Frequently Asked Questions
中文版 FAQ 请按这里。
General
- ◄Is it suitable to feed Coco & Joe BARF to all breeds and all ages of dogs and cats?
- Coco & Joe BARF diet is suitable for all breeds of dogs and cats. Age 4 weeks old and above. Puppies and kittens should be dewormed first before starting on BARF diet.
- ◄Is Coco&Joe BARF nutritionally balanced for my dogs and cats to be taking it long term?
- Coco & Joe BARF has 16 years of experience in making BARF diet for dogs and cats. Our BARF diet recipes are formulated by our In-house certified raw dog food nutritionist. Our recipes are nutritionally tested at government approved laboratory and is suitable for long term use.
- ◄Is Coco & Joe BARF a complete meal? Do I have to feed my dog and cats any other supplements?
- Coco & Joe BARF diet is a complete meal. However, you can add coconit oil, fish oil, herbs or any natural suppliments to the serving. We also recommend you rotate the recipes so your dog and cats will be getting different protein sources.
- ◄Do I need to do anything to prep my dog before feeding BARF?
- If your dog has worms, the worms are likely to benefit from a BARF diet. We recommend that you ensure that your dog is properly dewormed before putting them on a BARF diet.
- ◄My dog/cat has skin allergies, will Coco & Joe help?
- Skin allergies come in many forms. It can be contact allergy (for example, allergic to the cleaning detergents we use) or food allergy. Food allergies can be from the gluten or certain chemicals that is in the food or they are allergic to certain overly processed protein in the food. Coco & Joe BARF is a natural dog/cat food with no preservatives, no artificial flavouring, no gluten. It is made from 100% human grade ingredients.
- ◄My dog/cat has kidney issues, can he/she take Coco & Joe?
- We have not done any research on dogs with kidney issues with BARF diet. However, we have a few customers' dogs with CKD issues that are doing well on BARF diet. In general we do not recommend Coco & Joe BARF diet for end stage kidney patient.
- ◄My vet does not recommend a raw diet. How do I know Coco & Joe is safe?
- Most Vets do not agree with raw feeding based on a number of reasons:
1) Raw food is made from poor quality ingredients like meat dust
2) They worry about bacteria in raw food
3) There is no nutritional testing
4) They worry about Trichinosis and also pork tapeworms
Coco & Joe BARF diet is made from the freshest human grade ingredients we can find and we do not use meat dust or low quality meat. This will lower the chance of any bacteria contamination. We freeze our raw diet at negative 20 degree celcius to kill off live bacteria and parasites. Dogs' stomach acids can deal with the residue bacteria. We do not use raw pork in our recipes as pork may contain pork tapeworms and also cause trichinosis. Coco & Joe BARF diet is nutritionally tested and we have tested the recipes on many dogs over the past 16 years. We are the only BARF diet brand that is available in veterinary clinics.
- ◄How often should I deworm my dog/cat? Do I need to deworm more often if they are on raw food?
- Deworming schedule should be every 3 months for adults and every month for puppies/kittens below 6 months old. Dogs and cats can get parasites from their mother or from the environment therefore deworming schedule should be the same for kibbles or raw fed dogs/cats. We freeze our BARF diet below negative 20 degrees celcius and this will kill off any live parasites.
Feeding and Serving
- ◄How do I serve Coco & Joe?
- Coco & Joe BARF diet can be served frozen, slightly frozen or thawed. Some dogs like them frozen so they can chew and exercise their teeth. Some like it completely thawed. Most cats like it completely defrosted.
- ◄Can I cook/heat it up before serving them to my dogs?
- Cooking may destroy the nutrients and also the natural enzyme in raw food. Therefore is generally not recommended to cook it. Cooking also destroy Taurine that is so important in a cat diet. You can warm it up by placing Coco & Joe BARF diet in a stainless steel bowl and place the bowl in warm water to warm it up. Warming barf diet this way will not cook the raw diet. Most dogs like it cold but for old, sick dogs or young puppies, you can try warming the BARF diet. After the raw diet is warmed up, it should be consumed as soon as possible.
- ◄Can I mix Coco & Joe with other dog food that I’m currently feeding?
- Raw food has different digestion time from processed food. You can feed kibbles and BARF diet at a separate time. Mixing them together can cause soft stool. You can try feeding kibbles in the morning and BARF diet at night.
- ◄How much do I feed them?
- Adults: Feed 2% to 4% of its body weight per day. If you feel your dog is thin, then start with 4% of its body weight per day and then reassess it later. If you have an overweight dog, then start with 2%. Monitor your dog's weight regularly to adjust the amount you feed.
