You may know us from our Instagram account @the_prettypointers which follows the daily adventures of my two Hungarian Vizslas, Hendrix and Luna.
Since we started our Instagram account I have posted photos of Lunas daily raw meals which has sparked a huge response from people looking for more information on why I feed certain things and how they can feed their dog the same diet! It also invited some ignorant and very rude people to tell me I was “killing my dog” because dogs cant eat proper food and should only eat dried processed food……yeah those guys!
So after many requests in 2014 I decided to start this page in order to help educate people on raw feeding, the benefits, the do’s and don’ts and first hand diet plans of my dogs.
Have I always fed raw food? No, When I first got Luna at 8 weeks old she was reared on kibble (Purina Pro Plan).
Why did I switch? I had been looking into the benefits of raw feeding from day 1 and I always intended to switch her ‘eventually’. However we were fighting a constant battle with trying to get her to eat! She wouldn’t eat her kibble unless we added either, Gravy (which is far to salty for dogs) or Tinned Sardines/Tuna. I was literally spoon feeding her the entire bowl full. It was a very stressful time! Then at 4 months old she started to develop problems. We were going to the vets constantly with ear infections (due to yeast from grains in her food) and then she had a full blown reaction from the kibble, Hives! Her body was covered in itchy lumps from head to toe it was a very sad sight. Especially as the problem was due to something that I had been feeding her. That was the real kick in the backside I needed to make the switch!!!
I had always studied Sports Nutrition and its effect on Performance. So moving into the canine nutrition field wasn’t that all too dissimilar.
But when I started it was nothing like it is now where you can get pretty much any pet shop and pick up raw. There was ZERO information at arms length and I put in months of researching, reading books and talking to pro raw vets to get as much knowledge as possible to give my dog the best life possible.
So to make it easier for other people I put everything I learnt into this blog!
Not before long my name and this blog was getting out their in the raw feeding world and I was invited to talk about the Raw Diet at our local vet practises and even write the raw feeding guides for holistic magazines and companies like Dorwest Herbs as well as helping to write online guides for a number of companies in the UK and USA.
6 years on from starting the blog I managed to turn this hobby into a business and we opened our first Raw Dog Food Shop called PrettyPointer.
We are located inside Grangewood Garden Centre, Tamworth, B78 3HP.
We stock a full range of Raw Food both for Complete Diets and Prey Model Diets as well as a huge selection of natural supplements, Oils and treats. If you need it, we have it!!
Its incredibly satisfying for me helping dogs that come into the shop with allergy and health issues and watch them transform their lives by switching to the raw diet!
We also have a facebook page for our shop where I regularly share detailed info on diet, meats and supplements. So if your looking to stay up to date and learn please follow us on facebook https://www.facebook.com/rawatprettypointer/
Our female Vizsla Luna enjoying chomping on a whole Rabbit
Rawsome Vizslas 
Hi, my vizsla is 15 month old and on dry food, would it be too late to change her feed to raw
I used to have a Weimaraner who had bad health problems and we did eventually switch to raw but being a different breed and totally different to a vizsla … Many thanks
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Hi Sarah,
No you can never be too late to switch. At 15 months old it would be a perfect time.
Weims Vizzies and Pointers are all very similar dogs. All of their genes have been crossed over the generations.
That being said every dog is different too.
Vizslas take to raw extremely well. I have helped tonnes of Vizsla owners switch their dogs to raw and all of them have got on really well with it.
As im sure you are aware they are a very sensitive breed so changing proteins slowly is key to a good switch. Chicken only for the first week, then chicken and beef.. Have a look at my post of how to start and if you follow the guide you should find it very easy.
Please let me know how you get on!
Kind regards
James
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Is never too late. He will be a heath and happy dog changing to raw.
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Hi there, I’m getting my HWV next Friday. I have had terriers most of my life, so any advice on diet & gundog training happily welcomed!!
Alan
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Hi Alan,
You are going to have an amazing time with your new V! I have just got my second who turned 9 weeks old today. He is starting on the Raw diet and is into day 3 now and doing great.
I always advise people that raw is best for their dogs but especially Vizslas. They may be tough dogs but when it comes to food they can be very sensitive. So I highly recommend doing some research into raw and giving it a go. you wont regret it! I have just done a article on Puppy feeding which you may find will help you.
In regards to HPR training we have just started so I wouldn’t feel I am the right person to advise you on this. Luna has been doing it for less than a month now and seems to be a natural at it. We have our second lesson on Friday and cannot wait! Its such great fun and really helps bond man and dog.
Google HPR trainers in your area and see what they advise. Some say wait until a year and others say they can start fairly early.
I waited until a year just so that I could work on her obedience my self and keep everything fun. But you should find out what works best for you.
Good luck with the new dog. I hope all runs smoothy for you 🙂
Kind regards
James
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Hi James, Thank you for your reply, very much appreciated, just read the article on puppy raw diet, I have started researching it & have a good friend who’s a butcher, so am going to try it out once he’s settled!
Once again cheers & if I do a little blog ill let you know, my aim is to work him with a hawk, so fingers crossed!
