Meats For A Raw Diet

[Henrietta]

Firstly, apologies if this has been asked before, I did a search and whilst finding a lot of other useful info, I couldn't find anything relating to my specific question.

I am in the process of researching and preparing to switch my dog over to a full BARF diet. I have read the first Dr Billinghurst book which I found excellent and I am really excited about the whole thing. :rolleyes:

I am no longer afraid of getting it wrong nutrionally, I understand the importance of balance over time. I just don't think I can stuff it up.

Previously I have been feeding a mixture of dry, bones, eggs, sardines, yoghurt etc etc, but I want to go the whole way with BARF.

The only thing that confused me is this - what meat or type of bones are the most important for your dog? What are the basic ratios you feed?

Chicken for me is great, because being a small dog, she already loves them. Plus it is nutritionally very sound, so I have read.

Next is lamb, that is meant to be great too, if a little fatty. So that would be an ocassional after chicken?

Pork and beef? Beef bones seem a bit to big for my little dog, but surely I could give her one, once in a while?

ETA - I am under the impression that you could get away with feeding chicken all the time and still have a nutrionally sound diet. Would I be correct?

Even so I don't want to do this. I want my dog to eat as wide a variety of food as possible, it is just the frequency and ratio of the different meats that is confusing me.

Any other meats I should consider? The book alluded to rabbit being good for dogs, does anyone know if it would at all be available in suburbia? Anyone had any luck?

Thanks in advance everyone. ;)

Edited September 23, 2007 by Emmala

[Malamum]

I just feed my guys a bit of everything.

Chiken makes up the bulk of their diet but they also get beef, lamb and pork depending what's on special and what I can find.

[MonElite]

I feed my dogs any type of meat I can get.

Mostly chicken of course as its easy to get and cheap.

Lamb is next, beef and pork. I give them turkey necks as well, but they are large dogs so they can chew through those with no probs.

My dogs dont like kangaroo meat much, especailly when I get it from the pet shop, they must not like the preservatives, and will refuse to eat it.

[~Anne~]

My guys get mainly beef but I don't give bones. I will give chicken mince when it is on special and the same goes with lamb.

Edited to add - I never give pork (I've always beleived this to be too rich for them) and I don't feed kangaroo. We tried it once or twice and it gives them diarrhoea.

Edited September 24, 2007 by Puggles

[Purpley]

I feed beef and chicken. Roo didn't agree with my dogs, and lamb is super pricey. I get a good deal on the beef from my butcher.

I feed chicken carcasses as the meaty bone component.

[Henrietta]

Thanks guys, that has helped me out. It really doesn't matter what, but variety is good.

I still think chicken will be the staple and then whatever is on special. I just realised that I have bought/eaten lamb myself for so long because it is so pricey lol.

I forgot in my OP, what about Offal? Do people feed it and if so how often? About 2 or 3 times a fortnight? And what do you use? I have heard that liver is great?

Once again, I know I can get the info from the internet and books, but it's good to hear straight from real people who feed it in real life.

[Malamum]

In regards to offal, I feed it about once a week.

It's mostly chicken liver as that is what I see in the shops the most. However I do keep my eye out for other stuff.

[Ptolomy]

My kids get a lot of goat - mainly because one of the kids is allergic to beef and lamb. You can also get goat bones.

I can buy it from a pet food shop who specialise in meats for allergic dogs so they sell things like emu, roo, horse, camel and of course goat. It comes in 1kg packs which are preservative free and they cost $3. Goat bones are $1 each.

[Katdogs]

We've been experimenting this last couple of weeks.

I've finally found a food that Stevie wouldn't eat! Neither dog would eat the chicken livers I gave them last night. Jodie didn't touch it at all, and Stevie picked some up and then spat it back out. They had chicken necks as well and ate those, but wouldn't have the liver.

They both ate the kidney (I think it was lamb) that I got from the butcher, but didn't seem very impressed by it.

