It seems to me that most raw feeders favor the BARF approach, but which do you prefer, and why? I'm new to feeding raw, and what I recently switched my dog to is the Honest Kitchen, mixed with RMB's and meat goodies. My dog is doing well on this so far. But, I'm becoming more interested in the 'Prey Model' way of feeding. It's sounds good to hand a rack of ribs or a chicken leg quarter to my dog and call it good. What are the pros and cons of the different approaches? Thanks!

IMO, the pros and cons are very similar-you need to know what you're doing on both. I think BARF has gotten more publicity, but know of prey-model feeders with equally good results. Remember when feeding Prey-model, that unless you make a point of it, your dog is not getting the pre-digested veggies 'n stuff from cleaned meat that you'd purchase at a grocer. Don't forget about the intestines and all that yummy goodness! Tripe is excellent for this purpose. If you choose prey, just try to match what they would naturally get as closely as possible.

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IMO, the pros and cons are very similar-you need to know what you're doing on both. I think BARF has gotten more publicity, but know of prey-model feeders with equally good results. ....

I couldn't agree more. I started with B.A.R.F. and slowly modified it as I studied and did tons of reading and web research. I never stopped adding salmon oil and vitamin E, but I did slowly change my choice of vegetable matter as I learned which was better digested. I didn't stop feeding produce, which prey-model generally does, because I believe that dogs in the wild do get some produce, both stomach-content and fallen fruit/berries. This is an old and probably never-ending argument, and I just happen to feel that I'd rather err on the side of abundance rather than exclusion when we're talking about things the wild animal ever would have included in the diet. Very educated canine nutritionists disagree, and other very educated canine nutritionists agree. (No very educated canine nutritionists, as far as I know, argue for grain-based diets.)

I think that the Leerburg diet overview is an excellent place to start:
http://www.leerburg.com/diet.htm

At first, it seems a little overwhelming and like a ton of info, but really, once you start and get your routine and suppliers lined up, it gets so simple. Then when you see how healthy the dog is......well, it speaks for itself.

I love The Healthy Kitchen and I now use it for backup, which has made my life a lot easier. I no longer *have* to get to the butcher; I have Plan B! IMO, you are already feeding a *much* better diet than most dogs get.

P.S. Good for you! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for the praise!

The HK diet has helped me ease into natural feeding - less for me to think about right now as I continue to educate myself. My observations so far concern mostly my pup's 'output' - her stools are finally firm, compact and almost odorless. Diarrhea had been a constant issue (1x/week at least) on two different brands of kibble prior to the switch.

Interestingly, my vet was supportive. She did state that she doesn't have any personal experience with raw feeding, but felt that it could have tremendous health benefits. She voiced her concern over bacteria and told me to keep close watch over her bone intake - she said she would be most worried about possible perforation or impaction problems.

So far, Xena is a careful eater, taking 5-10 minutes just to chew up a chicken back. She does not consume the beef ribs I give her, so these are more recreational in nature after she gets all the meat off. I haven't had any problems with her eating raw - she likes every meat, bone or organ I've put in front of her. I give her canned salmon once or twice a week. Still, her diet is about 75% Honest Kitchen.

My head tends to spin a bit when I peruse all the various, mostly very strong opinions on which is better - BARF or prey model. Being in the medical field, I'm into 'hard' facts - controlled, reproducible studies and the like. Unfortunately, the veterinary field doesn't appear to have much in the way of un-biased studies on raw vs. kibble diets. It has been a little bit of a leap of faith for me so far.

I would love to hear from anyone on this board feeding strictly by the prey model...

Shaka's kibble diet is supplemented daily by her mousing activity -- Her motto is: See Prey - Kill Prey - Eat Prey !!!

No kidding, my Akita's a much better mouser than the cat <:-) and our aviary attracts a steady supply of rodents (thanks to the birds' grain feed) so she gets plenty of FRESH meat, bones, organs, intestinal content, etc. -- Needless to say, we do NOT use any poison bait on the property, however...

Wow...Healthy food and good for the prey drive, too! Hmmm - feeder mice are cheap, aren't they? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

I remeber reading or seeing something about a guy who studied arctic wolves & found out the majority of diet was mice.

I buy feeder rats for our Royal Python & it gets expensive <:-O

Yes, I believe most wild canids subsist mainly on rodents <:-)

It's very cheap to raise your own rodents. I did that for awhile for my python. I used gerbils due to the size and the lack of odor as gerbils don't smell anywhere near as bad as mice or rats do. Also because my snake seemed to have a major taste preference to gerbils over mice (she would inhale a gerbil whereas she would spend 20 minutes nosing a mouse, regardless of frozen or fresh-killed). About $20 worth of adults and you'll have quite the steady supply. Feed them a healthy diet (fresh things, no kibbles and such) and you're set!