Alan 🙂
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My Dane is a very fussy eater. I always have to coerce him to eat so I have changed to raw. But he is still fussy. I feed him beef, chicken, kidney, liver etc and alternate. Any advise? Do you have a web where you have more info? Wanting to learn more👍
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Hi Amanda,
Sounds like you have a fussy dog on your hands. There isnt many that need encouraging to scoff a yummy raw meal.
He may not like the texture? Have you tried feeding frozen or partially frozen?
Also a sprinkle of Salmon Oil will make it irresistible to him. I would definitely recommend getting a bottle. It has so many good benefits for dogs! I will write a article on it soon.
I have no web as of yet. This blog is my first stage of branching out. One day 😉
I will be trying to put as much information as I can on here to help people.
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Hey James, just seem I only work around the corner from you! Private hospital at Little Aston.
Be lovely to see the dogs & have a chat about the raw diet 🙂
Regards,
Alan
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Hi Alan,
That would be great. I live in Streetly, right by Sutton Park and Id be happy to meet you in there sometime soon 🙂
Kind regards
James
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Hi,
We met you and Luna at Cannock chase a couple of months back. We are thinking about getting our vizsla on a raw diet as he has an upset stomach every couple of weeks and think this must be down to his food.
Is frozen meat a no go? Also, roughly how much would you say you spend on meat every month?
Thanks
Adam
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Hi Adam, Yeh that was us 😀 now we have a second crazy V too!
I buy all their food once a month and store in the freezer. I get the next days food out and defrost the night before.
However If you like this can be fed frozen (which is good to know for when you forget to defrost the night before).
I feed certain things frozen during the hot summer months like Turkey Necks! They are a great frozen treat. Keeps them cool and adds to the eating time by at least 20 mins!
It cost me £34 per dog per month to feed raw.
Hendrix is currently eating 1.2kg per day. He eats fairly cheaper cuts like chicken, Turkey, Beef, Lamb etc.
Luna is eating 800g per day and I also pay £34 per month for her foods as I give her some more expensive meals like Rabbit, Pheasant, Partridge etc She also has all the foods Hendrix has too but she gets some more expensive meals throughout the month.
To put that in perspective I was paying £32 per month to feed Luna Purina Pro Plan! An extra £2 per month each and a hour or two bagging their food up to know my dogs are eating a healthy balanced diet which will prolong her life and keep her healthy and happy is well worth it. 🙂
BTW Adam!! I have arranged a Viz Whizz in Cannock Chase on New Years Day at 1pm! Hope you can make it 😀
James
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Hi,
Thanks for the reply, lots of interesting stuff. Think we will definitely get Sebby onto a raw diet.
New Years day sounds great, we’ve been desperate to get him to a viz whizz!
Couple more questions, what do you use as treats on the raw diet? At the minute we use treats from shops or bits of his food. Also, where is best to get decent meat? Butchers?
Thanks
Adam
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I feed pan seared liver as treats. Both dogs would do anything for it. But any bit ok natural food is good. I try to avoid anything with grains in it. So no biscuits.
For when we go out i give them something large like a pigs ears or beef jerky strip to put them in their crate. Always 100% natural. You will find then in the supermarkets (aldi have tones!) even £1 shop.
I buy their food from a number of places. Chicken i get from asda, £3 for a whole chicken and then remove the breasts for my dinner and portion the rest up for the dogs. You can also get 5 massive frozen chicken legs for like £2.35 and wings £1 per kg.
I buy mince from a farm shop by me which works out to 50p per 454g, beef, tripe and lamb.
I buy tukey from the butchers 40 turkey tails for £14! I also buy the liver from their too.
The for things which i cant get locally i go to Landywoods which is 5mins away from Cannock Chase. I get things like Veal Breast, Mackerel, Trachea, Lambs heart, Rabbit, Pheasant…. So if your over that way walking Sebby pop into the factory and give them a order. Its much cheaper than ordering online.
http://www.landywoods.co.uk
I usually write down all my order and then pop in and give it to the girl on the front. Then a bloke comes and puts it all in the car.
You can get all the mince fairly cheap there too!
🙂
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Hey! Im wondering how often you feed your pups heart? I know its very healthy for them, but Im unsure how often and how much to feed! Its also inexpensive!
Thanks!
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I feed them heart maybe every other day. I buy 12 lambs hearts for £4.50!
I feed try to feed them as much variety as possible but everyday they get some form of lean boneless meat either beef chunks, lamb/ox hearts or chicken breast.
You could very well feed them heart everyday as part of their diet. But introduce it slowly as heart is very rich.
Hope that helps 🙂
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Hi James,
My girlfriend and I are going to head over to Cannock chase for the viz whizz on new years day, where is the meeting place and what time? Or is there a facebook page with the information?
Sebby is loving the raw food diet we started yesterday he was unsure at first but already he loves the chicken wings and legs and poos are firm which is great!
Thanks Adam
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Hi Adam,
Sounds like you are off to a great start!