Chicken frames and necks, turkey necks, and general 'bones' (lamb and veal off-cuts from the butcher) seem to be the favourite.

They both loved fresh sardines. Jodie daintily ate hers one at a time, picking the fish up head first then nibbling down to the tail. Stevie grabbed two or three at a time and gulped them down. Our cat wouldn't eat hers though, Jodie finished it for her. I think next time I'll try 'red spot whiting', they're cheaper and about the same size as the sardines.

[MonElite]

My dogs wont eat raw chicken liver and wont eat kidneys either LOL

But they would give the rest of their tail for cooked liver, and they like hearts and giblets.

[Cavandra]

I feed mainly chicken, all my meat comes from the Butcher or Bilo.

Chicken carcasses(frames), necks, wings, pet mince (ground carcass)

Occassionally Turkey necks (Woolworths)

Lamb ribs, cant afford any other lamb these days

Beef mince, Ox Tails

Rarely I feed Pork mince/bones as they are abit more "dodgey" to feed with bacteria.

Offal........lamb brains, hearts, livers, kidneys, beef heart, chicken livers/giblets

[Malamum]

My guys aren't real fans of raw liver either.

However I confuse them by combining their absolute favourite food with the liver. On liver night they also get a can of mackeral and all the juice from the can gets poured into their bowls. Their love of anything fishy over rides their dislike of the liver.

Edited September 24, 2007 by Malamum

[koolietas]

My boy gets either roo mince or sardines with his veg mix a couple of times a week. The rest of his diet is RMB like turkey wings, chicken wings/frames/drumsticks, roo tails, lamp flamps, pork ribs, lamb neck pieces, rabbit etc. It is illegal to feed dogs offal in Tas - but most of the time the offal is left in the frames, so I can't do much about that

[Cavandra]

My boy gets either roo mince or sardines with his veg mix a couple of times a week. The rest of his diet is RMB like turkey wings, chicken wings/frames/drumsticks, roo tails, lamp flamps, pork ribs, lamb neck pieces, rabbit etc. It is illegal to feed dogs offal in Tas - but most of the time the offal is left in the frames, so I can't do much about that

How do they know you feed dogs offal? Or are you saying all offal is banned 4 sale in Tasmania full stop? Surely those people who grew up eating Brains, steak & kidney, tripe, liver & bacon etc are up in arms about not being able ot buy offal

[Henrietta]

Thanks guys, your help has been great.

I wonder why offal is banned in Tas. I thought that offal bought at the butchers/supermarket was completely safe because it has been tested etc? Maybe things are different in Tas, not that I am in Tas, I am just curious.

[koolietas]

Offal is available for sale in Tas for human consumption only...it is illegal to feed dogs offal in Tas. Apparently back in the dark ages when my mum was a kid, Tas had a higher rate of hydatitis and since then it has been illegal to give dogs offal (thus the Billinghurst pre-made Barf patties can't be sold here). If you mention to a butcher that you want offal for your dogs that won't sell it to you...but of course if you don't mention that at the butcher or get some at the supermarket it can't be monitored.

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

Offal is available for sale in Tas for human consumption only...it is illegal to feed dogs offal in Tas. Apparently back in the dark ages when my mum was a kid, Tas had a higher rate of hydatitis and since then it has been illegal to give dogs offal (thus the Billinghurst pre-made Barf patties can't be sold here). If you mention to a butcher that you want offal for your dogs that won't sell it to you...but of course if you don't mention that at the butcher or get some at the supermarket it can't be monitored.

Have they never heard of worming in TAS?

De-wormers are available that treat all intestinal worms including hydatid tapeworms. They've been around up here on the mainland for years now.

[Sayreovi]

Bulk of my dogs diet is chicken. Frames, wings or necks. Occasionally they get half a chook with all the meat attached.

Other then that they get lamb necks and for their meat they get beef.

Refuse to feed kangaroo, havent found cheap rabbit anywhere to give them a go and still wanting to give turkey necks a go as Darcy loves chicken necks.