RAW Feeding (BARF/RMB) for newbies

[mrsphas]

Originally Posted by Shelley66

I don't believe in the Barf diet, a dog is a carnivore so it only needs meat, offal and bones. I suppose I am more of a Raw Meaty Bone person, though I don't stick to the rules of that 100% either.

Bones And Raw Food same as RMB, just that many forum, espec US/AUS ones wont accept the acronym barf as they consider it a rude/slang word for vomiting

People make feeding their dogs so difficult!! I don't weigh anything, I just feed the dogs, you soon get to know what amount to feed them. If they look like they have lost weight (feel their ribs and back) then I give them more meat, if they look like they are putting weight on then I cut back on what they are having. That simple.

#

simple for us who've been doing it years and are savvy enough with it to be guided by our dogs AND tell our vet that they are wrong

not so simple for those who are just starting out, are used to feeding as per dry or tinned food guidelines [be ready to be amazed at how little your dogs eat when feeding raw as opposed to dry/canned] and/or those whose vet is encouraging them to feed certain vet approved foods or telling them that chicken bones will kill their dog [yes COOKED ones will splinter DONT feed them] or that one cant rear good puppies, or, puppies of certain breeds on raw

Dogs can eat all meat... I only use meat that is for human consumption, apart from green tripe! When starting out on a raw diet you should stick to one protein until the dog gets used to it, chicken is often the one of choice... Or green tripe. Once you know the dog can cope with the one protein, then you try some of another and so on. Don't try adding offal (liver, heart, kidney ect) too soon as they are great for giving the dog an upset tum. And don't stress about a balanced diet, it doesn't need to be balanced on a daily or weekly basis.... just over a month or so. You don't see wolves eating a balanced diet, they eat what they can get hold of at the time.

yes actually wolves do eat a balanced diet, if theyre fealing ill or constipated they will eat more of the lights or stomach INCLUDING the contents therein, they will often feed their pups more boney stuff and less protein stuff to encourage good calcium absorption and healthy but slow growing bones, or, give smaller weaker pups more protein to build their muscles
they do it instinctively, our dogs rely on us to do it for them

And I don't mean cow leg bones, I mean backs, necks, and even tails from all animals.

please be very careful when feeding anything containing vertebrae [that includes tails], in the wild its not eaten and i know of a Carne Corso [a dog with a mouth, gullet and stomach which is hippo sized]who's having to be handfed soft food at the moment and very lucky to be alive, after a nasty incident whilst being fed meat containing vertebrae, it can get lodged in the esophagus if fed whole, even with a good chewer, which this dog most certainly is.
Latest advice is anything containing whole [instead of halved] vertebrae [including tails] should be avoided

My tip of the day.... If the dogs poo is loose, give more bone, if your dog is a bit constipated give liver!!

if fed correctly, your dogs poo should never be either

Oh and make sure that when you give a piece of meat and bone it is big enough that the dog can't just swallow it, that causes a risk of things getting stuck.

good advice and cannot be repeated often enough, if your worried about chicken wings, hold onto one whilst your dogs eat, itll soon get the idea if it chews you let go, or feed a FEW frozen, they HAVE to chew then

Raw fed, unvaccinated dogs ARE the healthiest!

please, even if you feed raw, get your dogs vaccinated, they might be healthy but they pose a risk to other dogs especially pregnant bitches and pups
if youve ever nursed and lost a dog with distemper or watched a pup die in your arms of parvo you'll never want to do it again
and
worm regularly without fail, more important on barf or rmb diet than any other
and
IF youre going to feed any wild rodent [although i still advise against it] or your dog, like mine is a hunter given the opportunity or a river swimmer, they should be vacc'd against lepto

ALERT --- personal opinion only
boosters however are a personal thing, i get my dogs blood tested rather than routinely revaccinate
IF, however theyve gone more than 5 yrs between boosters, then i always have them redone
i NEVER vaccinate for KC tho, as i have fancy rats and the KC jab, being live, can be lethal to them

[mrsphas]

Originally Posted by Shelley66

Does anyone who feeds a raw diet know if you can buy turkey wings anywhere?

from Landywood Pet Foods : Price List

65p for 454g but min order is £30 so youll either need a few dogs or a large freezer

[annabel]

I feed my two on a rough estimation of BARF & I'm happy that it's the right choice and it's costing next to nothing. HOWEVER.

a) Can anyone give me advice on their opinions of feeding supplements, as neither of mine currently recieve anything.

b) Also. One of my dogs is hairless and elderly, one is prone to being overweight. Any recommendation particularly on good weight gaining foods, as she is a small eater & I don't like leaving bones out for her as fatty gets at them or they start to go hard. This makes me sound a bit of a muppet but hopefully someone will suggest to me the BARF equivelent of trickle feeders for dry food.

