bowl and he will walk away.

Is it the ingredients or the way it is presented? Would he eat minced up meat (i.e. no effort to eat)?

Cooper is our first dog and thanks to DOL I was able to learn about raw feeding. Whoever it was above that said that commercial foods are marketed to make you feel that you "have to have them or your dog will miss out" is totally right. When we swapped from a puppy kibble to adult kibble we tried a few different varieties and none seemed to appeal to him (sniff and walk away) or on the last food he got a very upset tummy and I couldn't think what else it could have been. It was at that point I decided to try chicken wings and he went nuts for them - which was a far cry from his fussy ways on dry foods. I wasn't confident that I would get the right balance to his food so I then started buying the BARF patties and he currently gets 2 chicken necks or a wing for brekky and half a BARF patty for dinner. He will occasionally get table scraps but not very often. I'm happy that it works out cost wise cheaper (or at worst when chicken isn't on special, roughly the same price) as feeding premium kibble. I also like the fact it is closer to a natural diet (less processed) and the main part is he is so happy at meal times. :)

If/when I get adventurous enough may try making up my own BARF mix and freezing them.

How does your guy go chewing chicken wings and necks?

I can't risk them with mine - have never risked a wing, but two chews and a neck is gone (swallowed) which scares me to death and defeats the teeth cleaning purpose. I've tried lots of things, but lamb flap has been the best so far I think (I trim off excess fat). I am wondering what else I can try - roo and beef are a bit too rich for them.

Do others have suggestions? THey are only small dogs - 7kg. Some bones are too big for them.

Lamb necks??? Woolies near me have them neatly cut in half down the middle which suit my 6-9kg Border Terriers perfectly. They can eat the whole thing bone and all and it gives them great chewing practice too!