# Some questions from a BARF-newbie



## Samajade (Nov 8, 2010)

I have not ever fed raw, but the more I read about it, and the more I talk to people who feed raw, the more sure I am that I want my guy on raw. (All of the dogs in my past have been fed a high quality natural kibble, but I really do now believe raw is the way to go.) I don't *have* him yet - he'll be here next week. He's an adult (3 yrs) coming from a private home and has been being fed... uggggh... Pedigree dry :rolleyes2: (with an occasional can of same). I have been reading this section for too many hours/days, trying to, forgive the pun, digest it all. I will also be exhaustively reading the various links and sources of info contained in one of the stickies. I've also searched for the answers here to the immediate questions I have but can not find an answer. So here goes - I apologize ahead of time for the novel:

1) First, I keep reading about buying in bulk and keeping in a freezer. We don't have room for a freezer for sure. Is there a way to get decent stuff without having to buy 50 pound blocks or whatever? 

2) From where? Where do you get this stuff? Forgive the naivety here, but where does it come from? Butchers? Supermarkets? Somewhere else?

3) How do you find the cost of feeding raw? Roughly equivalent to a high quality natural kibble? Less expensive? More?

4) What exactly do you need? I've read about so many different kinds of food on here, I'm totally confused.

5) What of the big frozen rolls, like Bravo? Is that meant to be fed just like that? (Oh now I know that's a dumb question as I type it - I'm sorry...:blush

6) And last, what's the best way to do this with an adult dog coming to me having eaten Pedigree dry for the past almost 2 months (before that he was in a shelter, before that with a "breeder" - food unknown)? He's going to be stressed from a long (10-12 hours) car trip to me and another change of home. I assume I should leave him on what he's used to for a bit until he settles in? (I'm super familiar with how to switch them slowly over from one type of kibble to another - is it roughly the same process?

Sorry for all the questions - I'm on information overload, yet I haven't found answers to my very beginning before-starting type questions!

Thanks so much (now and coming) for all the help I'm going to need getting started!


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## Miss Molly May (Feb 19, 2010)

Samajade said:


> I have not ever fed raw, but the more I read about it, and the more I talk to people who feed raw, the more sure I am that I want my guy on raw. (All of the dogs in my past have been fed a high quality natural kibble, but I really do now believe raw is the way to go.) I don't *have* him yet - he'll be here next week. He's an adult (3 yrs) coming from a private home and has been being fed... uggggh... Pedigree dry :rolleyes2: (with an occasional can of same). I have been reading this section for too many hours/days, trying to, forgive the pun, digest it all. I will also be exhaustively reading the various links and sources of info contained in one of the stickies. I've also searched for the answers here to the immediate questions I have but can not find an answer. So here goes - I apologize ahead of time for the novel:
> 
> 1) First, I keep reading about buying in bulk and keeping in a freezer. We don't have room for a freezer for sure. Is there a way to get decent stuff without having to buy 50 pound blocks or whatever?
> 
> ...


 Hi there I have been feeding raw for 4 mths now and Molly is doing awesome!! please check out Lauri`s site Raw Dog Ranch tonnes of great info to get started


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## Samajade (Nov 8, 2010)

Yes- that's on my lonnnng list of places to try to visit and read today.  Thanks!


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## Miss Molly May (Feb 19, 2010)

Samajade said:


> I have not ever fed raw, but the more I read about it, and the more I talk to people who feed raw, the more sure I am that I want my guy on raw. (All of the dogs in my past have been fed a high quality natural kibble, but I really do now believe raw is the way to go.) I don't *have* him yet - he'll be here next week. He's an adult (3 yrs) coming from a private home and has been being fed... uggggh... Pedigree dry :rolleyes2: (with an occasional can of same). I have been reading this section for too many hours/days, trying to, forgive the pun, digest it all. I will also be exhaustively reading the various links and sources of info contained in one of the stickies. I've also searched for the answers here to the immediate questions I have but can not find an answer. So here goes - I apologize ahead of time for the novel:
> 
> 1) First, I keep reading about buying in bulk and keeping in a freezer. We don't have room for a freezer for sure. Is there a way to get decent stuff without having to buy 50 pound blocks or whatever? we watch for sales at the super market and buy for the week or 2 it all fits in the freezer above the fridge
> 
> ...


 hope this helps


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Samajade said:


> 1) First, I keep reading about buying in bulk and keeping in a freezer. We don't have room for a freezer for sure. Is there a way to get decent stuff without having to buy 50 pound blocks or whatever?


You can watch for sales and stock up on things but the best prices will always be when you can buy in bulk. I know one person in a studio apartment that uses her small chest freezer as her kitchen table!



> 2) From where? Where do you get this stuff? Forgive the naivety here, but where does it come from? Butchers? Supermarkets? Somewhere else?


