BARF vs. Pre-Packaged Raw

[wendykei]

I keep hearing different things from different people about the benefits of various types of food. I don't want to change foods haphazardly or give Sidney something of lower quality. I'm considering the raw diet, but the full BARF regiment sounds complicated to a novice, particularly since I don't cook and rarely eat meat. Some of these chicken and other animal parts, etc.--wow, I would have no idea where to get them or which part is which!

And it sounds from some of the messages like there's not as much benefit from using a pre-packaged raw diet..... So my questions are: What are the benefits of pre-packaged raw vs. home-made BARF? If you go with pre-packaged raw, what else do you need to do to supplement that diet? In other words, would I still need to brush Sidney's teeth on the pre-packaged diet? Or would it be better to supplement the pre-packaged stuff with raw meaty bones? If you go with BARF or the pre-packaged raw, given Sidney's sensitive stomach, do I need to transition him gradually or just make the switch 100% but on a single raw item for a couple of weeks? I've read on this forum that it's best to make the switch at 100%, but I read on some other raw diet site that if a dog has a sensitive stomach, that might not be ideal... It might be better to make a gradual transition from commercial food to raw. Yet on the other hand, I've read on this forum that you shouldn't mix the two???? IOW, I am just confused and trying to get some good info.

Also, how economical is pre-packaged vs. home-made BARF vs. commercial dog food?

If there is another thread that addresses these questions, please direct me to it. I didn't find one that directly responded to these exact questions......

[gmacleod]

No need to worry about cooking if you feed BARF ;) LOL - it's all raw. The hardest thing to do is take a couple of chicken wings and hand them to your dog :) OK - it is a little more involved than that, but really not at all difficult.

Most days, it takes me all of thrity seconds to feed Henri. He gets a variety of raw meaty bones (whatever looked good in the supermarket, since I'm too lazy to visit a butcher very often - and suitable raw meat is cheap enough in the UK not to be bothered about finding other sources). Things I commonly feed are chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, rabbit, goat, pork and venison. On top of that, he gets regular offal (tripe, heart, kidneys, liver) and occassionally some ground chicken/turkey/beef/lamb/pork. Once in a while, he gets fish - either whole raw or canned oily fish like mackeral.

When I make a vegetable mix for him - I throw half a dozen different fruits and vegetables into a blender with some garlic, eggs, olive or fish oil and flaxseed - two minutes after that, I have enough vegetables mushed up for the next month. I freeze them in ice trays, then tip the cubes into a couple of freezer bags. So when I want to add vegetables to his food - it's simply a case of grabbing a few cubes (he prefers them frozen, funny dog) and throwing those in his bowl.

So really - that's how hard it is. It doesn't take a lot of time. All you have to do is the same sort of thing you'd do for yourself - give him a variety of different meats, offal fairly frequently (about 20% of the total diet), muscle meat on occassion, and vegetables as often as you think necessary. Fruits and vegetables can be treats too.

As for pre-made raw diets - they vary. Some are very good, others are not so good. I would look for something that allows you to feed a wide variety of different raw meaty bones (bone is very important). That can be ground bone if you choose - but if you go that way then you do have to brush your dog's teeth. But if you buy premade raw with bone intact (chicken necks and wings, for example), then no need to worry about brushing teeth. If I were feeding a pre-made raw, I would probably choose to do my own vegetables - at least initially (cheaper, fresher and the only way to be sure that each individual ingredient suits your dog). And I would avoid those foods that come with supplements already added - that's a great way to create excesses (better to add your own, *if* they're needed). I would also feed only a pre-made food that used human grade ingredients - since that's what I'd be feeding by making it myself. And there are some very good pre-made raw diets that do fit all those criteria.

As for cost - making your own raw food is by far the cheapest. You'll get fruit and vegetables for free or close to it. And if you choose to join a co-op, you'll get the raw meaty bones for a very low price too. A premium kibble is the next cheapest. Pre-made raw is usually most expensive by a significant margin. BUT with that said, a Frenchie is not a large dog, and the cost of feeding them isn't that high. If it were a fairly large dog like a boxer that requires about a kilogram (2.2lb) of food a day, then a good quality pre-made raw would be a very expensive way to feed. But with a Frenchie, it's really not the same issue.

As for how to switch, I really do think cold-turkey is best. Dogs with sensitive stomachs usually do far better when given their natural food ;) But if you really want to switch slowly, then do so by feeding one meal a day that's raw and the other one kibble. Don't try to mix the two types of food in the same meal.

[wendykei]

Thanks Gwyneth. That was a great procedural/how-to... I'm very appreciative of the thorough response!