b.a.r.f buyer

mossie110

can any one help ?? im looking for a supplier of raw dog food. i know some people who say just go to the butchers and ask for some scraps, but im looking for a bulk buy, such as..
Minced Beef Tripe
Minced Meat
Chicken
and so on...
any help would be very greatful.
mossie

Top Dog

Would help if you said where you were based

mossie110

sorry i live in kerry.
its just i have read so much about people feeding raw food, and i have a Dogue de Bordeaux who has never been keen on dry food, so im going to start him on barf, so how he gets on with it, i do go to cork to buy him chicken in the english market, but would like to buy more different raw food, but in large quantities.
like chicken carcase's, chicken necks and turkey necks and so on.

looserock

PM sent

looserock

hi,

If you dont mind my asking where did you get you're Bordeaux and how old is he?

Any pictures?

mossie110

we got him in dublin, he's 2 now, but he is a very fussy eater, some days he does my fecking head in.
so thats why im trying the raw food. gave him a nice bit today, and so far he has kept it down. so fingers crossed this will suit him.
thanks mossie.

Top Dog

We get all our chicken (except drumsticks - Tesco is cheaper for those ) in the English Market in Cork too. Sometimes pick up bones and lambs mince (found the beef mince didn't agree with one of our dogs) there too.

Have found that its a good idea to get to know your local butcher for other stuff like heart, tripe, liver etc.

At the moment we have 1 on RAW and the other on dried (she has skin/coat issues that we're trying to rectify).

Good luck with the feeding. We've found (as have friends who've tried it) that the dogs NEVER refuse a RAW meal. Where they might have been picky with the dry stuff before and sometimes left some behind, RAW is finished off every time

Edited to add - if you have a slaughter house anywhere within reasonable distance they can also be a great source for the kidney, liver, heart & tripe

mossie110

thanks topdog for the reply.
we will be in cork again next month for more chicken. i usally get about 200 thighs but i was cooking them in the presure cooker until the bone got soft. gave him raw today and he loved them .
thanks again
mossie

Top Dog

Please don't ever feed your dog cooked bones! Serious risks when it comes to cooked bones as they can shatter and splinter causing the dog to choke or internal injuries.

Wierd and all as it may sound, feed the bones raw. Much better for them as the bones are more malleable when raw, and can also help keep teeth clean

This might be of use to you --> http://www.topdog.ie/index.php?pageid=raw-barf-faq

looserock

Excellent looking Bordeaux Mossie, nice head type.

He also looks very healthy, must be eating something good up to now, anyway good luck with the barf.

sadhbhsdad

Hello guys,
Not sure if I'm replying to only mossie110 or also Top Dog & looserock.
I am interested in talking to anyone who has their dog on either a raw or BARF diet.
I have done alot of reading on the net and have decided that I am going to introduce my girl to a RAW diet.
I also have a Dogue de Bordeaux and she is almost 10 months old.

sadhbhsdad !

mossie110

sadhbhsdad i must say it was the best thing i have done for my fella. he's put on weight and looks great, but he likes chicken the best, in the start i was cutting the chicken into small chunks, but now i feel so comfortable with giving him raw chicken i dont even cut it up, he's not to keen on the mince tripe. or the mince beef, but he's coming around, i also give him cows heart maybe twice a week, but at the momment chicken thighs are winning hands down. back to cork on thursday for more chicken,:D.
so i would say try your ddb with a bit of raw chicken then work from there.
best of luck, please keep me informed on how she is getting on.
good luck mossie.

sadhbhsdad

Hi mossie,
I have given her some raw to see how she would react. She played with the chicken leg for a few mins then started to chew and enjoyed.
Can i ask what weight your guy was before you started and what was the amount of food for his weight at that time ? and what weight he is now and amout of food.
My girl was 43kgs at the end of January but will weigh her before I start so I can monitor weight gain / loss.

Are you feeding a RAW or BARF diet ?

looserock

Hi sadhbhsdad,

No doubt about it, you're ddb will thrive it.

Do you have a supply or do you need some contact numbers?

mossie110

sadhbhsdad, you said your bitch is 43kgs and she's 10months old, she must be a big bitch. my fella is 2 and half years old, we have had a few health issues with him plus he was a very fussy eater as a puppy. so at the moment he is about 55ish kgs, so with the diet he is on he should put weight on, when i give him chicken he eats the chicken bones too, he gets about 4 or five thighs every day plus he gets mince trips, mince beef, macreal, sardines,
i do cook the macreal in the pressure for about an hour so that the bone get very soft,
so best of luck

sadhbhsdad

Well looserock I have no doubt myself that she will do well on a raw diet. I have been doing some homework contacting local and wholesale butchers but would greatly welcome any contacts you can share. Do you know if there are groups buying together to get a reduced price ? I'm also looking at getting a small freezer.

Mossie, Juno comes from a large line, but I think she is well proportioned and carries the weight well without looking heavy. Her dam is approx 55-60kgs and stands 26'' at the withers. Her dam was sired by a dog who was a massive 80kgs and 28''.
I have a feeling that Juno has not gained much weight over the last month or so. I'll know for sure when I weigh her this weekend.

Cheers

sadhbhsdad

Hi guys. Just to let you know Juno started her RAW diet on Staurday last. She had her last junk food meal on Friday and then I fasted her for 24 hours. I took her to the vet on Thursday and weighed her. She was 44.5kgs so I calculated that she should get 2lbs of food per day.
I have started her on chicken and feed over two meals.
She gets 1 large & 1 small chicken leg in the morning then 1 larger chiken leg with a portion of liver and heart in the evening (liver and heart is lambs)
I plan to have her on this for 2 weeks then I will weigh her again and introduce another meat. Three days in and she seems to be doing very well on this diet. One strange thing, when I feed her she takes each leg to her kennel to eat them but eats the offal at the bowl. I have blocked the kennel off when I feed her so she now stands at the side of it and eats the legs Should I allow her to eat in the kennel ?
Well thanks for you help and I hope its OK to contact you if I have any questions in the future.