Yes.  You can buy these items from grocery stores and butchers (but they will cost more because you are buying from a middleman). You can also get these things from distributors (usually in bulk) and processors.



> 3) How do you find the cost of feeding raw? Roughly equivalent to a high quality natural kibble? Less expensive? More?


Since I CAN buy in bulk I find it less expensive than feeding a high quality kibble (like Innova or TOTW). You will also save money in other ways - no need for dental cleanings at the vet and less time spent cleaning up dog hair (less shedding).



> 4) What exactly do you need? I've read about so many different kinds of food on here, I'm totally confused.


There are THREE main items in the raw diet:

RMB - Raw Meaty Bones (things like chicken legs, wing, neck ... anything with meat and EDIBLE bone)

MM - Muscle Meat (any meat WITHOUT bone)

OM - Organ Meat (liver, kidney, brains)



> 5) What of the big frozen rolls, like Bravo? Is that meant to be fed just like that? (Oh now I know that's a dumb question as I type it - I'm sorry...:blush


NOT a dumb question! The premades (Bravo, Aunt Jeni, Omas Pride, etc) are meant to be fed as is (IF they are the ones with bones in them) but they will be VERY expensive! You are paying for the convenience of having all the work already done for you. 



> 6) And last, what's the best way to do this with an adult dog coming to me having eaten Pedigree dry for the past almost 2 months (before that he was in a shelter, before that with a "breeder" - food unknown)? He's going to be stressed from a long (10-12 hours) car trip to me and another change of home. I assume I should leave him on what he's used to for a bit until he settles in? (I'm super familiar with how to switch them slowly over from one type of kibble to another - is it roughly the same process?


All dogs coming into my house - regardless of age, health or background - are switched to raw right away. Cold turkey.  I let them miss one meal so they are good and hungry and then I start feeding them raw. I start with only a single protein source (chicken is the easiest to find) and add new sources every couple of days (as long as they have no problems).

The only time I had issues with the cold turkey switch was when I tried to introduce a bunch of protein sources at once. Ended up with a dog with very loose stools. Taking him off of everything but ONE protein source fixed him right up.



> Sorry for all the questions - I'm on information overload, yet I haven't found answers to my very beginning before-starting type questions!
> 
> Thanks so much (now and coming) for all the help I'm going to need getting started!


Hey - it's how we ALL got started. Asking questions, doing research and then jumping into the deep end!


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

dudley poultry - I get turkey necks, hearts, chicken necks, pork, chicken halves
Dudley Poultry - Wholesale Meat Distributors, Wholesale Meat Suppliers, Meat and Poultry Distributors and Wholesalers

Maple Leaf Farm - duck necks
Company - Maple Leaf Farms Duck Farm

there are a couple raw yahoo forums you could join


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## DeeMcB (Nov 28, 2010)

Hello, my new friend! Figured I'd get my 2 cents in on this  

1) First, I keep reading about buying in bulk and keeping in a freezer. We don't have room for a freezer for sure. Is there a way to get decent stuff without having to buy 50 pound blocks or whatever? 

Luckily, I already had a deep freeze AND a second refrigerator in my basement and it's great to be able to stock up when I see a sale without having to worry about space. Meat does take up a lot of room, but there's no reason you can't do it without having to buy in bulk. In fact, I have YET to buy in bulk.

2) From where? Where do you get this stuff? Forgive the naivety here, but where does it come from? Butchers? Supermarkets? Somewhere else?

I get A LOT of Ezra's food from Craigslist & Freecycle folks. It's always a crap shoot whether the haul is going to be worth it (many times, it ends up being cooked/seasoned. One lady gave me fish sticks (wth?)) I also check out the "Manager's Special" meat that's about to expire every time I'm in the market. Make sure to check out ethnic markets as they carry great stuff that you might not find in "regular" markets. I get lamb's heart from our Mediterranean grocery at a great price, trachea, uterus, etc at the Asian grocery. 

3) How do you find the cost of feeding raw? Roughly equivalent to a high quality natural kibble? Less expensive? More?

Yes, especially if you get donations from people cleaning our their freezers. I try to average $1/pd for anything I have to buy. I can get whole chickens for .89/pd, beef heart for about $1/pd. Ez eats about 2# a day (and I suspect that's about where Max will be too). 

4) What exactly do you need? I've read about so many different kinds of food on here, I'm totally confused.

If you mean equipment, nothing. A hungry dog. I eventually bought a good meat cleaver and a pair of kitchen shears. 

If you mean food wise? Lots of folks start with chicken quarters and go about 2 weeks before adding a second protein or organ and that seems to work well. I didn't go quite so slowly and Ez did fine, but I think that was just luck rather than anything I did. 


5) What of the big frozen rolls, like Bravo? Is that meant to be fed just like that? (Oh now I know that's a dumb question as I type it - I'm sorry...)

