Dr B's Barf

[kirst_goldens]

So my old man is on BARF patties for dinner and all of a sudden he wont eat it - it was the same time they changed their packaging...

We sell barf at the kennels where i work and we recieved a call from a new company, they wanted a meeting... so we obliged..turns out Dr B's used to use them to manufactur the patties and they had a falling out... now they have changed how it is made and the ingredients with the new company...

So these peeps have made a brand for the patties they used to make and are selling it for themselves so we are changing to Big Dog BARF

It is the OLD recipe!! So excited to get the old boy to eat again!! and to sell it as our clients noticed the change and so did our cash flow!

so my question is how many others noticed the difference? what gave it away? and will u be changing?

Edited to make sence lol

Edited January 25, 2011 by kirst_goldens

[Katdogs]

I was going to start a thread on this too!

My dogs never refuse any food, so that's no problem. We've had a couple of boxes of the new Dr B's and now a couple of the Big Dog, and the Big Dog is the winner for me. Just looks and smells and feels 'better', it's hard to explain. I also like that we now have roo and turkey options, along with rabbit and the rest.

[Adnil444]

Hi, I've been feeding Dr B's Barf for some years now (our farm is situated not that far from his surgery in Bathurst and we go and stock up as it is cheaper there!!).

Yes, they have changed the packaging and recipe/texture several times and I'm pleased that they are now back to the "original" recipe. I like the packaging as all is recycled now, which is great when like me you are buying 6 boxes of it every few weeks.

I live on the the northern beaches and Pet-O in Brookvale is one of Dr Billinghurst's Barfs biggest sellers. They can't keep up the demand for it.

I won't change from Dr B's Barf - happy with the results. My dogs are so fit and healthy on this food.

[Adnil444]

I was going to start a thread on this too!

My dogs never refuse any food, so that's no problem. We've had a couple of boxes of the new Dr B's and now a couple of the Big Dog, and the Big Dog is the winner for me. Just looks and smells and feels 'better', it's hard to explain. I also like that we now have roo and turkey options, along with rabbit and the rest.

Hi, Dr B's Barf has always had kangaroo and also rabbit along with pork, beef, chicken, lamb and combo. They don't have turkey yet.

[Katdogs]

Our local pet food place only had the beef, lamb and chicken, then introduced the rabbit which they kept selling out of.

I'm not good at change, I liked the old frozen rolls that had to be banged on concrete to split up!

If Dr B's had changed without a competitor we would have stuck with it, the food has been great for years, but there's something worth trying about the Big Dog product, for me. I'll see how we're going in a few weeks. We go through it pretty quickly here, with three hungry dogs

[Adnil444]

Our local pet food place only had the beef, lamb and chicken, then introduced the rabbit which they kept selling out of.

I'm not good at change, I liked the old frozen rolls that had to be banged on concrete to split up!

If Dr B's had changed without a competitor we would have stuck with it, the food has been great for years, but there's something worth trying about the Big Dog product, for me. I'll see how we're going in a few weeks. We go through it pretty quickly here, with three hungry dogs

I must admit I liked those rolls too - the banging on the verandah was also sure to make the dogs run away!! I also had a pyrex round dish that was just perfect for thawing 3 patties at once.

[Lindainfa]

I noticed the change in the packaging (which I prefer), but my furbabies havent noticed any change, they still love it! I will stick with Dr B.

[Trishm]

I fed my greyhound a little of the roo Dr. B barf with her pancreatitus diet food, I probably only used 1 pattie over 2 days, but I find that the Big Dog patties become very smelly even from morning to the evening feeds, it definitely does not keep as well. I have to chuck it out.

So I will try to source the Dr B patties somewhere here in SA.

I can only feed her a little of the roo as she has kidney problems as well, so I need to keep the protein down, and just a little of the roo pattie negates the boredom of the diet food.

[Gretel]

< I liked the old frozen rolls that had to be banged on concrete to split up!>

Yep me too! I find there is wastage cause you can't get all of the food out of the packaging now and the yucky packet to get rid of.

[Andisa]

Dr B's Barf lost me when they changed companies and went with VIP pet foods.

Edited January 26, 2011 by Andisa

[Polgara's Shadow]

Yep me too. My boy loved the old patties. He has food allergies and the Dr B Barf patties (chicken beef & Kangaroo) were one of the few prepared foods he can eat. I bought him kangaroo ones recently - in new packaging.. flatter, more like hamburger patties.

He won't touch them

[Adnil444]

Yep me too. My boy loved the old patties. He has food allergies and the Dr B Barf patties (chicken beef & Kangaroo) were one of the few prepared foods he can eat. I bought him kangaroo ones recently - in new packaging.. flatter, more like hamburger patties.

He won't touch them

Strange about that as I spoke to Ian Billinghurst about the changes (I spoke to him about not being able to get any Barf during the changeover period). Once it was back up and running again, he asked me to comment on the product and I told him I like that the packaging was all recyclable, that the product was now back to the original recipe and texture. He said they didn't change the recipe - it is still the same ingredients, only the texture has changed along with the packaging.

My dogs love it - and always have. One of mine is a pretty fussy eater and if he can't get Dr B's Barf he won't it - lol.

