Puppy feeding barf or commercial food

[gaza177]

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We have just got a Staffordshire bull terrier puppy and the seller sais I should keep it on raw chicken and tripe food as this is what she has reared it on I personally think dry food is best as our last dog who lived for 12 years on dry food was fit and healthy what do you lot think thanks in advance

 

[Carol Manning]

Hi my friend has always fed her beagle on the raw stuff and he seems quite healthy although a bit overweight. I never have done this as it seems quite strange, thinking I suppose how humans would react! I would go with gut instinct,

 

[excuseme]

I strongly support the breeder of your litter. A raw diet is "The Best", I would stick with it for life if possible. This is the most natural and trouble free product for our canine friends!

Our dogs are canine creatures, they are designed with teeth for ripping and tearing meat gristle and for gnawing bones (all raw). Their stomachs are still the same as the wolf, and are designed for the raw product.

If you look up dogs in any encyclopaedia you will see that our dogs Latin classification is Canis Lupus Familiaris and that they are a domesticated form of the Grey Wolf, aka Canis Lupus Lupus.

In other words they are the same species.

The Grey Wolf has been in existence for over four million years but our domesticated wolves (dogs) have only been around for some 8,000- 20,000 years.

Over time man has selectively selected certain physical and behavioural traits which has lead to our various designs and breeds.

There is absolutely no difference (apart from size) between the internal organs and digestive process of a tiny Chihuahua or a Grey Wolf.

Our dogs do not have the "grinding" teeth that are designed for "milling grain" and there is nowhere in the world that our canine friends (wolf included) can find Milled Grain for 52 weeks of the year. However our dogs are survivors and can survive on man made processed convenient products (kibble).

You have purchased your puppy from a sensible and knowledgeable breeder and I would suggest that you continue with the raw diet form of feeding.

Suggestion;

I would suggest that you vary your meat types and include some offal from time to time, all raw bones are fine and the chicken wings/carcasus with skin and fat on are fantastic. Please do some research but don't let it become a difficult chore!

 

[JoanneF]

Raw is great for dogs but you do need to have the right proportions of muscle meat, organ meat and bone. There are lots of commercially prepared foods that are already in proportion. Carol, if your friend's beagle is overweight it is unlikely to be just the type of food - she is either overfeeding, underexercising or there may be a medical problem. With raw you can feed relatively little as they get so much from it. But Gaza if you want to change to dry there is a huge range out there, from absolute rubbish to very good quality. The website www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk is a good place to start. You can specify your dog's weight, age, activity levels along with a whole lot of other things and it will rank the foods out of 5. It also gives relative feeding costs too as it is obviously important that the food suits your budget too.

 

[gypsysmum2]

If you are split between the two kinds of food then take a look at Gentle dog food. It is cold pressed and, so, closer to natural than many of the heat treated dried food. Raw feeding is great if you have the time and facilities. I tried my dog on it and he was fine but he actually prefers dried food and I had problems managing the handling of raw meat and remembering to get it out of the freezer!