I have working GSPs and they run most mornings. Thinking of moving to raw feeding and whilst there is a lot of info on the web, anyone with experience and some "pointers"?

Purina maintains a hell of a big research facility down in Iowa and they haven't tried to make that yet. Why would a person do something like this unless it was quite literally a half baked idea. There are no wild canids with life spans anywhere close to that of domestic dogs. If you're running GSPs that are EPs in all but name and they get worked like Field trial EPs I still wouldn't be thinking about it. I have pushed field trial pointing dogs hard, running them all day every day in cold weather with snow on the ground. What makes the difference in their diet is calories! And, simply put, calories in the form of fat. That' as close to pure energy into them as you can get. Carbohydrates have to accompany the fat to provide longer lasting energy. Better performance will however always come from better physical ability first and physical performance at that kind of level, high performance across a longer time also comes at the expense of shortened life.

Its no suprise that most, if not all kibble producers have influenced a bad rap against feeding raw.
You will find that most kibble is loaded with filler that just passes through the dog. Raw is highly digestible and healthier for the animal. Just like raw vegetables are healthier than cooked. The more any protien is processed, the more value is cooked out of it.
I have fed my dogs raw for the last 15 years or so, with NO issues. Lots of energy, super glossy coats, and the ultimate result: so digestible that their is little to no clean-up in the back yard!
Unfortunately, I can't recommend a place to buy because I make my own recipe. One of the perks from operating your own slaughter plant. Our main base to the recipe is raw tripe, with lots of gullet for glucosomine, and aprox 10% organ meat.
Do I use kibble? sure. I always keep some on hand if I screw up and forget to bring some raw home from my shop. It's also handier for when I am travelling with the dogs. BUT, after seeing the results , my wife says if I ever get rid of raw, I have to get rid of the dogs!

it can be done with great success but you have to decide if it's worth the cost/effort. lots of high quality dog foods out there that someone has already done the research.

if you have regular access to the raw ingredients like jimmy that is one thing, but if you're going to constantly be switching your protein source and switching back and forth from raw to kibble you might not be doing your dog the service you think.

whichever way you go consistency is key

If I recall correctly, a number of folks with sled dogs feed raw. There was, and may still be, a company that would ship the meals frozen, FWIW.

Nutrition is complicated and paramount. Don't do it if you don't have expert advice or a reliable commercial source.

We raw fed our first Spinone at the breeder's suggestion. We did this for 6 months and he looked like a body builder. With future dogs we switched to high quality dog food. Those dogs were healthy but never seemed as strong as the first one.
My wife prepared high quality ground meat and rice and IMHO it workd but was a pain in the butt to prepare.
Our dogs came from the same breeder and had similar history. I realize 3 is a small sample size but I think it might be a positive experience.
NO people food ever!

quote:

Originally posted by miles58:
Purina maintains a hell of a big research facility down in Iowa and they haven't tried to make that yet.

Every time I read this "Purina spends so much money on research" I just kinda shake my head. McDonalds probably spends more on R&D than any other food producer, does that mean that their food is the best and most healthy? Do you believe that they are spending that money in search of the holy grail of food, or are they after profits?

McDonalds and Purina probably spend more on advertising than any of their competition. Again, that is all about return on investment.

Big businesses are out for one thing: big profits. The health of your dog, your child, or you, is only of interest to them as far as how it affects their bottom line.

I fed my many dogs mostly the cheapest dog food I could buy.

I also fed the raw venison scraps from many deer while in season.

I fed them once a day.

I exercised them a lot.

They lived out side.

To many people treat their dogs like humans, to many feed them to much.

Not many exercise them enough.

I hardly spent any money on vet bills.

All my dogs lived full life spans for their breeds.

I don't know anything about dogs or vetinary medicine.

In humans, grains cause arthritis.

My parents dog is a 14 year old Corgi. They raw feed him everyday. Started about 6 years ago. Probably extended his life by at least 4 years. He still gets prepared food free choice, but doesnt' really touch it.

He was acting really old at 9 years old could barely walk.

Raw food (mostly beef offal and left over deer/elk meat) has turned him into a puppy.

He is getting close to the end of his life, but raw food has made him better.

I tried a few of my dogs for five years on the BARF program and found absolutely no difference in their health, stamina, endurance and performance compared to my other dogs which I feed Purina Pro Plan.

I’ve been a part of Purina’s Pro breeders program since it’s inception in the 80s. I’ve visited their R&D facility in Gray Summit, MO on numerous occasions. When they claim no other company spends more on R&D than they do, you can take it to the bank. They have a vast amount of animals at their facility and several staff veterinarians to monitor every aspect of their test animals health.
The average lifespan of my working dogs that have been fed Purina pro plan throughout their entire life is 15 years. I’ve fed several hundred dogs including Jack Russell Terriers, Coonhounds, Black Mouth Curs, Labs, etc, on this program over the years with zero issues due to feed.

If you have the time to dedicate to a BARF diet, there’s nothing wrong with it. The caveat with that diet is knowing where you’re feed product is coming from and maintaining quality control. I know a few people who have killed their dogs by feeding them raw foods which were tainted.