On facebook the page is called West Midlands Viz Whizz. We are meeting there at 1pm at the foot of the go ape which is next to the cycle place.
It will be great to see you and Seb again. 18 have said they are going so far so should be a good one 🙂
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Thanks for answering my previous question 🙂 do you ever feed your dogs lamb shanks? Or are they too dense for dogs to eat? For reference, my dogs are 48 and 60 pounds. I don’t have access to green tripe, I’ve contacted many farmers and butchers looking for it. Ive noticed canned tripe in some dog food stores. I know it isn’t near as nutritious as fresh tripe. Would you still recommend feeding it?
Thanks!
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I would stay well clear from the cooked tins and any white tripe. It must be raw green fresh and stinky.
Where are you from? I know most of the pet stores in uk will sell it now and they have a freezer dedicated to raw. Slightly more expensive but not by much.
I have fed lamb shanks to luna (60lbs) on a few occasions. She ate the lot without any trouble so im sure your yours will be fine. However supervise when you give it to them and if they get the meat from the bone and appeare to just be knawing on the bone without looking like they will be able to eat it then i would take it off them.
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Good news- I found a green tripe supplier! There was a farm in my area that I didn’t know about. How much tripe would you recommend I feed my dogs? They’re not used to tripe, so do I have to start out with smaller quantities?
Thanks!!
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Fantastic!
start off slowly maybe a quatre of a meal a few times a week to begin with. Tripe is very rich so expext a runny bum for a day or so until your dogs get used to it. Its completely normal and nothing to worry about.
I feed green tripe every other day. Usually about 200g but i sometimes a whole tripe meal for dinner 400g if i have fed a large bone meal that morning.
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Hey! I’m wondering if the salmon oil you give your dogs is a human supplement, or is it specifically for dogs? Do you think it would be okay for my to supplement my dogs diet with human salmon oil supplements?
Thanks!
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Sorry for my late reply.
Honestly I dont think there would be a problem if you gave your dog Human Supplement.
I buy Scottish Salmon Oil for Cats and Dogs which you can buy on ebay 500ml for £10 and its a very good quality.
I use it a few times a week on their food.
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Hi James, we met in Cannock Chase on 1st Jan:) we were the family with a 18wks pup 🙂 I wish I’d known you know som much about raw … Toshiro is my first vizsla, I have never fed raw but would love to … I keep reading and searching but still don’t feel confident to start. I’m really happy I’ve found you here and there’s so much useful information here. I’ m right off to read your article about puppies and hopefully get the guts to change to raw very soon (with your little help) 🙂
Anna
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Hi Anna, of course 😊 I have just tried to send you a friends request on facebook but for some reason it wont let me?
Hopefully everything you need to know will be in the puppy page and how to start prey model raw page. If you have any question feel free to ask 👍
There is so much info out there but its good to have it in one place to refer back to. Thats why I started this page to help people like yourself with starting and even current raw feeders with info on different supplements and their benefits like coconut oil, garlic and turmeric… Which they may not know or even think to feed.
Hopefully I will see you guys on another whizz very soon. If you ever want to discuss anything or have any question do not hesitate to ask 😃
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I’m finding reading your “articles” really interesting. I have a problem I don’t do facebook (tried it & thought was utter “rox”) & note that you make ref’ to various fb accounts. Would I be able to find them elsewhere?
One thing you’ve said is the feeding of garlic. This surprised me as I’ve read alliums (onion family) are toxic; happy to be corrected.
I’ve got a 2 1/2 yr GSP and have often thought about this route.
What’s the best entrance to Sutton Park to avoid young families? Saff isn’t dangerous, but she’s so powerful that I worry about her knocking a toddler over when in full flight. I’m just down the road in Coventry.
Go easy I work outdoors (horticul’) & so am a bit of a techno’ ludite.
Regards,
Jon.
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Hi Jon, have you read my garlic article? That should explain everything.
As far as sutton park, i rarely see youg children anywhere other that Sutton Town Gate.
I go to all the gates and have never had a problem with Children. Id just avoid saturday and sunday between 12-3 at town gate. The rest of the park is Doggy Heaven!!
Id be happy to meet you and Saff any time in Sutton Park for some crazy pointer fun! Not many can keep up with GSP’s and Vizslas so when they get together they can have a real good play and run, run, run!!
Kind regards
James
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Hi! I’ve read on various raw feeding sites that during the transition its recommended to feed higher than 10% bone, to prevent diarrhea. Just wondering what you think of this? I’m planning on trying out 12% bone with my dogs. I’ve read percentages as high as 25%! I’d never feed them that high.
Thanks!
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Hi Darcy,
Yes i very much belive in starting on a higher bone content for the first few weeks. Even as high as 25%! There will be no problem feeding that much bone for a few weeks.
Thats why i suggest starting dogs on higher bone meats such as chicken backs and wings.
Raw feeding should be about balance over time not balance per meal so dont worry if one day you give a 40% bone ratio (lambs neck). Just make sure the meal before and after is boneless. Same with offal. I feed 5% liver every day but the other 5% which could be kidney or another offal is fed in a larger amount every three days. As long as you have balance over time your dog will thrive.