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

A lot of people sem to have noticed the changes to Dr B's patties without knowing the reason behind it. I used to like the original roll too, it was a much better serving size IMO. Then it changed...I don't know what caused that change though?

The manufacturer of the Dr B's has changed not long ago, I don't know about whether the recipe has changed again as well.

I think my dogs definitely prefer the Big Dog BARF though. It is harder to find.

[Polgara's Shadow]

I think its strange too Adnil444. The pet supplies people told me its was the same recipe also. Kangaroo was his favourite BARF, change of packaging now he turns his nose up at it. I tried mixing eggs in there to entice him but still wouldn't touch it. He's not usually a fussy eater either.

[moosepup]

< I liked the old frozen rolls that had to be banged on concrete to split up!>

Yep me too! I find there is wastage cause you can't get all of the food out of the packaging now and the yucky packet to get rid of.

I take mine out of the packet while it's still frozen and defrost it in a container in the fridge. No wastage.

I'm confused, I thought Dr B's had just been repackaged as Big Dog? Can you still get Dr B's??

[Andisa]

I think its strange too Adnil444. The pet supplies people told me its was the same recipe also. Kangaroo was his favourite BARF, change of packaging now he turns his nose up at it. I tried mixing eggs in there to entice him but still wouldn't touch it. He's not usually a fussy eater either.

For the texture to change that much you can only guess how much the product had to change for it to be so noticeable. Not only does it contain so much linseed that it coats the poo in such a way it looks to have been rolled in linseed the smell has also changed. I do not trust VIP pet foods and could not continue to buy Dr B's Barf. My dogs did not like the new Dr B's Barf and they were itchy - putting that down to the excess amount of linseed because they never had a problem with it before.

I was a distributor of Dr B's Barf for several years and this decision was not taken lightly but was necessary. Not only were my dogs not happy with the change but customers who had been purchasing it from me for many yrs were also not enjoying it either. I told some how to make it themselves when supplies were difficult and to feed holistic dry food - or wait. Those who waited have been much happier with the change over to Big Dog and so are we.

[Andisa]

Yep me too. My boy loved the old patties. He has food allergies and the Dr B Barf patties (chicken beef & Kangaroo) were one of the few prepared foods he can eat. I bought him kangaroo ones recently - in new packaging.. flatter, more like hamburger patties.

He won't touch them

Strange about that as I spoke to Ian Billinghurst about the changes (I spoke to him about not being able to get any Barf during the changeover period). Once it was back up and running again, he asked me to comment on the product and I told him I like that the packaging was all recyclable, that the product was now back to the original recipe and texture. He said they didn't change the recipe - it is still the same ingredients, only the texture has changed along with the packaging.

My dogs love it - and always have. One of mine is a pretty fussy eater and if he can't get Dr B's Barf he won't it - lol.

I have been feeding Dr B's Barf for a very long time and I can not remember it being anything like it was the last time I used it. Too many changes in the yrs I stocked it along with several high price increases.

There are also many more options feeding a barf diet than what they used to be, giving owners far more choices - which is a good thing.

[westiemum]

The story I've been told is this:

Dr B's Barf had a trust relationship with the original manufacturer over the Barf recipe.

There was a falling out and because he didn't own the recipe patent the company started manufacturing it for themselves to the original recipe.

Dr B has now found a new manufacturer, changed the texture and learnt a really tough lesson about patents and business.

So I understand Big Dog is the original Barf recipe and Dr B's is a minor variation in texture (and one ingredient?) for legal reasons.

Assuming this information is right, I will be staying with Dr Bs. Apart from my dogs are fine on it, I prefer ethical behaviour in the companies I support.

[moosepup]

Oh, thanks for explaining WM. The only place I can find BARF is Better Pets and Gardens and they all of a sudden stopped selling Dr B's and were selling Big Dog and the guy told me it was just Dr B's repackaged (which it is I guess). Didn't realise Dr B wasn't actually involved with Big Dog.

[Andisa]

The story I've been told is this:

Dr B's Barf had a trust relationship with the original manufacturer over the Barf recipe.

There was a falling out and because he didn't own the recipe patent the company started manufacturing it for themselves to the original recipe.

Dr B has now found a new manufacturer, changed the texture and learnt a really tough lesson about patents and business.

So I understand Big Dog is the original Barf recipe and Dr B's is a minor variation in texture (and one ingredient?) for legal reasons.

Assuming this information is right, I will be staying with Dr Bs. Apart from my dogs are fine on it, I prefer ethical behaviour in the companies I support.

WM - there are two sides to every story as we all know - but you may want to check the ethics of the company who makes the new Dr B's Barf product.... http://www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.c...roopetmeat.html - I simply do not trust that they would not use chemicals again. It doesn't sit comfortably with me. As for a verbal agreement only on a "patent" for the product - it is a business - golden rule is get a patent on everything....seems there was more to it.

As for Big Dog Pet Foods - like all large companies they manufacture for different businesses. Yes there has been some changes to both products of Barf, no doubt legal reasons were an incentive but certainly not the only reason.

ed: sp?

Edited January 26, 2011 by Andisa