Baileys mum Posted June 1, 2008 Share Posted June 1, 2008 (edited) Hi Guys, I have started to feed my dogs a more natural diet, & have found that they really love eating raw foods. I haven't really studied the Barf diet but I have been feeding them, chicken necks, chicken wings, brisket bones, chicken frames, sardines, tuna, raw beef, pork, chicken, & turkey mince. (Not all at once of course ) I have been feeding the mince at night mixed with eagle pack holistic dry, but all they do is eat the mince & leave the eagle pack :D They just hate all manufactured food now, even premium ones like Eagle pack. I've have tried mixing a bit of rice & pumpkin, aswell as other vegies with the mince & they seem to like that, & also add a raw egg a couple of times a week. I was just wondering what else I should try mixing in with their mince. I'm just a bit concerned that they are not getting all their vitamins & minerals due to them not eating the dry food & was wondering if there is a supplement I should be adding. Oh yeah, just incase anyone was wondering, I feed my dogs in the morning & evening , so the other raw foods are fed to them, spread throughout the week for their breakfast & then the raw mince for their evening meal. Any advice on this will be really appreciated, as I'm also a bit concerned that my 17 week old puppy might not be getting all her vitamins & minerals. Thanks in advance Nicole Edited June 1, 2008 by Baileys mum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tess32 Posted June 1, 2008 Share Posted June 1, 2008 Sounds like they are getting a good variety. I would definitely add offal to the mix. Not much, should be about 5% of their overall weekly diet, and at least half of that should be liver. All you need is a healthy mix of meat on bone and some offal :D Some people like to add vegetables. I personally add some fish oils into the mix, but they also get fish once a week. The main mistakes people make with a raw diet is either ALL meat and no bone, or all bone and no meat! Other than that, every single thing your dogs need is in raw meaty bones and offal. On top of offal I also feed heart and tongue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baileys mum Posted June 1, 2008 Author Share Posted June 1, 2008 Thanks Tess32 :D I will definately go out & get some offal then, & some heart & tongue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted June 1, 2008 Share Posted June 1, 2008 (edited) I'm a great fan of the BARF diet however I also don't believe that all diets are 100% balanced (my own personal opinion), Lot's of people can go wrong with making up their own BARF so unless you're feeding a product like Dr Billinghurst patties you may be out on the ratios and out on the mineral content etc. There's different things that you can add such as minerals. Humavyte is a natural, organic, liquid chelated mineral and trace element supplement for all animals: http://www.animalcare.net.au/p/128884/humavyte---1lt.html Thrive D is a registered digestive aid for dogs. It improves the digestibility of the commonly fed diets of all dogs: http://www.animalcare.net.au/p/81310/thriv...powder-1kg.html The Missing Link Pet Superfood Supplement. The Missing Link® was developed to target the nutritional gap between what nature provides and what is available in commercial foods: http://www.thexton.com.au/product/Designin...lement__-__454g Edited June 1, 2008 by sas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baileys mum Posted June 1, 2008 Author Share Posted June 1, 2008 Thank You so much for those links Sas. :D I knew there was supplements out there for raw food fed dogs, I just didn't know what they where. Which one out of those would you recommend the most, or are they all good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purpley Posted June 1, 2008 Share Posted June 1, 2008 I agree with Tess32, and would add offal and veg to your mix. Other things I add are kelp, fish oil, flaxseed, yogurt and egg (inc the shell). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jed Posted June 1, 2008 Share Posted June 1, 2008 If you are going to feed raw, you will have found out from the replies, that everyone does something different. If I was starting out, I'd read Ian Billinghurst's book "Give Your Dog a Bone" or "The Barf Diet" (which I haven't read) and go from there. Here is his website http://www.barfworld.com/html/dr_billinghurst/meet.shtml Here is a link to the books http://www.dogwise.com/SearchResults.cfm?S...ubSearch=author You need to ensure the ratio is correct, and also that the diet is balanced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tess32 Posted June 1, 2008 Share Posted June 1, 2008 Actually I'd recommend you also read the book by Tom Lonsdale - Works Wonders http://www.rawmeatybones.com/book-ww.php BARF is the most