I hope that helps 😃👍
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Great, thanks so much! I will increase their bone intake to 15% and see how that goes!
I find the weekly menus you post of Luna and Hendrix’s food really helpful! Thanks for sharing them 🙂
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Your welcome. Glad they help 😊
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What percentage of bone do you think are in lamb ribs? I was thinking 45-50%? I bought some recently and don’t want to feed them until I know for sure.
Thanks!
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That sounds about right.
Don’t get too hung up on percentages anyway. It doesn’t have to be exact. It’s more of a guideline which can be balanced out over time. 👍😊
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I recently found a raw dog food company in my area that supplies green tripe. The only thing is, they sell it in a ground form along with beef bone meal and beef meat (all mixed together). I know your never supposed to feed beef bones, but what do you think of beef bone meal? Should I avoid it?
Thanks!
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If the bone is ground they that’s great. There’s nothing wrong with the bones nutritionally it’s just the possibility of fracturing a tooth on them because they are so hard.
👍
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We show beagles and have had our dogs on raw for almost 2 years. We are about to get a new beagle puppy. He will be 9 weeks and will be coming to us not on a raw diet. I am nervous about feeding him and making sure he gets all the proper items for his proper growth. As well we have started recently decreasing our vaccines and am wondering what would be recommended by others for vaccines. Thank you
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Honesty I have vaccinated my dogs this year but I wish I hadn’t! We are getting married in September and the dogs are having to stay in Kennels for 11 nights while we are on honeymoon and all the kennels in the area demand that they are vaccinated. I also plan to take them abroad towards the end of the year too and vaccination is a requirement.
I personally believe vaccinating does more bad than good which is based on books and articles which I have read but I have never seen two dogs compared together one jabbed and one not. I have knows dogs die of the diseases vaccinated against but I also know of a few who died from the vaccination itself.
I think you just need to do as much research as you can and make the best decision you feel for your dog.
In terms of your pup getting all the nutrients it needs from raw, of course it would 😃 certainly more than they would be getting from kibble!
If you type puppy into the search at the top you will find a article on puppy feeding. It also comes with a one week diet for my 8 week old puppy. All you have to do is alter the portion size to fit your dogs needs 👍
Hope that helps 🙂
James
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About how long would 7 kg of tripe last your dogs? Both my dogs are eating 3.25% of their weight (one is 27 kg and the other is 22 kg). Just asking because my green tripe supplier wants to know the regularity of my order, and they sell in 7 kg boxes. Thanks!
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I feed anywhere from none – 454g a day. Most of the time I will split a 454g back between the two of them. So if I fed that everyday for one dog you are looking at 25 days. So add the days I don’t feed it 7kg should last over a month. 👍
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About what percentage of Luna and Hendrix’s diet is fish? Just curious because I’m about to introduce fish to my dogs. Thanks!
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They have a fish meal (mackerel, salmon, sardines..) twice a week 🙂
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I recently heard that red meat needs to make up the majority of a dogs raw diet. In 8 months of raw feeding this is the first I’ve heard of this. My pups get lots of red meat from various animals (beef, lamb, moose, bison), so I would estimate it is the majority of their diet. Anyways, is this true? What do you think of this?
Thanks!
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No this is not true.
Feeding a variety of red meat, poultry and fish is extremely important in ensuring your dog has a balanced diet and gets all the vits, minerals and essential amino acids they need.
Even different types of poultry for example chicken and turkey have much different amino acid profiles, so switching up meats is important.
Also it’s not just amino and minerals which differ between meats. The fat can be very different too.
Poultry is high in polyunsaturated fats (especially linoleic acid) and low in saturated fat and DHA. And omegas.
Red meat is high in saturated fat and low in Polyunsaturated and DHA and omegas.
Oily fish is typically rich in DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) packed with Omega 3, 6 and 9!
So the more variety you can give the better 👍
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Thanks! Someone said that on the Raw Feeding Community on Facebook. Several people argued variety is far more important, like you said.
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What do you use to prevent heart worm? As far as I know, there’s no natural remedy for preventing heart worm. Since it’s spread via Mosquito bites, the only thing I can think would be to use mosquito repellant of some kind. Thoughts, opinions?
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Heart worm is the same as all other parasites and prevention is the same way using garlic and Diatomaceous earth. Also garlic is a natural mosquito repellent anyway.
Make sure you do a worm count every 3 months and then you can stay on top of things if they were to contract any type of worm or parasite.
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How much garlic do you feed, and how often? I haven’t fed my dogs any garlic yet. Flea/mosquito season is pretty short in my area of Canada, but I’m planning on using more natural methods this time around. Do you use Apple cider vinegar as flea/mosquito repellant?
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I don’t use ACV as a repellant but I do feed it. I didn’t know it carried those properties.
Type parasite into the search bar at the top right and you will see my post on how much garlic to use 😊👍
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Hello we follow each other on Instagram my dog is captain_the_gsp. We live in Florida and captain is on purina pro plan also and as he gets older (7 months now) he has been eating less and less. I would like to get some advice on what kind of raw beef I can feed him and how I should go about it.
