Tangwyn

Hi all, Just an apology to those Sydneysiders who PM'd me about green tripe. I haven't been on this forum since some time last year. You can contact me on mobile 0481216409 as I'm much better with the phone than I am at logging onto forums! Cheers Kirsty

Anne, I absolutely agree that the diet your dog does best on is the best diet. My question was, what is the basis for saying that the papers written regarding mixing raw and dried are rubbish? What actually is the counter-argument other than dogs are scavengers and can adapt? What research are you drawing on? The commercial food companies say don't mix their product with raw as you upset the balance. And raw feeders say don't mix the two because it is more difficult for the dog's gut to cope. So what source are you getting that view from?

Hi Anne, So what's the argument that its not detrimental? That the dogs have adapted?

Just for the record this is my dogs' diet: Muscle meat varying across chicken, rabbit, beef, lamb and salmon (at least 20% of meat fed is salmon) Chicken frames, duck frames, lamb brisket, chicken feet, form the majority of bones 5% diet comprised of liver and another 5% comprising other organs including hearts, kidneys Green lamb tripe forms about 15% (forms part of the muscle meat %) Ad hoc; whole eggs, cooked veggies, occasional sprinkle of kelp powder, flax seed oil, occasional probiotic during stressful periods like travel etc Like all raw feeders, we too boast beautiful coats and wonderful hard body condition. After holidays the dogs come back into hard, muscular body condition much faster and with less exercise than on commercial food :-)

BC Crazy, that looks like a super raw diet you are feeding. What's the benefit of adding the dry kibble? If you are feeding less that the recommended amount of dry food, your dog won't be receiving the required amount of vitamins & minerals from that source anyway. I just can't get my head around what perceived gap the dry food is filling (other than a gap in the feeder's confidence).

There are a bunch of greyhound owners and farmers who would also argue that feeding $5 kibble and bread is just fine. Just because your dogs have adapted doesn't mean it's best practice. On what basis are those of you mixing kibble and raw doing so? What's your assumed benefit? Cheers Kirsty

http://www.barfworld.com/blog/?p=1795 Another article...

Hi there, Why are you still feeding dry food? Anyone who does this is actually doing more harm than good. If you are going to feed dry then just feed dry. The gut environment needs to be quite different to effectively deal with the two different types of food and by feeding both the poor dog is unable to deal with either effectively. Have a look at this article. The topic is related to cats but same principle applies: http://feline-nutrition.org/answers/answers-feed-raw-and-dry-at-the-same-time I think a lot of people are nervous about raw feeding and go half half to try and hedge their bets. The reality is that you are not realizing the benefits of either diet by sitting on the fence. I will find another specifically about dogs later. Apart from cutting out the dry food I also suggest you add green tripe. Good luck! Cheers Kirsty

Removed by Troy

Hi there, My approach to raw feeding is 70% muscle meat/fats, 20% bone, 5% liver and 5% other organs. The green tripe makes up part of the muscle meat component. When we first moved back to Australia it took a while to find a source of green tripe. In the meantime I fed a probiotic, "green" powder supplement; Dr Bruce's Skin and Coat Formula. But it was a huge relief to find somewhere to get the tripe. The dogs go nuts in the morning when they know it's tripe-time! We do feed a lot of fish (salmon) but also supplement with Omega 3 as farmed salmon can still be low in this high value oil. I would definitely recommend doing both. We feed as many different types and parts of animals as we can get our hands on, although almost everything is human grade. The tripe comes from a human grade abattoir and we also feed chicken feet, wings, quarters, frames plus duck, lamb, beef and roo. Hearts are a high quality protein and double as an organ component. If you optimise variety you will provide balance over time :-)

Hi there, The 2% rule does not apply for puppies. They require a much higher caloric intake than adult dogs (as a % of their body weight). I've seen two schools of thought; one is to feed between 4% and 8% of the puppy's current weight (adjust depending on body condition) and the other is to estimate the pup's adult weight and feed 2% of the adult weight split over a few meals per day. I'm not sure I'd take the food away after 5 minutes but perhaps 15 minutes might be more reasonable. If he is regularly not eating his full meal then either cut back the overall amount or split into more meals. :-) JMO

Hi fellow raw feeders, We have to buy very large quantities of green tripe to sustain our supply source so we have some available for others. We freeze and cut into "meal size" blocks that are around 120 - 175g. Then we bag them into 1kg bags for storage. We aren't commercial so don't expect anything commercial! But the tripe is from a human grade abattoir (not a pet food abattoir) so it has been handled appropriately. Not cheap unfortunately at $6.50/kg but worth it! PM me if interested. We are in Castle Hill, Sydney, NSW. Cheers :-)

Hi all, Just got back from a trip to Young in NSW. We decided to stay in Cowra because I found a pet friendly motel there; the Vineyard Motel. I can't recommend this place enough. It is easily one of the best places we have stayed with the dogs. It is located out of town, is on a quiet road and is surrounded by vineyards. The motel is a homestead style with lovely verandahs both sides and tables and chairs where you can sit and have a drink/nibbles etc and look out over the view. Dogs are allowed inside the rooms and there is plenty of area outside to toilet them. We went down to the Quarry Restaurant for dinner (3 minute drive or a 10-15 minute stroll) and the service was fabulous and food lovely. I know it must sound like we own the place but we don't. I just wish we didn't have to go to a dog show each morning. Would have loved to spent a bit more time relaxing there. Take the opportunity while you can as the place is on the market. Just pick up your dog poo so it doesn't ruin it for the rest of us!! :-) Cheers

I agree with the others here; he was of course just being polite and connecting with you. We are bound to hear the same things again and again and we just need to be patient and remember that it's the first time for that person! I've got Flatcoats and this is how it goes for me: Them: "Wow !! What sort of dogs are they?" Me: "Flat Coated Retrievers" Them: "Black Coated Retrievers? Huh." Me: "No. FLAT Coated Retriever" Them: "Black Coated Retriever eh. I've heard of Golden Retrievers but never a Black Coated Retriever" Me: "Not BLACK. F L A T (by this time making crazy flat-like hand motions)" Them: "Oh. Anyway, I will remember them. They are beautiful! Black Coated Retrievers..." Me: "sigh..."

Hi there, we brought two adult dogs into Sydney a few weeks ago and didn't pay any GST. I assume puppies may be different. I certainly had to pay GST on the pup I brought into NZ from Australia. Even worse, the GST is calculated on the price of the dog + freight.