After posting my last lot of questions in the wrong place thought i would continue with my list in the right place!

Everyone mentions freezing the food, is this for convenience like bulk buying ar does the meat have to be frozen first to kill "stuff" off?

I live in a quiet place with no butchers just 2 small supermarkets and i don't drive, ive noticed Pets at Home sell frozen meat/fish which is suitable to be fed raw, is it ok just to feed this or do they need the proper bones? (as keen as i am on the idea of raw feeding, i really don't know if i can overcome my choking phobia).

Can i just strip the meat off? (so i don't have to give the bones) maybe i just need to see a shrink!

Thanks again

Sam

I think it's a case of getting in a good supply that most of us freeze their food. I freeze freshly shot rabbits to kill off the internal parasites, also any fleas that might be on them. I don't go in to town that much so have a weekly delivery from a butcher in the next village, so as I have enough to feed 9 dogs in a week I have no choice but to freeze it!
Food bought from the local butcher or supermarket is fit for human consumption so it should not be contaminated with anything so it doesn't need freezing to kill off things where dogs are concerned.
They do need bones in their diet but not as much as you think, between 10-20% bone is fine, the emphasis should be more on the meat but they do need bone.
The stuff being sold at Pets at Home, is it just chunks of pure meat?
Sounds like it might be worth you contacting someone like Landywoods who do home deliveries of frozen raw food for dogs, there's quite a few members on here that order from Landywoods so I'm sure they'll chip in and tell you the things they buy and what they think of things in general

Sandy

pets at home do meat chunks, tripe chunks and all the different minces are ground up and include bone in that, I know several people who feed the pets at home stuff as the main raw diet for there dogs and then add a few chicken wings and the occasional pigs trotter as well.

Thanks Sandy, i have 2 bags in the freezer, 1 is Natures Menu contains 32% chicken, 28% tripe, 20% raw veg, 14% lamb, 3% liver, 3% heart - it doesn't say if the bones have been ground down. The other is Prize Choice Rabbit dinner which is just rabbit with whole chicken pieces minced it states that small bone pieces maybe present.

Can i get away with not feeding proper rabbit, as we have 2 as pets and i think i would feel a bit odd feeding rabbit!

Thanks Sam

Course you can! If you buy frozen food from a DEFRA recognised meat producer which is especially prepared for dogs, like Prize Choice or Forthglade they include bone in the packs all ground up with the meat but it's so good for your dogs every now and then, at least, to be able to lie out in the garden and chomp on a proper bone, it will knock any tartar off their teeth and keep their gums nice and healthy and give them a lot of pleasure at the same time