Thanks,
Kyle
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Hi Kyle, you can feed any beef from head to toe of a cow. The only thing to not feed would be the large leg bones as they are far too hard.
Also you would need to feed more than just beef. The diet your be as varied as possible to ensure you are giving them as much vitamins and minerals, different types of fat and amino acid profiles as possible.
If you follow the page book marked how to start at the top that should give you all the info you need to know 😊👍🏻
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Thank you! We will hopefully start soon. By the way Luna and Hendrix are excellent dogs!
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Thank you Kyle 😁
Good luck, if you have any questions I’d be happy to help.
James 😊
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Hi James
I desperately need reassurance and some advice. We got our GSP puppy, Flora, on 12/7 at seven weeks old. After a long journey I was impressed that she chewed a chicken leg reasonably well given it was her first experience of raw food. I had green tripe bought and ready BUT….. due to the horrific smell we just couldn’t do it – and that was a big part of my plan to have her on tripe to start with. Through the week she has had bits and pieces of chicken, a bit of yoghurt, tinned sardines. I also gave her a little goats milk to drink which she seems to like. Poo was fine.
Today I’ve given her a few pieces of beef, whether it was that or the mixture with a little fruit and yoghurt and sardine followed by milk but she shortly afterwards, threw up four times. I wouldn’t say she was a keen eater at any point after the very first time she ate. She put on 1 kg in weight over the first week. Four x per day seem to be too often for her. Or maybe it is my impression? She is very reluctant to eat from the bowl well and so I have been encouraging her by feeding her a bit at a time by hand. Do you think that is a mistake?
I just don’t see her being excited enough about food – especially after today’s big throwing up – so I’m worried. Any advice would be really gratefully received as I value your site greatly and have read it umpteen times!
Thanks
Bozena
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Hi Bozena,
First of all suck it up! Haha
Green tripe is THE best thing you could possibly feed your dog. Honestly. Scrap anything else if you want, it really doesn’t matter. But green tripe is THE thing to make sure your feeding because it’s so nutrient dense and full of amazing pro biotics, good bacteria, not to mention immune system strengthening properties. It stinks and is disgusting but it’s the best thing for them so we just have to put up with the smell while putting it into the bowl and make sure you clean up well after.
Also a guarantee she will be more than excited to eat a bowl of tripe 👍🏻😂
Perhaps she is not good with beef? But also I wouldn’t be feeding any fruit or veg at this stage either. That may be a factor in it.
If you feel like 4 times a day is too much for your dog then try with 3. I recommend 4 times a day until they are 12 weeks old just because I like the flush the pups with nutrients in this massive growth phase.
In my opinion feeding by hand is a mistake and will certainly create or reinforce a fussy eater. If she doesn’t eat, don’t worry. Cover it up and add what she didn’t eat into the next meal.
When Hendrix was a young pup he never used to bother about breakfast. He would eat about 150g out of 400g but then for his next meal I would add the remaining 250g with his 400g and he would eat the lot. So give that ago next time 😊
Hope that helps 👍🏻
James
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Hi James
I’m sorry I haven’t thanked you for your reply back in July – I got a bit confused and expected an e mail…. So thank you now! Our GSP, Flora, is nearly 6 months and she is doing very well. I’m glad to say I did persevere with the green tripe – but I changed suppliers to little packs from Pets At Home – and they don’t seem to ‘reek’ as much!
Every morning I also give her Diatomaceous Earth and I’m keen to check her blood at the vets when she goes for her 6 month appointment. I recommend it to everybody and, of course, I know about it from your site – very grateful.
A couple of days ago I met a lady with two beautiful wire haired vizslas at Portobello beach. I’m sure she will get in touch with you as she is going through the muddle of switching to raw. Your site – obviously – will be absolutely perfect for her.
Thanks again for your sound advice to me and everybody – wonderful!
Does anybody know of a good supplier in Scotland of whole rabbits/hares?
Best Wishes and Regards
Bozena
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Hi Bozena,
That’s wonderful. It really does make it worth while when I get feedback like this.
Unfortunately I don’t know anyone up north who deals with rabbits. My advice to you would be to get in touch with local shoots and find out from the game keepers or farm owners who clears up the vermin on their land.
Also a good place to try would be an Air Rifle group on Facebook. There is one called Scottish Air Rifles and Pistol Association.
There will be many lads on there with local permissions who shoot rabbits on a regular. It’s worth a shot 😉
Good luck,
James
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Hi James,
We are getting our Vizsla pup in October (suuuuuper duper excited)!
Just wanted to say how useful I’m finding your site/instagram. I have been doing lots of research intro diets in preparation for her arrival, and now know I will definitely be feeding a raw diet.
Luna and Hendrix are beautiful! Hopefully we’ll meet them someday at a Viz Whizz 🙂
Cheers-
Hayley
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Hi Hayley,
Sorry ive only just seen this :O
How wondeful, good luck!! I bet you cant wait 😀
Im glad you find it useful and if you have any questions when your pup arrives feel free to ask and I will do my best to help.
