Hi, I'm new to this forum but have been reading it a lot recently -
especially about natural diets. I am sold on concept as a whole, but I have
some questions if anyone can help me:

1. BARF diet or Pitcairns diets? Which are easier / better? (I have
Pitcairns book and have just ordered one of Billinghurst's books - Give
your dog a bone. Pitcairns seems to included lots of supplements and I
don't know where to find them here in the UK - powdered kelp? edible
bonemeal? nutritional yeast? Does anyone know a good online supplier of
such things?)

2. Which Billinghurst / BARF book is best? There are 3 on Amazon: 1) The
BARF Diet: For dogs and cats: using evolutionary principles; 2) Give Your
Dog a Bone: The practical Commonsense way to feed dogs; 3) Grow your pups
with bones: the bark program. Any recommendations?

3. Any idea where to get good quality raw meat at reasonable prices? I hear
people talking about chicken carcasses and chicken wings and so on in the
various 'natural diet' threads that I've read. I could get it in the
supermarket, but it would turn out very expensive (perhaps this is what I
have to do?). Has anyone used 'Prize Choice' frozen pet meat? Is this any
good? I've used it before but don't know much about it.

I would appreciate any input - you don't have to answer all 3 questions! Thanks.

Most experienced raw feeders no longer use the term BARF as it suggests that we slavishly follow IBs book. His first book Give your dog a bone, whilst interesting is extremely badly written and difficult to digest (LOL); IB has a bit of a fetish for veggies and supplements which a lot of us are not into preferring to think of veggies as occasional niceties but not necessary and supplements required on an individual basis. I think a lot of people are deterred from raw feeding by this book. The easiest of his books to read is the BARF diet. Personally I think that the best introduction to raw feeding is natural nutrition for dogs and cats by Kmythy Schultze; it is accessible, has feeding plans and is very simple. There is also T Lonsdale's book Raw Meaty Bones; he is obsessed by dental health! (LOL) but it would not be my first choice for a beginner.

Dr Pitcairn's book advocates the use of grains etc which most of us do not subscribe to; dogs have a short alimentary canal ill equipped to digest complex carbohydrates; that said he does have some interesting info in his book especially with regard to some homoeopathic remedies etc.

Supplements most of these are available from H [$ B, Alfalfa and Kelp are easily found and Dorwest have a good supplement called Keepers Mix which includes other things. Edible bonemeal is something I would steer clear of] if you feed RMBs this is not necessary. As for yeast I stay completely away from this as it is a fungus and no one wants to encourage fungal growth in dogs ears etc etc and again is completely unecessary.

If you want to know where you can get a list of raw feeding suppliers then Britbarf on Yahoo is excellent; AMP, Albion, Berriewood, Landywood all supply and deliver and you can get frozen raw meet from some of them at places like Pets at Home. I prefer to feed my dogs human grade meat and get my supplies from a poultry wholesaler; these are easily found in the yellow pages; or your local abbattoir, farm shop etc etc. Bones you can get free from a butcher.

HTH

Thanks for your advice. Very comprehensive! It is so hard to know what to do / which 'diet' to follow as all authors have their own educated opinions, and of course it is no good asking the vet for advice, as they recoil in horror at the mention of raw feeding and want you to feed Hills Science Plan as a safe option. I'm going to get the Kmythy Schultze book that you recommended and have a read of that too before I start. Because there is no single 'authority' on dog diet and so many differing opinions it is hard to make that leap from the 'safety' of dry manufactured food to something I believe to be more healthy but possibly more risky if I don't get it right. My main fear is failing to provide my dogs with the correct balance of nutrients that they need for healthy joints and everything else - especially as I have a growing large breed pup too.