Puppies: Feed 3% to 6% its body weight per day. Divide the daily amount into 2 to 4 meals. (Note: Remember to weigh your puppy at least once a week as they grow so fast and you want to ensure they are fed the correct amount of BARF).
Bitches in whelp: Feed as per normal in the first 4 weeks of pregnancy. Increase to 3% to 4% of her body weight from week 5 to week 7. Increase to 4% to 6% in the last 2 weeks of pregnancy. Monitor your dog's weight regularly to adjust the amount you feed.
Transitioning and Reaction
- ◄My dog is currently on a dry food/kibble diet, can I switch to Coco & Joe straight away?
- There are two ways to switch to Coco & Joe.
1) Fast switch: This means you can introduce Coco & Joe BARF immediately after you stop your dog's current diet. But please be mindful that this may be more suitable for healthy young dogs and some dogs do very well with fast switch, but some may require the slow switch.
2) Slow switch: A dog that has never taken a raw meal before may not be able to digest raw food initially, so it is recommended that you introduce the BARF diet slowly. Start 25% of their daily amount (and 75% current diet), then increase to 50% (and 50% current diet) and gradually work towards 100%. Adding a tablespoon of plain yogurt to the meal will help with the process.
- ◄I’ve just started my dog on Coco & Joe and my dog broke out in rashes/vomited/experienced diarrhea/loose stools - is this normal?
- Dogs changing to raw diet may experience some detoxification. Some do not experience detoxification at all. Their symptoms may include vomiting, loose stool and pimples/rashes. These symptoms are usually transient and mild and do not cause any serious issues. Cats usually don’t experience detoxification.
- ◄How do I know any of the symptoms above isn’t anything more serious?
- Usually these symptoms are mild. If your dog is active and is eating and drinking as per normal and the body temperature is normal then there should not be any reason to worry.
- ◄My dog has been drink less water than usual since starting Coco&Joe BARF, is there something wrong? How do I get them to drink more water?
- Drinking less water while on a BARF diet is fairly common as raw foods contain as high as 70% in moisture, in comparison to kibbles/dry food which contains only 10% moisture. If your dog is as active as usual and does not appear to be any different then they will be fine.
Storing
- ◄Is there an expiry date for Coco & Joe products?
- The expiry date is one year if kept frozen. All Coco & Joe products will be labelled with an expiry date. If it is thawed at room temperature then it should not be re-frozen and has to consumed within 4 hours.
- ◄Can I put Coco & Joe products in the fridge?
- Coco & Joe BARF is preservative free so it has to be kept frozen. It is safe for 24 hours on the fridge level (2 to 4 degree Celcius).
- ◄My dog/cat won’t eat it - what do I do?
- Our food is totally free from any artificial flavouring. If your dog/cat are used to some very strong smelling food then it may need some time to adjust to BARF diet. Some patience is needed.
- ◄The meat smells weird - what do I do?
- Coco & Joe BARF diet is preservative free so if it smell funny and do not look fresh(become grey or there is frozen blood on the side of the package) then it may be thawed before or has not kept frozen properly. Please return to the seller and we will replace the pack for you.
- ◄How do I know if the food has gone bad?
- Normally Coco & Joe BARF diet will look pinkish except for the duck recipe that looks a bit yellowish. If you see white or grey colour, or frozen blood on the side of the pack then it may not be fresh. Please return to the seller and we will replace the pack for you. Usually dogs and cats will not eat them if it has gone bad.
Direct to Home Deliveries by tadaa!
- ◄I'd like a delivery to my house, is it available?
- Delivery services to your address is also available in Shah Alam, Puchong, Petaling Jaya, Subang Jaya, Kuala Lumpur, Seri Kembangan, Putrajaya, Cyberjaya, and Kajang. These delivery services are provided by tadaa!. You may place your orders here: https://tadaa.my/collections/cocoandjoe-barf-for-cats-and-dogs
- ◄Are there any minimum order or delivery fees?
- The minimum order and delivery areas are as follows.
Petaling Jaya, Subang Jaya, Shah Alam, Puchong, Kuala Lumpur, Seri Kembagan addresses
RM50 Minimum order, Free deliveries on C&J orders above RM200. Delivery fees up to RM20 depending on location.
Cyberjaya, Putrajaya, Kajang
RM150 Minimum order, Free deliveries on C&J orders above RM300. Delivery fees up to RM50 depending on location.
- ◄I've placed my order on tadaa.my, what happens now?
- tadaa.my team will contact you to arrange for the delivery of your order. They will schedule a delivery time and date that is suitable for you. Generally speaking, the deliveries would be made Monday to Friday between 10am to 5pm. If you are at an office location, then a cooler box can be provided for you that can store the frozen food for up to 5 hours.