Also if your on Facebook i would highly recommend joining a group called ‘Vizslas Raw and Natural’. It a group full of very helpful and knowledgeable people who follow the same natural approach as me.
Shout me up on instagram when your pup comes home because theres nothing better than looking at Vizsla puppy photos 😀
Regards
James
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Hi there
I was wondering if you might be able to help me with a raw feeding question.
We have just switched out Viz onto a diet – because we don’t have the time to make our own we have switched to Nutriment raw food. She loves it and seems to be doing well on the raw. The only problem is she seems to have lost a lot of weight. Which was good because she was slightly over weight in kibble, but now looks a bit too skinny.
So my question is can you recommend any good things to add to her diet to bulk her up a bit?
She was 25.9kg on kibble.
Not sure what she weighs now, but is too skinny. We feed her 500g a day of Nutriment a day and either a duck neck or chicken wing as a snack. She also has pizzle and various other treats during the day.
Any help you could give as to things we could maybe add to her diet to ‘bulk up’ a little bit would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Jamie
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Hi Jamie,
First thing to note is that female vIzsla breed standard is 20kg. Not that I pay any attention to that though as they do come in all sizes now. My Luna is 25kg and is very conditioned.
But what you should be looking for is you should see her ribs when she is moving, the bottom half while still and none while seated. If you can see ribs while seated she is underweight.
As a guideline an adult dog on raw should be eating between 2-3% body weight. So say a 20kg dog would eat between 400-600g to maintain their weight.
Vizslas being an extremely active breed may need more. But each dog is different and you should use your eyes to gauge whether they need more or less.
My 2 year old female eats 4% body weight. Yet my 1yo make eats 4% too which is low for a pup, but he personally doesn’t need it whereas my female who is just as active needs much more for her weight.
The best food for weight gain is green tripe. Tripe is not that high in calories and is actually quite low fat. But what it does is all the digestive enzymes and high vitamin content help the dog to absorb nutrients. Thus aiding in healthy weight gain. If you don’t already feed it I would highly recommend you do. It is THE best thing you could feed your dog hands down. If you type green tripe into the search you will find a post I wrote on it called ‘the stink on tripe’.
Other than that it is simply adding more fat to the dogs diet. Lamb and pork are great sources. Always worth popping into your local butchers to see if they have any lamb necks or pigs trotters knocking about. They are great and help keep the dogs teeth nice a clean while providing you with a hour of peace and quite.
Coconut oil is an amazing product for dogs too. The benefits of it are fantastic. You can pick it up from eBay for around £4 and a teaspoon every two days will be enough for you to see a change in her coat. Of course it being fat, it will also help to add weight to your dog. Type coconut oil into the search too and see what I wrote about it.
So, more food, tripe, fatty meats and coconut oil 👍🏻
Do not fall into the trap of adding carbohydrates. Dogs simply do not need them and are counter productive to their health.
I hope that help
Kind regards
James 😊
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Hi James
Thanks for your response, really helpful.
I had heard that green trip was good so I will give that a go and keep up the chicken wings eyc during the day.
We calculated that the 500g of nutriment is 2% body weight (at 25kg). So should be about right now she’s lost some weight and now that we’re supplementing the food.
What’s the most cost effective way to buy tripe – any ideas?
Thanks
Jamie
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Hi James
Thanks for your response, really helpful.
I had heard that green tripe was good so I will give that a go and keep up the chicken wings etc during the day.
We calculated that the 500g of nutriment is 2% body weight (at 25kg). So should be about right now she’s lost some weight and now that we’re supplementing the food.
What’s the most cost effective way to buy tripe – any ideas?
Thanks
Jamie
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Hi Jamie,
like I said for a Viz 2% is quite low. 3% would be 750g. So 500g may be a little low. Upping slightly will have a big impact I’m sure.
You can buy tripe from any Rawfeeding company. But you can also pick it up from pets at home for a slightly higher price.
I buy mine from a Farm shop who sells DAF but Google Landywoods, Rawtdoor, MAnifold Valley Mince… And you will find somewhere close I’m sure.
It cost 60p per 500g for tripe where I go.
My dogs get 2kg between them and feeding nutriment or other ‘company’ product is just way too expensive for me. I spend £64 per month to feed my two and it only takes me 1-1.5hours a month to sort out into bags.
If your happy going down the complete route then that’s fine. But it is extremely over priced.
You could also get tripe from a local abattoir but you need a licence to buy from there. Which I believe is not hard to obtain.
Hope that helps. Let me know if you find somewhere 🙂
James
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Help !! I have just changed my V diet to raw and have found your site extremely useful however my V won’t entertain chicken wings, thighs or fresh chopped chicken. He will only eat it minced !! I am fully aware of the benefits of him eating chicken wings (dental care) and it is this reason I seek advice on how to encourage him plus it might help his meals last longer than 4 mins. He is 18 weeks. Thanks Sharon
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Hi Sharon, don’t worry this is not an abnormal thing. You may find that your dog just doesn’t know what to do. The first thing to try would be to heavily score the wings/thighs so there is lots of flesh showing.