[JPP]

Originally Posted by annabel

I feed my two on a rough estimation of BARF & I'm happy that it's the right choice and it's costing next to nothing. HOWEVER.

a) Can anyone give me advice on their opinions of feeding supplements, as neither of mine currently recieve anything.

b) Also. One of my dogs is hairless and elderly, one is prone to being overweight. Any recommendation particularly on good weight gaining foods, as she is a small eater & I don't like leaving bones out for her as fatty gets at them or they start to go hard. This makes me sound a bit of a muppet but hopefully someone will suggest to me the BARF equivelent of trickle feeders for dry food.

i read on a bull terrier forum tripe is a good weight gainer

[blade100]

i'm considering going on the barf diet for my german shepherd.

now i've tried before with this diet and he either has very sloppy runny poo's or he struggles to poo cuz of the bones he's had and he whines out in pain when trying to pass his poo.

he is also quite overweight around 45kg he doesn't each much really only has about 100grams of arden grange in the morn and then 100grams again in the evening.he has a 1/4 of burns meat mixed in.he used to have tripe mixed in but he was gaining a bit more weight with the tripe.

the things that concern me are the sloppy poo's,and the struggling to pass the bones and then will he get fatter or lose any of his weight going on a raw diet?

he hasn't got anything wrong with his thyroid gland as we had that tested and it came back normal!

he only has a couple of treats in the day and thats all.

any advice on how to go about this raw diet would be greatly apreciated.
he loves chicken wings as every now and again he'll get these as a treat,along with bit of raw beef when doing us stew.
actually he loves all raw meats just it doesn't seem to agree with him.

i want him to go back on it,but my OH isn't so sure but after reading all about commercial dog foods and the crap that goes in casuing all health problems i want to change him to this raw diet.back when i grew up on my auncles farm my folks fed raw to there border collies i always remember the butcher's van coming and the dogs would get a huge bone as a treat.

thanks in advance
amy

p.s i've made my own thread in the other pets section similar to this post.

[fenwoman]

Originally Posted by blade100

i'm considering going on the barf diet for my german shepherd.

now i've tried before with this diet and he either has very sloppy runny poo's or he struggles to poo cuz of the bones he's had and he whines out in pain when trying to pass his poo.

he is also quite overweight around 45kg he doesn't each much really only has about 100grams of arden grange in the morn and then 100grams again in the evening.he has a 1/4 of burns meat mixed in.he used to have tripe mixed in but he was gaining a bit more weight with the tripe.

the things that concern me are the sloppy poo's,and the struggling to pass the bones and then will he get fatter or lose any of his weight going on a raw diet?

he hasn't got anything wrong with his thyroid gland as we had that tested and it came back normal!

he only has a couple of treats in the day and thats all.

any advice on how to go about this raw diet would be greatly apreciated.
he loves chicken wings as every now and again he'll get these as a treat,along with bit of raw beef when doing us stew.
actually he loves all raw meats just it doesn't seem to agree with him.

i want him to go back on it,but my OH isn't so sure but after reading all about commercial dog foods and the crap that goes in casuing all health problems i want to change him to this raw diet.back when i grew up on my auncles farm my folks fed raw to there border collies i always remember the butcher's van coming and the dogs would get a huge bone as a treat.

thanks in advance
amy

When you tried BARF what exactly was he fed? Dogs need more than just meat and bones, they need vegetable matter too. Ideally whole carcase would be fed and that means fur, or feathers aswell as meat and bones. Did you feed the bones raw? Were you adding the Arden grange too? Treats should not be fed to a dog at all unless it is a reward for training.They are usually high in fat and basically cr@p.
Being fat is not solely a result of diet, it is a result of too many calories being eaten and not enough expended, so if your dog does nothing more than amble about on a lead once a day at snails pace, then he is a couch potato and should be fed accordingly. A large working breed like a GSD should get at least one half hour spell of hard off lead running once a day (mine is crazy about chasing a ball and will do so until she drops) and several playtimes in the garden too aswell as on the lead walks. They need to be off lead because you will not be able to run hard or fast enough for him to get proper excersize otherwise. My GSD would have the squits if I fed her nothing but muscle meat, but she gets a whole rabbit or cockerel, feathers, fur, feet, faces and all, along with wholemeal bread, or a plain terrier meal, plus grated carrots or a whole carrot as a 'treat', plus any leftovers in the form of cooked potatoes and veg.If you aren't able to feed a proper BARF diet, which involves some roughage, then you would be better off sticking to a complete diet. BARF is good for those who are willing to put in the time and effort to get the ingredients together (and I'm not talking a bit of stewing beef from the supermarket) but if you haven't the time to get proper ingredients and put in the time for a proper excersize routine which involved hard running, then stick to a calorie controlled complete diet for him.

