I am thinking of changing our raw dog food supplier, but there seems such a huge range of brands out there that I am not sure where to start. Does anyone have any recommendations?
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Raw dog food brands
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What supplier are you currently using, and why do you want to change? Do you prefer a complete all-in-one with added veg & supplements (like Nutriment), or 'just meat', supplementing with other stuff as you see fit?
Do you like to stick religiously to an 80/10/10 mix of meat, bone & offal, or are you happy with a 'lots of meat, bit of bone, bit of offal' approach?
How important is cost? Or how the company source their meat?
Do you like to stick religiously to an 80/10/10 mix of meat, bone & offal, or are you happy with a 'lots of meat, bit of bone, bit of offal' approach?
How important is cost? Or how the company source their meat?
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I buy from a supplier who sources all meat from slaughterhouses in NL . So the animal has been passed as fit for humans before the cat C meat label is applied.
We buy from a local supplier, but it is a bit of a gamble as to what is in stock and recently there has not been much variety.
At the moment I buy meat, offal and bones separately and try to do a rough 80/10/10 (but am not fanatical about the ratios). He hasn’t had a ‘complete’ before, but would be happy to try. He is not a fussy eater, but would be looking for mince or meat chunks rather than whole prey (he won’t touch this).
Free range poultry products and a good variety of bones and meat would be preferable.
At the moment I buy meat, offal and bones separately and try to do a rough 80/10/10 (but am not fanatical about the ratios). He hasn’t had a ‘complete’ before, but would be happy to try. He is not a fussy eater, but would be looking for mince or meat chunks rather than whole prey (he won’t touch this).
Free range poultry products and a good variety of bones and meat would be preferable.
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The company I use is Nurturing by Nature and I can wholeheartedly recommend them: Raw Pet Food for Dogs & Cats | BARF Diet - Nurturing by Nature They are sometimes low in stock of some things, but this is intentional - they like to buy what is in season/plentiful, which encourages owners to vary the diet and also matches how animals in the wild would eat - gorging on rabbits when they are in plentiful supply, and having very few when they are scarce, for instance. They stock plenty of free-range meat, and you can read about their values here: Our Values | Nurturing by Nature
Their minces are mostly mixes of chicken and, e.g. offal, beef, lamb, fish, etc., but they don't specify ratios so particularly with the offal, there's a bit of guesswork. You can always use your dog's poo as a guide to whether he's getting a good balance though!
Their minces are mostly mixes of chicken and, e.g. offal, beef, lamb, fish, etc., but they don't specify ratios so particularly with the offal, there's a bit of guesswork. You can always use your dog's poo as a guide to whether he's getting a good balance though!
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I had never heard of this company either I just had a look at their site and I have to say I was very impressed my 2 would love the chicken carcass stuffed with lamb and their prices look great as well.I am going to place an order and see how the boys get on with their products.
Yes, I was really impressed too.
Am about to put in an order as well (you should ask for commission @JudyN). I have also made an order with 'Furry Feasts' to see what they are like. I hope there is going to be enough space in the freezer
Am about to put in an order as well (you should ask for commission @JudyN
). I have also made an order with 'Furry Feasts' to see what they are like. I hope there is going to be enough space in the freezer
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you should ask for commission @JudyN
I often think that! They're only a couple of miles from me. I did offer to 'proofread' their website for free as there were a lot of errors, and they were very grateful... But as far as I can see they haven't made any changes. I do wish website developers would offer proofreading/editing as part of their standard packages.
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Mine also love Furry feasts
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I use landywoods for his meat content. Then I add offal, bone, fruit, eggs, oily fish to his diet.
I typically aim for 80/10/10 but I'm far from strict his poo tends to tell me if we need to adjust slightly.
I use landywoods mainly because my local shop stock it and for example tripe is 65p for 455g so pretty cheap when compared to other suppliers
I typically aim for 80/10/10 but I'm far from strict his poo tends to tell me if we need to adjust slightly.
I use landywoods mainly because my local shop stock it and for example tripe is 65p for 455g so pretty cheap when compared to other suppliers
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I've just discovered Landywoods myself as in a local supplier stocks it but not tried it. How does your dog / you get on with it?
I'm quite new to BARF feeding and still trying various brands. Fortunately Bruce will eat anything but I can't help thinking do you get what you pay for? thoughts...
