Relocating to Chatt and need BARF Supplier (Memphis, Chattanooga: co-op, buying)

[Thornbury150]

If you know what BARF stands for - you are for me! I feed a natural, raw diet to my show dogs and am looking for a supplier in the Chattanooga (or surrounding areas). I don't so much feed the BARF products, as I want someone that can get me the cuts/supplements/organs that I need and want that I can buy in bulk.

I never thought to post the question here, until doing my search and found someone in the same situation post for Memphis and got lots of suggestions.

Thanks in advance!

[Jon F Moss]

I do t know what it is. But I gotta know now. I gotta know!

[Thornbury150]

LOL...I feed my dogs a raw diet based on lots of research. BARF is a Bones and Raw Food diet, but I don't so much follow that as my own path that works for me and my dogs. However, if someone here knows where to buy BARF foods, then I will know where to go get the stuff I need. The closest raw feeder co-op is up by Nashville and while I do buy in bulk, I'm not sure how far that, or Murfreesboro, is for me. Some of the things I look for are the enormous Tom necks, Duck Frames, Rabbit Frames, Chicken Scraps, organs, et al. Kinda nasty, but my dogs have never been healthier or looked better so I stick with it.

[Grey_Day]

I feed my dogs raw also. They too look amazing - if anyone wants to hear a major turn-around story thanks to a change in diet, I have it.

I have friends who hunt, they bring in organ meat and other cuts they don't want.
I find pig stomach, chicken hearts & livers at the grocery store.
Turkey necks, chicken legs, wings... the whole chicken at one store or another.
Pork & the occasional bit of beef aslo come from the store. Sometimes I can get organic beef - usually a "cooking bone" which is great for them to work the marrow out of - from a friend who has a grass-fed beef farm in my area (his farm is in Lyerly, but he delivers all the way to Chattanooga).
On busy days, or days when the meat wasn't thawed yet, we give them salmon from a can. One dog didn't respond well to mackarel, and the price of it kept going up so salmon works fine.

I weigh, package and freeze my dog's meals myself. I re-use the same old containers from buying butter or sour cream rather than plastic bags.

I'd love to have sources for more things though! I'd go in on buying a whole cow to freeze up if others want to do the same.

[Thornbury150]

Grey-Day, I don't do a lot of fish as my dogs just don't care for it. They get the wild salmon oil, but that's every day and their only source. I did find a co-op up by Nashville that specializes in raw feeding and found out they get the cuts of lamb, beef shanks, etc that I like. Once I actually get into Chatt and go buy a few months worth, I always cut, package and store my own...and reuse the containers after they've been washed out.

My sister in TX breeds beef cattle and I could buy half a cow at any time, I just always found it was easier storage wise to get the variety I wanted every few months...but if I had someone to split a side with, that'd be different.

I'm not sure how long of a drive Nashville is tho...

[Grey_Day]

I'd be fine with splitting a cow, or with carpooling to Nashville to get the other cuts of meat you mentioned. I think Nash is about an hour and a half from Chatt - it does get longer if someone goofs up on the mountain area there though.

My dogs aren't show dogs - they are just a couple of very lucky, very spoiled mutts. I try to keep the price of their diet down to a level really not much more expensive than a decent* kibble - much cheaper if you count that they've not needed to see a vet in four years.



Decent Kibble: would be defined as any that has meat as the first three ingredients, which has become nearly impossible to locate these days as most are mainly cornmeal and by-product meal - whatever that is.

[Thornbury150]

That's why I buy in bulk...I find that overtime, I get it cheaper. I had someone here in Houston, TX that I split my bulk meats and organs with and found that I could feed my crew of 5 for around $2 or $3 per day total...and they are big dogs and got only organic meat cuts. I will post here again when I get ready to move to see if you are still interested. Thankx!!