If that doesn’t work try and feed frozen. Some dogs can just be funny with textures.
It’s usually the other way around and dogs don’t like mince.
But if neither of those things work then don’t worry either. You just have a diva dog hahah
Carry on feeding your mince and them try other things like lamb necks or something similar.
Let me know how you get on 😊👍🏻
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Hi James
I need your advice in the hope of avoiding a visit to the vet! Our GSP, Flora, is now past 7 months and I think she is doing very well: growing steadily, full of energy, beautiful coat and a lovely nature.
Last Friday she was sick a few times during the night and then she was fine through the day and then after her evening meal she was sick again. The sick was really just undigested pieces of chicken and bones (organic carcasses from a trustworthy source). It did not even ‘smell’. After 2 days she was sick again this evening. She had eaten her chicken and lamb with bones at 4pm and at 9pm she just emptied her stomach – again all solid and undigested.
I don’t know what to think about it. She does not have diarrhoea and has not eaten too much or too quickly. She has been a little whiney through the day when she was lying down but I just thought she was missing company as the house was quiet today. Is it possible that it could be that she is going off chicken because the two days she was not sick she had no chicken in her diet and both times she was sick she had eaten chicken?
I’m a little puzzled and am beginning to worry. What do you think?
Best Regards
Bozena
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Hi Bozena
It may very well be that she is allergic to Chicken. The only way to really know is eliminate it from her diet completely for a couple of weeks.
If all is normal then introduce it again slowly. If you find she is sick again then you will know its the chicken.
Another possibility is that the PH levels of her stomach are not as strong as they should be.
The main reason why this may be would if if you were feeding raw along side kibble or giving dog biscuits or other grains as treats.
If you are giving these treats/food I would stop immediately and also then try to two weeks off chicken and then introduce it again slowly.
Green tripe will help strengthen her gut. So if you have access to that I would give her some with every meal.
I hope that helps.
Kind regards
James
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Dearest James
I am hurt…..Dog ‘biscuits’! Other grains!….KIBBLE!!!! ……
Hi James
Thanks, as always, for your reply. I’m beginning to consider an allergy to chicken as you suggested which is such a shame because I’ve just found a lovely organic farm for sourcing carcasses etc
Lucky Flora was today on a great piece of rabbit and has been fine so far – though it’s early evening yet. Thanks to our earlier correspondence I never gave up on feeding her beef tripe. Having said that somebody I know said recently to me that lamb tripe is ‘better’ for them than beef. Any view?
I will keep her off chicken for some time then see how she handles it.
Thank you so much for reassuring us and for your suggestions….apart from the kibble episode!
Hope your lot are thriving
Best Regards
Bozena
ps We have at Portobello beach a 13 week old vizslas puppy who is just the cutest little beast!
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Hahaha please except my sincerest of apologies.
Unfortunately I am seeing an increase of people thinking its OK to feed both and is not causing their dog any harm to their dog.
I just don’t see the sense behind it because these same people obviously know the benefits of a species appropriate diet and of course the huge negatives in kibble. Yet they feed both.
Usually either people who are thinking with their wallets or are sceptical about nutritional balance and “wish to cover all corners..” 🙈
As for the tripe. Honestly nutritionally there is no difference. However I hear there are slightly different amino acids due to different types of fat from the animals.
Just like muscle meats it’s ideal to feed as wide range as possible because all meats have a different amino complex.
Same goes for tripe. If you can feed both.
Honestly I only feed beef tripe, simply because that’s what’s available in my local animal shop.
If I had the choice I would buy both.
Hope you figure out if chicken is the culprit and sorry again for the junk food comment 😜
Kind regards
James
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Greetings from sunny Portobello!
Thanks, as always, for your reassurance and I am glad that there is no difference between beef and lamb tripe as the lamb is much harder to find.
So far it looks like no chicken, no sickness for Flora. I’m trying to get my head round how a dog can develop an allergy to such a delicate meat. Have you come across this previously?
I do have another couple of queries I hope you can help me with….. Flora gets, at most, 3 whole eggs – including shells – a week. Do you think this is too little or too much? What do you think is the ideal number?
I take it, also, that eggs would not have the same potential effect allergy wise as chicken?
Flora also does not take fresh fish so I give her the occasional tin of sardines in brine. Do you think this is a reasonable alternative?
There is very little I can give you in return for all your help and support but perhaps I can share with you a neat little recipe for liver dog ‘biscuits’?
500g liver blitzed in a blender
400g coconut flour
2 eggs
4 tbsp water
pinch of crushed garlic
tsp turmeric
tsp cinnamon
mix well and flatten on a baking tray
bake for 30minutes at 180 degrees celcius
Thanks again for all help!
KindRegards
Bozena
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Thanks for the recipe! I will definitely give it a go 🙂
According to my vet, chicken is the most likely allergy of all the meats. Personally I’m not sure about that claim but I do know a number of doggies who are allergic to chicken.