[blade100]

reply to fenwoman

he was only on it for about a week to 2 weeks.
he was fed chicken wings,tripe,mince,eggs,lamb and beef chunks,bones from butchers,hearts all raw.no veggies no carcasses as i was in the process of getting some but then my fella didn't want to continue as he was "worried" for his dog.idiot that he is.

i was adding grange to it to try and wean him off the garden grange was told this off a gsd forum to get him used to the raw.gave him dry grange at nite,raw in the morn

blade gets 2 good 1 hour walks a day off lead down the fields nr us.he's never really ran about when off lead just likes to sniff and eat grass.
although he does have one of those ball sling shot things that he likes to chase after.

i only mentioned the beef stewing meat as he begs for some when i do the dinner so he's had a taste for that and loved it.

he loves butchers bones,infact any meat.

i found your post quite harsh,i'm new and learning about all this raw feeding as i want the best for my dog.
i come here and posted as i wanted help.
i tried to feed him raw before but never really had any proper help as to how to go about it,thats why i posted on here.

thanks
amy

[mrsphas]

if you read back over the last few pages youll see examples of what i feed mine - please note im not an expert and only give suggestions from my own experiences

id suggest you start with chicken wings/carcasses and go from there
yes expect runny poos for the first week or so as he gets rid of all the additives and crap from the previous diet [think of it as a detox and colon cleansing] and then the poos will firm up, smell less, be less in amount, go white and break down very quickly

If he has constipation then feed more muscle meat or slop [see previous posts for recipe] if he is loose, feed less muscle meat and more carcass meat. I only feed tripe once or twice a week as it can be very fattening [but they do love it] you soon work out what the right combo is

try and keep clear of any processed/refined grains and any dog biscuits/treats as these WILL cause windy tummys try not to mix kibble and raw, except when transitioning if your dog doesnt take to raw immediately, as, again, this can upset their tuimmies and put them back to square one
liver cake is good for training treats [again see previous posts for recipes] and use wholemeal flour or brown rice if a filler is needed

huge plus if you feed barf is less doggy smell/breath and the bones and sinews naturally clean their teeth and its mainly tartar that causes doggy breath smell- my 14 yr old has never had a dental since he came to live with us and was put onto barf, less wind, brighter and better coat
just adjust the feed until its right for your dog to maintain a natural weight
approx
1- 2% body weight for inactive dogs so for a 35k dog youd feed max 700g PLUS slop, per day, divided between 2/3 meals
3- 5% for active workers, again for 35k dog youd feed max`1250g PLUS slop, per day, divided between 2/3 meals


be careful with anything in the fur/feather unless you know where it comes from, i tend to freeze anything in the fur/feather plus any whole raw fish, then defrost before giving it to them to cut down the risk of mites/worms/flukes being passed on

you can even purchase frozen raw meat from big p@h [and other pet food stockists] that have ground bone in [nothng beats gnawing on a real one tho] and meals that already have fruit/veg in them,saving you having to make and add slop

the main ones being
Natural Dog Food Pouches | Junior, Adult, Light & Senior Ranges
or
Natural Frozen Pet Foods - Prize Choice - The Natural Food for Healthy Animals

it really isnt as difficult as some like to make out

[blade100]

Thank you mrsphas u have been a great help.the prize choice range is what I used to feed him before.just a quick question u say slop is that like veg and mince meats together?thanks again,Amy

[mrsphas]

Originally Posted by blade100

Thank you mrsphas u have been a great help.the prize choice range is what I used to feed him before.just a quick question u say slop is that like veg and mince meats together?thanks again,Amy

go here, i think its the 4th or 5th post and i give my recipe for slop, well i say mine but it was one that i was given by another barf/raw feeder, so passed on to others like yourself
RAW Feeding (BARF/RMB) for newbies

again i stress im no expert, just sharing my own experience