I was contacted by a lovely member of this board who is a part of the So Cal BARF Co-op. They have a pick up site very close to me so I've decided to join and order some food for the dogs.

Right now, they are eating THK and chicken backs. I want to get some ground meat for them, and maybe something else. The goal is to get them onto a totally homemade raw diet.

We thought Dolly was having problems with chicken, but I don't think she is. She has a bacterial skin infection that she is on antibiotics for. She also just had her blood drawn and turns out her thyroid is low, so that's probably why I've had such a hard time getting weight on her. Conan is doing just fine.

So my question is this, what would you order? As a newb, I really need some help! Thanks!!

The website is http://www.socalbarf.com you can take a look at their products at let me know what you think.

Thanks so much everyone!!

It all looks great.:smile:

For a new dog, I'd probably start out with some of the various types of meat they have and add them to chicken back meals.

After I knew they handled a new meat, I'd say any of it is game.

If you've got the room, I don't see a whole lot that I wouldn't want.

Ton's of organ variety available to you there. Heck, ton's of EVERYTHING variety.

The only advice about all that new food, and Connie would be disappointed in me if I didn't mention it, would be to pick a protein source that you will never feed. That way if an elimination diet is ever necessary for allergy reasons, you will have a novel protein source to fall back on.

Otherwise, have a ball! Just don't order too much.

Katie that is awesome that you will have such a vast array of raw items to choose from, I am so happy for you.

I guess I just have one question and one comment to make.
If Dolly has a low thyroid, wouldn't there be a problem with being overweight? I know you said that Dolly is under weight so I guess that confuses me? So is Dolly Hyperthyroid? (I know nothing about thyroid conditions.)

Also, in response to Michael's comments about reserving a novel protein source for if you ever need to do an elimination diet, think about reserving one that might not be so hard to source or one that is not super expensive.
I wish I had thought of this before feeding many sources of protein. I reserved rabbit as my novel protein source and I have priced rabbits lately and they are super expensive $11.99 per rabbit! Keep in mind that most elimination diets take around 12 weeks on this novel source. Rabbits for me will be a huge expense.
So, I just wanted to tell you to think about this because there are other proteins that are much more affordable. Wish I had thought about that then!
Just something to think about.

Thanks to you both! I am very excited as well.

Joyce, I thought that too about her thyroid being low but I've read up on it and it says with a low thyroid they might have trouble gaining weight. It's a bit confusing, as I've read a good amount of conflicting information. But it could be a cause of her recent itchiness too, so that's good.

I was actually going to choose rabbit as my novel protein! But that's a good idea what you said. Thanks for that!

I was thinking about getting some ground meat (maybe turkey, their beef has some organs in it and I think I should start that slower) and another RMB source. Does that sound okay? Also... I'll have to refer to my raw feeding books and the THK box - but how much THK should I be using until I get them on a full homemade diet?

Thanks again!!

Hey Katie,
If you are looking for specific information on SoCal Barf I would try doing a search here on Leerburg. I believe it is used and has been recommended by several forum members. I looked into it once; it seemed like a great service.

Well, I just looked at all the stuff you have available to you. You are very lucky indeed Katie, they have many great choices.

The ground turkey prices looked pretty good.
Their rabbit is about $10 + per 3 and half pound rabbit so that isn't as bad as the ones I was trying to source near me.
But still, not cheap if you are going to feed twice a day, even at that price, still expensive.

Maybe save Buffalo for your novel source.?? Just a thought.

The reason I ask about Thyroid is because I have an itchy dog and she is lean but not too lean. She is on raw too and has itched for over a year and half and has been on raw since she was about 6-7 months old.
I might have to get her thyroid checked out too.
Thanks for making me think about this, can't believe I over-looked her thyroid!

Thanks again everyone. The buffalo is a great idea! I knew I'd get great info from here. I'll also do a search of this site to see what people have to say.

I would definitely get her thyroid checked! I actually didn't know it could contribute to itchiness until Connie told me. Good luck on finding out what it is, keep me updated!

I would actually suggest something other than rabbit because of the fat issue in rabbit that prevents it from being an exclusive protein source in the long term. Google rabbit starvation and you can read all about it. Personally I chose kangaroo.

What a great co-op! I would personally go for the goat. It has to be my dogs favorite next to chicken wing tips.

I want to get the goat!! You get the whole thing! I REALLY need a bigger freezer though. I should get on that this weekend...

I'm glad you guys are having the novel protein discussion. I almost bought some kangaroo treats once adn decided against it. Now I know to reserve the 'roo.