Raw or BARF?

[Jillian Koeneman]

I was curious, do any of you feed a raw or BARF diet? I currently feed my Lab grain-free EVO but I am considering making the jump to raw.

[Christen Quakenbush]

Did you decide to make the jump? How did it go? I have two dogs and feed both a raw diet of chicken (with bones which is safe as long as they aren't cooked) as well as a few eggs, and livers here and there. It's important for them to get the nutrients from the organs. When I switched them to this diet, I saw a big difference in their coats, less skin irritation, and less ear infections, urinary tract infections, etc. You can search for the BARF diet online to learn more. Some people like to also use veggies, but it's time consuming, so I just feed them our leftover veggies and the livers and eggs supply some of those nutrients as well.

[Jillian Koeneman]

I haven't made the switch yet. Still researching. Will most likely switch after our vacation. Heard so many great things about this diet lifestyle.

[Connie Swaim]

I feed raw and have been for 3 years. Almost everyone in our dog club feeds raw. It is awesome. Not much poo, poo that does not smell, etc. Also, I feed the cats Bravo, which is a commercial raw food. Bravo is great if you don't want to make your own food. You can buy it in the Indy area at www.caninesinaction.com. Since I switched the cats I never smell the litterbox anymore, so that is awesome.

We use Bravo's mixed vegetables for the dogs rather than making our own veggie goo, but most people I know who feed raw make their own veggie goo. I'm just lazy. We feed raw chicken backs (mainly) with the vegetables and then add in things like chicken livers, hearts, etc. from time to time as well as raw eggs.

Sometimes we switch to another meat for a day or two, just for variety and we do lots of leg bones for chewing.

[Khiara Morehouse]

I don't feed my labs either of these, but please let me know how they work out for you and if it is cheaper than Iams. I spend about $70-$100 a month on dog food now. I have 2 older dogs and a younger one so I would love to see how these diets work out for your lab. I have 3 labs and yes they are my children!

[Jillian Koeneman]

We will be transitioning to the RAW diet over the next two weeks. We recently got a rescue lab puppy from Love of Labs Indiana who we will be feeding RAW too. We are really excited!

@Khiara we currenty spend about $120 on kibble (EVO/Wellness) I anticipate to stay about the same or maybe be higher on the RAW diet. We'll try to stock up on meat when it's on sale. However, that being said we will be saving in vet bills no matter what!

I just got this book and I highly recommend it. It's a very common sense approach to the RAW diet and not too extreme.

http://www.amazon.com/Raw-Dog-Food-Make-Easy/dp/1929242093/ref=sr_1...

[Jillian Koeneman]

Both of my Labs are now on a RAW diet and truly thriving. We prepare our own and shoot for a variety of protein sources. They also get veggies, fruit, and yougart. We avoid pork out of personal preference. I am hoping to get some venison from local hunters. They coats are shiny and soft and their teeth are gleaming white. They also LOVE feeding time :)

@Khiara, are you still considering this lifestyle for your Labs?