Hi,

I am fairly new to the area and wondering if someone sells raw food (B.A.R.F -biologically appropriate raw food) for cats and/or dogs? Currently, I buy online from Feline's Pride, but it is becoming quite expensive. My 2 cats love it and have never been healthier. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks!
PilatesGirl

there are a places that sell barf diets.

crunchies in crofton
fresh pet in marlton
Aunt Jeni's Home Made Frozen Raw Pet Food (http://www.auntjeni.com) shes out of temple hills

i went to the pet expo this weekend and there are a ton of new places selling raw diets.

if you need more info about the two stores just let me know.

Can this diet help cats who have skin problems due to allergies? Since we've moved to TX my 12 year old male cat is ripping his hair out in bunches and is about half bald. The vet has him on ovaban which only helps while he is on it. He is miserable and itchy and even though we are feeding the same food he has always eating.

It's called BARF? They must have the worst marketing team on the planet.

Clipper's on Solomon's Island sells stuff like that. My cat hated it, lols.

i got your BARF for you :barf:

Clipper's on Solomon's Island sells stuff like that. My cat hated it, lols.

I've heard a lot of good stuff about the diet though. Is it affordable? What are the risks in feeding cats raw meat/are they really worth risking?

I've heard a lot of good stuff about the diet though. Is it affordable? What are the risks in feeding cats raw meat/are they really worth risking?

The expense is prohibitive and it's no more dangerous than having a pet die due to contaminated dry food. I had my dog and cat both on it for a while and realized none of the benefits that you were supposed to enjoy so I switched them both back to dry.

Hello there! BARF or raw diets are controversial to feline health, but it is the closest thing to their ancestral diet. Cats do not process grains well, which are in every food except for natural diets. Grains just make cats fat and feeding cats (and dogs) poor quality diets are just convenient for us people, not healthy for them. Yes, you do spend a bit more on high quality diets such as Wellness, Halo, Royal Canin, Pro Plan, and Nature's Balance, but your pets reap the most benefits from them because they are producing less waste, have healthy skin, coat, teeth, and internal organs. They may also live longer too. You do certainly run a risk of contaminants or illness from raw food. Here are a few of my recommendations.

If you choose to stick to a raw diet, one place that I have purchase my natural food from that I know carries raw food is Nature's Nibbles in Alexandria, VA. They also have a web site Nature's Nibbles (http://www.naturesnibbles.com) and they will deliver to certain areas. Their prices are good too. If you want the benefits of a raw diet but can not afford it or need something more convenient to prepare, Innova makes great canned and dry products for cats. Innova Evo is a commercial natural diet that is made from raw meat and vegetables. It has NO GRAINS. I had my cats on this diet and they would eat less, produce less waste (although their waste had more odor), and really liked the taste of it. Another diet you can switch to that I actually have had my cats on for a couple of years now and I think I've found a winner is Wellness canned food. This food is a natural food with no grains, and all natural meat (no by-products). I recommend getting chicken, turkey, or beef flavors only because there is some research that shows that fishy flavors have more ash in them, which causes urinary problems. Another benefit to this diet is it is sold at Petco, which is ultra convenient. It's about $1.29 a can and I feed my cats 1/4 can twice daily. Canned food is the best for cats because it has a lot of moisture in it compared to dry food, and it's best for urinary health. Dry foods to do not clean teeth, as many would think. They are just convenient for people to buy because it's easier to put down for your cats, but they do not clean teeth. (I won't go into a huge tangent about dry food, but I can certainly give you advice I've gotten from vets, if you'd like to know more).

I hope this helps! :-)

Jenn

The expense is prohibitive and it's no more dangerous than having a pet die due to contaminated dry food. I had my dog and cat both on it for a while and realized none of the benefits that you were supposed to enjoy so I switched them both back to dry.

Useless info; but my cat won't go near canned food. I give her the crunchy Food Lion brand cat food that comes in a gallon size jug.
She loves that; makes her teeth so white.....and sharp.....

Once in a while I'll rub vegetable oil on her front paws; which she hates, so she can have some oil in her diet for her fur and skin.

The oil is a good idea. Fish oil is great too. You can break open a capsule and put some on her food, or her paws.

Useless info; but my cat won't go near canned food. I give her the crunchy Food Lion brand cat food that comes in a gallon size jug.
She loves that; makes her teeth so white.....and sharp.....

Once in a while I'll rub vegetable oil on her front paws; which she hates, so she can have some oil in her diet for her fur and skin.

I know a cat that would ONLY eat the green bag that said CAT FOOD on it. I think it was Richfood. Turned its nose up at everything else, lols.

The oil is a good idea. Fish oil is great too. You can break open a capsule and put some on her food, or her paws.

Don't people wait until they actually graduate to put the "MS" behind their name?

Don't people wait until they actually graduate to put the "MS" behind their name?

jealous ha ha

jealous ha ha

Uh, no. :confused:

Don't people wait until they actually graduate to put the "MS" behind their name?
I did. Thanks. I believe we were talking about diet, if you had something you'd like to add.

I did. Thanks. I believe we were talking about diet, if you had something you'd like to add.

Your website said you were expecting your MS in December of '09. :shrug: That's all. Looks like you changed it. :lol:

Your website said you were expecting your MS in December of '09. :shrug: That's all. Looks like you changed it. :lol:

I updated it.