I give eggs possibly 3-4 times a week. Again this is just a case of balanced nutrition. It’s certainly not going to harm giving an egg every day but in terms of balanced nutrition egg with sell 3 times a week is great.
Fresh fish can also be something dogs either love or can be put off by.
My advice for you would be to try giving her the fresh fish frozen.
As usually the issue is with the texture and once froZen you usually find they eat it. If that doesn’t work try frozen chopped up.
But if she’s still not on it. Tinned fish in oil is a decent substitute.
Make sure it’s oily fish like sardines or mackerel not tuna as tuna contains lots of Mercury. Don’t use brine as it’s obviously salty so not good for dogs. Sunflower oil or olive oil is great and will provide with added benefits.
Good luck. Let me know how she gets on.
Kind regards
James
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Hi
I have a Portuguese pointer (14 months old) and he has been on Natural Instinct (raw) for around 7 months. I would never go back to kibble, ever!
My question, if you can help,
I will be away on holiday for 3 weeks and Leo will be looked after. It’s not possible for them to store all the frozen food he will need. Is there any “ready” food on the market you would recommend?
Thanks in advance!
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Hi Yelda,
So sorry I didn’t see this message until now.
To be brutally honest my advice would be to change where Leo is boarding.
When you leave you dog somewhere you should be safe in the knowledge that they will do everything in the best interest of your dog. For me nutrition is the main concern. Not just for their happiness but their health.
Natures Menu make a freeze dried dog food. However this is very expensive!
If you have no other option than to look for a dry food I would suggest getting a completely grain free, Eden would probably the best and is what I would go for if I had no other option.
Where do you live?
I run a home boarding business in West Midland and the majority of the dogs who board with us are raw fed.
I feed the dogs out of my own supply including coconut oil and various other additions. Also all the treats I give the dogs are grain and carbohydrate free. I make most of them myself.
James
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Hi James,
Thanks for taking the time to reply to me! I have managed to negotiate having the frozen food delivered to the boarding place at £5 a go every 4/5 days. i nearly offered to buy her a small freezer 😳
I have been so stressed with which food to substitute the raw with its crazy. There is just no substitute unless I can print money!
I have been following you on your Instagram page, pretty pointers, and love the photos! I wish I did live closer as I would not hesitate in leaving Leo with you guys. Unfortunately, I live on the outskirts of London and is just too far. I wish you luck with your boarding (not that you need it) and with any future rescues 👍🏻
Thanks again for your reply much appreciated
Yelda
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Hey thanks for sharing the link.
I was wondering if I could do a mix of raw food and kibble for my V. I don’t have time to continuously raw feed. I am worried about keeping her joints healthy. Is there something simple I can give her once or twice a week to help keep her strong?
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It’s not advised to feed a mix because of the different digestion rates. Also you wouldn’t get all the health benefits associated with natural diet as you would still be giving junk.
Raw egg shells contain more glucosamine than a human grade joint tablet.
Also thing like oily fish will help also.
Their are lots of ways to feed raw to make it less ‘time consuming’.
Search for raw complete meals and you will find them already boxed up and portioned. It’s much more expensive but if that’s all you can do that’s all you can do.
It takes me a hour a month to bag all their food up. Then I empty into their bowls.
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Hi, I currently feed my two (WHV &GSPX) on natural instinct pre prepared raw diet but am planning on moving over to the plan you’ve recommended. Do I need to add anything else to it such as eggs, fruit, veg or any other supplements?
I am also buying a food dehydrator and will try your recipe but was wondering if liver and chicken works well in it?
Many thanks. Tracy
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Hi Tracy, You can add all of the above if you wish. I feed eggs around 3 times a week.
Veg isn’t needed in the diet however theres no denying that many love it and they can still absorb some nutrients from it so there is no harm in giving them.
As for supplements I feed Turmeric, Coconut Oil and a few times a week I give Smart Barf. None of these supplements are really needed but they all provide fantastic extra benefits to the dogs.
All the organs work well in the dehydrator. Chicken is fine too but make sure you remove all the skin otherwise it will take forever. The leaner the meat the easier it is to dehydrate. Good luck 🙂 James
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Hi James
I was in touch with you about a year ago re Flora, our GSP. She is nearly two now and thriving on her raw diet however, we think she seems to have some sort of pollen allergy. She has swollen ears and eyes, she is scratching a lot. The vet gave her a steroid injection and we are keeping her out of the fields – for now. Last year she did do a lot of sneezing around the same time. We are struggling to find how best to help her. It is reassuring that lots of sites are suggesting that the raw diet helps if not clears. I’m just wondering if you have come across raw fed dogs having allergies and what can be done to help them? Any info will be enormously appreciated. Hope all your crew are well. Kindest regards, Bozena
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I’ve been feeding my Vizsla raw food from day one and she seems to be doing just fine. In the beginning I gave her a multivitamin pill, as recommended by her breeder. However, several months later she began refusing them and now stopped all together. She is 13 months old and eats a pretty balanced diet, but I wonder if she really needs these supplements. Should I force her to take them (try to mix them in the food), or just leave them for a while? Please advise. Thank you.
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