It has been suggested that l change Herbies diet to the BARF diet any suggestion on how to change him over slowly so it doesn't upset his small tum and what l give him. He weighs 7.5kg . This is all new to me as when we had a dog before always thought raw was not advisable to give dogs (but silly really cos in the wild thats all they would get)
(Travis l know you wont let me down) Look forward to hearing from any of you out there

Go for it... you won't regret it...you will have a happy dog.. who has more energy... will look healthier.. ...poo less... ..have more money in your pocket.... ...as it's cheaper...doggie has cleaner teeth and fresher breath... ...and will adore you for giving him/her something different to eat each day....

Change straight over when your ready, stay on one food choice to begin with like chicken for about a week, making sure little tummy is doing OK then you can introduce a second meat, again stay on that for a bit and so on, get a freezer and buy in bulk from landywoods, in uk or AMP again in uk, if your elsewhwere then can't help.

you can add vitamins if you want to some do some don't, I add body fish oil, vit E and keepers mix couple times a week, again some do some don't, some give cider vinegar, it's choice but also what your dogs seem to do better on many views.

Some strictly stick to the diet some are more flexable with it, I still give some leftovers, no different to us having crisps etc, when your fully on it you want a balance over time, so some give liver, kidney once a week, some add a little every coulpe of days, liver gives the squirts if to much to soon, bones can constipate, so keep it balanced, heart is considered a meat not an organ and is cheap so is tripe.

Remember what goes in must come out and the poo will relate to this, so don't get worried by that, as there is no grain etc bulking up poo, so say chicken comes out yellowish, white is bone, dark often liver and or heavy bloody meat.

when you think of a question write it down and post it on here, there are no silly questions, as it was new to us all once and we all have to learn, some give veg some don't give raw veg mashed up if you do.

some good reading:- http://www.rawmeatybones.com, raw4dogs, http://www.ripley-wrinkles.com britbarf

Good luck

Go for it Herbidog,I changed Travis straight over,for a few days before I changed I gave him a prebiotic to get his gut flora nice and healthy,Travis had a runny bum for 2 days but Herbie has been having the odd chicken wing so should be okay as his system is getting used to raw,as Sang101 said stick to one meat at a time,as he is already having chicken I would start with that protein source,he needs 2-3% of his body weight daily so you will need to weigh him,Travis regulates his food intake one day he may eat more than another day,he can also have raw fish Travis isn't keen on raw fish although he will eat it if I offer nothing else ,but sardines in oil are good for 1 meal 1 day a week,also raw eggs shell included as there is quite a bit of calcium in the shell,any questions just ask hun Herbie will thank you for it

Thank you both for your replies l am definatly going to change him over watch this space!!!!

Any luck?? This sounds really great! thanks for all the helpful information guys, something to think about!!

Wow this is interesting, I've never even heard of this myself before! thank you

Yes it is, l'm introducing it to Herbie slowly but sure he's going to thank me for it. It really great to have everyones help on this. Thanks again everyone

I know how worrying it is when you change to raw,now I don't even think about it

I agree, it's very interesting, but it's totally doin' my head in .Tried raw chicken wings-Doug loves them but Jack will NOT try them. Tried searing them in frying pan, but no Jack will still not touch them. I don't want to go totally raw, but I want to replace their commercial treats( jumbone bites, tripe sticks, dentastix) and I thought raw wings, lamb ribs etc was the way to go.So, I was going to give raw A.M.; usual home-cooked P.M.; and NO evening treats. Then my sister-in- law,(who's a dog breeder and feeds RAW) said it's best to give homecooked A.M. and RAW in the evening, but mine are used to just one meal around 6p.m. She also said that one chicken wing was the equivilent of one meal for Doug, and I'd classed it as a treat!- I don't want to end up with a lardy a*** Doug!! Kibble should not be given within 5 hours of Raw, I believe, but what about giving kibble with boiled chicken-is that O.K.?? Sorry if I'm ranting, but my brain is totally addled!!

l do know what you mean l don't really know if l'm getting it right or not herb seems to love the chicken wings but only gave him half at a time and just weaning him onto totally raw gradually he loves the raw chicken hes always had veg in with his meal so will continue with that but is adding rice and pasta ok (l've always done that when we have it)

Adding rice and pasta....................They are not required by the dog, some people do feed these to their dogs, and they have never had a problem, however, it is not part of a raw diet, carbs and raw digest at a different rate, you will also be bulking out their poo, also you would need to give less raw if you do feed rice and pasta or you will be upping their calories, there is nothing wrong with giving occasional rice and pasta a bit like us having crisps or junk food but personally I would not include it as part of a regular diet.

If your dog is not wanting to eat the raw chicken it is apparently one of the most bland of meats doing, as you have tried different ways of tempting the chicken you could either try not offering anything else until the chicken is eaten, a dog won't starve itself, or for a more satisfying method could be to try starting your dog off on tripe, green tripe, no washed white tripe as it has very little goodness in it.

It's all very mind bending but sure will get it in the end its interesting what you said about chicken wing as a treat Sharon cos l thought the same. So lets get this right a chicken wing for herb who is 7.5 ks is classed a full meal is it ???? sorry to be so thick

Tried again this morning,- Doug did'nt eat his! Jack had 1/4 wing and looked so upset! as if to say "Oh no she's given me this stuff again- and I really want a Markie" He guarded it for over an hour- growling if anyone even walked near him, but when the postman called he could'nt run to the door and leave his wing in case Doug got it!- so he gobbled it up! I found Doug's in the garden covered in bluebottles-euww! Anyway Doug weighs 11.8kg and yes, my sis-in-law says one wing constitutes a meal
With regards to feeding them brown rice on a regular basis, they were on Burns which is brown rice, chicken and veg. so I halved their Burns intake and used homecooked with it. I seem to be getting into a abit of a amess relly don't I

I would feed the homecooked evening time,the rice or pasta will keep him feeling fuller for overnight,have you seen the west wales animal food centre in Llansamlet,they do frozen pet foods,great stuff for when you first change just to get them having the taste of raw,I buy the green tripe there,but they also do beef and tripe,chicken with crushed bone,white fish,I am buying these for Ruby as she hasn't teeth to chew bones,Anglian pet products make the meat products with nothing added, just meat,a packet costs 49p which would last your 2 dogs 2 days

Don't worry Sharon l'm the same as you at least Herb doesn't seem to mind what l give him just seems to like everything thank god. But l'm sure l am making a mess of it to but l will plough on

Oh forgot to ask doesn't tripe make the whole house smell!!!!!!

I'm gagging just thinking about tripe But I will have a look up Llansammlet. I've heard that Mac's Meat Market have a freezer near the checkout that's full of bones for free, but you have to be lucky they don't always have them. I got a big bag from the market though for 50p.

Just given Herbie his raw chicken and veg and put a weeny bit of pasta in it hes lapped it up but l only feed herbie once a day as well will keep you informed how things progress

Yes herbiedog, keep us informed 'cos I think I'm wavering a bit

I get 90% of the dogs food in Mac's meat,they do a dog mince,which is minced chicken and lamb with minced bone added,it costs £1.99 for 4.5kg,if you want bones I always go on a Monday they cut up the chickens on a Monday and you can get the chicken carcass's,there is loads of meat left on them,as for the tripe I have never met a dog that doesn't like it,it wont stink your house out as it isn't in their bowl for long enough,