I don't like them, personally. It kinda feels like feeding my dog bologna - who the **** knows exactly WHAT is in it? I tend to believe it has a lot of bone and not as much of the good stuff. Being a control freak, I like to know exactly what my dog is eating.


6) And last, what's the best way to do this with an adult dog: DO IT! He'll be good and hungry by the time he gets to you - or you could wait until Sunday morning to feed him his first raw meal. 

If you want to spend some time talking about my experience when we get there Saturday and you have time, I'm glad to. I'm certainly no expert, but I can tell you what's worked for us.

See you soon with your gorgeous new boy!


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## DeeMcB (Nov 28, 2010)

One more thing to note: BARF people also give fruits & veggies to their dogs and beleive that they are nutritionally required. Whole prey model folks give only animal parts and believe that everything a dog need nutritionally comes from that...no requirement for fruits & veggies though some still may give F&V as treats. I'm of the latter group (except when Ez gives me puppy eyes while I"m eating a banana). You can think about where you fall in the question as that may impact your cost & process.


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## phgsd (Jun 6, 2004)

1) First, I keep reading about buying in bulk and keeping in a freezer. We don't have room for a freezer for sure. Is there a way to get decent stuff without having to buy 50 pound blocks or whatever? 

I picked up a huge deep freezer for free on Craigslist. It's out in the garage. I don't think I could feed all of my dogs raw without a freezer, but if I had just one dog it wouldn't be bad. For a lot of the co-ops people order in 40-60 lb cases but there are some where you can order by the pound.

2) From where? Where do you get this stuff? Forgive the naivety here, but where does it come from? Butchers? Supermarkets? Somewhere else?

Most of mine I get from a butcher - I buy in bulk and he has great prices and a great variety of meats. I will buy chicken/pork/beef at the grocery store when they're on sale. And there are a couple of raw co-ops in my area that I get other meats from.

3) How do you find the cost of feeding raw? Roughly equivalent to a high quality natural kibble? Less expensive? More?

For me - I was spending about $100 a month on kibble (2 30 lb bags of good quality grain-free food). Raw, I spend about $125-175 a month depending on what I'm feeding. Chicken I can get for .49/lb, pork for .99 and recently found a place to get tripe for .67/lb, but I may pay up to $2/lb for other meats. I get llama, rabbit, goat, sheep, etc for 1.50/lb. I go through about 150 lbs/month for the 4 dogs.

4) What exactly do you need? I've read about so many different kinds of food on here, I'm totally confused.
I try to buy an equal amount of muscle meat and "bony" meat, and then I buy about 10% of the total amount in organs. To start out, it's best to start with just one protein source. But over time, various protein sources are better.


5) What of the big frozen rolls, like Bravo? Is that meant to be fed just like that? (Oh now I know that's a dumb question as I type it - I'm sorry...)

I feed prey model so I'm not sure about the premade rolls...but they are VERY pricey.

6) And last, what's the best way to do this with an adult dog coming to me having eaten Pedigree dry for the past almost 2 months (before that he was in a shelter, before that with a "breeder" - food unknown)? He's going to be stressed from a long (10-12 hours) car trip to me and another change of home. I assume I should leave him on what he's used to for a bit until he settles in? (I'm super familiar with how to switch them slowly over from one type of kibble to another - is it roughly the same process?

As others have said - go cold turkey 

Where in NY are you from? If you want to PM me I can send you some raw feeding resources in the NJ/PA area if it's not too far away


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## Samajade (Nov 8, 2010)

Wow thanks so much guys, really, for all the info and the links and everything! Okay, so the pre-made roll thingies are definitely out. Never mind that for all the reasons stated by you guys. 

If I start him right away - cold turkey - on raw, do I expect stomach issues as I would if I started a new kibble 100% right away?

No freezer here - just can't happen where we are at the moment. Gotta use the freezer that's over the fridge. Miss Molly May - since you are the only other one (so far!) in the thread who does that, can you give me an idea what kind of stuff (and about how much) you get at a time? I know you said enough for 1 or 2 weeks, but...?

Dee - yes would love to talk to you if it's not too late about all this when you get here with the boy! (In case it's not obvious, Dee is the one transporting my new boy from MI to me in NY!) 

phgsd - I will indeed PM you, thanks!


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## Samajade (Nov 8, 2010)

Okay - an update. I checked 3 local supermarkets as well as having a long talk with the (non-supermarket) butcher. I'm not sure this is affordable for me. Looks like the best prices I can get are about $1.50 - $2.00 per pound for ANYthing. That's basically prohibitive.

So, between the cost problem and the storage problem, I'm starting to wonder if this is doable at all for me right now. Now deciding whether to go with 100% high-quality grain-free kibble or kibble with, let's say, weekends raw. But then I read on here that maybe it's not so good to feed both. (I know not together.) Plus I'd be worried he wouldn't want to eat the kibble after having raw. ??

No clue what to do. Any guidance or enlightenment is much appreciated!


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