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My view on this isn't based specifically on raw food, but some foods - the ones you see advertised on tv in particular - cost more than they should for the quality (usually not good). They are often manufactured by big companies like Mars who can afford big marketing budgets so their price is set taking account of advertising and supply/demand - what they know people are prepared to pay. www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk would give you an idea of relative quality.
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If you're buying a complete mix (with added veg, salmon oil, kelp, whatever) you're almost certainly paying a lot for the reassurance of all those added extras which may or may not be beneficial. But if you want that peace of mind and don't want to be faffing around with the extras, it could be money well spent.
Often, I think, with the more expensive brands, you're paying not so much for the benefit to your dog, but the provenance of your food - the more expensive foods may be sourced from UK farms close to the producer, where the welfare standards may also be much higher than cheaper brands. They may be free range, even organic. And the quality may be pretty much what you would happily eat (cooked) for yourself - it might not actually be any healthier for your dog, but it's still a more ethical choice, like choosing free-range British meat over intensively farmed imported meat. If you prefer only to buy free-range meat for yourself, it makes sense to do the same for your dog if you can afford it.
When it comes down to it, we don't know that much about the benefits of all the fancy 'functional' human food you can get now. Is there real evidence that someone who drinks spirulina, chia seed and kale smoothies will have a longer healthier life than someone who has a thick banana milk shake from McDonald's? If the evidence is limited with humans, it's even more limited with dogs.
Often, I think, with the more expensive brands, you're paying not so much for the benefit to your dog, but the provenance of your food - the more expensive foods may be sourced from UK farms close to the producer, where the welfare standards may also be much higher than cheaper brands. They may be free range, even organic. And the quality may be pretty much what you would happily eat (cooked) for yourself - it might not actually be any healthier for your dog, but it's still a more ethical choice, like choosing free-range British meat over intensively farmed imported meat. If you prefer only to buy free-range meat for yourself, it makes sense to do the same for your dog if you can afford it.
When it comes down to it, we don't know that much about the benefits of all the fancy 'functional' human food you can get now. Is there real evidence that someone who drinks spirulina, chia seed and kale smoothies will have a longer healthier life than someone who has a thick banana milk shake from McDonald's? If the evidence is limited with humans, it's even more limited with dogs.
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I used Landywoods when I first started feeding raw 18 years ago my old boy did really well on it,I used to buy direct from them and get it delivered the only problem buying direct from them is you have to buy a minimum of 12 of each flavour,if I could buy it local to me I would still be feeding it now
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We used to use Landywoods, I have no Idea why we stopped, If i need to buy any minces now, I use "Bulmers", (we have a supplier in Kent that delivers to our area) this is very similar to the Landywoods products from what I remember, a nice wet coarse mince that the dogs love. (not mushy)
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We don't buy a lot of food these days as we are able to get plenty of wild products including venison whole and parts, pheasant and rabbits.
7 dogs are very cheap to feed these days
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We don't buy a lot of food these days as we are able to get plenty of wild products including venison whole and parts, pheasant and rabbits.
7 dogs are very cheap to feed these days
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Interesting thoughts thanks. I suppose I was thinking more of the fact that it seems the more expensive raw foods do have a lot of fancy packaging and flashy websites. As appose to Bulmers for instance or Raw Treat Brand (recent recall aside) who don't even have a website. As I've said in a previous post I buy chicken legs, wings, thighs from Aldi £1.65ish a kilo. Cheaper than Raw food suppliers. In relation to mushy almost pate type meats I recently bought some MVM brand this was very mushy.
I wish Bruce could just tell me what he prefers mushy or chunky?? instead he's no use at all eats everything with the same enthusiasm
I wish Bruce could just tell me what he prefers mushy or chunky?? instead he's no use at all eats everything with the same enthusiasm
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I haven't had any issues with the quality of the meat, my boy does well on it. He is only 8 months old and is growing well and his coat is in good order. Poo is also good. I think it's just cheap on the basis of they are a smaller company with much smaller overheads so are able to sell cheaper and still make a reasonable profit. They are currently expanding their range so the variety of meats is constantly improving
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Interesting to know your dogs only 8 months old which suggests as an owner of a dog still growing, you'd be keeping a keen eye on general overall development. Therefore good to know you endorse Landywoods food thanks
The dog’s freezer is packed full after our order from Nurturing by Nature arrived last week. It has been met with much approval from the dog. He actually bounces on the spot at the sight of the lamb ribs. The value is really good too, so thanks @JudyN. I think your commission is well over due
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