well known raw diet but not the only choice. If you read Billinghurst's and Lonsdale's then you can decide which one makes the most sense to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvus Posted June 1, 2008 Share Posted June 1, 2008 I add fruit like apples or pears some weeks, some dairy in the form of natural low fat yoghurt or cottage cheese, some garlic, a little offal and some kelp powder, although I don't have any of that at the moment. The chicken mince I get is ground chicken frames, so I like to add a little minced muscle meat to try to balance that out a bit. I think it's good to give a variety of animal proteins, so I try to feed different meats. I generally avoid supplements because I think once you start adding things like that you're on a slippery slope, but that's a wholly personal decision and one based on the fact that I don't feel like I understand supplements well enough to want to go adding them to the diet. Feeding dogs is not rocket science. Before commercial dog food, dogs lived on table scraps and bones and they lived to ripe old ages on it. Commercial dog food has only been around for, like, 50 years. I just try to feed a good variety and try to be sensible about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ollie's Mum Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 I mix up Ollie's mince with Dr Bruce's Vets All Natural Complete Mix. Dr Bruce is a huge advocate of an all natural diet and the mix is a brilliant way to incorporate veges etc into his diet without having to prepare them all myself (yeah, time poor). Not sure if I can post a website link here or not but google should help you find the info you need if interested! h Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kustali Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 I also use the Vets All Natural and think it's great! But what i am wondering is wether The Missing Link is just as good. Do any of you use it? Can you just add it to your raw chicken or pet mince in the same way you do with the Vets All Natural? I like the idea of an all natural raw diet but don't want to comprimise my dogs health by missing out on anything they may need. Hannah. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rose of tralee Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Basically what Tess said. Think though, 'raw parts of animal', many so-called RMBs have had a fair whack of muscle, connective tissue, fat removed....messing up the naturalness somewhat. Remember eggs too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puggy_puggy Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 This is what I do....... BARF SLOPS INGREDIENTS & METHOD Things I always include: - container of alfala spouts - bunch of spinach (roots cut off) - 1 to 2 green capsicums (stalk cut off & seeds out) - 1 to 2 red caspsicums (stalk cut off & seeds removed) - bag of carrots - bunch of celary - 4 zuccinis - 3 to 4 oranges (peeled) - 1 pumpkin (seeds removed) - 2 to 4 apples (pips taken out) - 2 to 4 bannanas (peeled) - 8 to 10 eggs (whole including shell) - flaxseed oil (approx 250mL) - kelp (approx 100g) What else you can put in: - bunch of silverbeet - turnip - squash - sweet potato - 2 to 4 pears - half to 1 pinapple - brussel sprouts - brocoli - cauliflower - bag of beans - Apple Cider Vinegar - Vitamin C Chop up then process up in blender/food processor so that things turn to slops. Put each blender batch into a big bucket. Usually leave the eggs & flaxseed oil for things that don't blend very well like the pumpkin and carrots. Ingredients should fill up a bucket. Mix bucket with big ladel till all mixed through then put into take away containers & freeze untill needed. BARF FEEDING ROUTINE MONDAY Chicken Necks Slops TUESDAY Fish Slops WEDNESDAY Chicken Necks Yoghurt Slops THURSDAY Kangaroo Slops FRIDAY Chicken Necks Offal Slops SATURDAY Beef or Lamb Slops SUNDAY Beef or Lamb or Kangaroo Slops & A BONE EACH AT LEAST TWICE A WEEK (Preferably the non chicken neck days) BARF MENU EXPLAINATION - *Veggie Slops – 2 to 3 tablespoons each *Meat – work out approx 2% to 3% of your dogs body weight and then work out approx 60% of that amount and this will give you the amount to feed (preferably diced/chunks/stir fry strips but can be sometimes minced) *Chicken necks – 3 to 4 per dog depending on the size of the necks. I cut up the chicken necks into bite sized pieces about the size of half your index finger. *Yoghurt (once a week) – 2 to 3 tablespoons each. Natural yoghurt and full fat. *Offal (once a week) – lambs kidney, sheep’s kidney, tongue, brain etc. The equivalent of a lamb’s kidney for each dog cut up into small pieces. *Fish (once a week) – sardine can divided between the two dogs, tuna can divided between the two dogs or if they are lucky a piece of fresh fish each. *Bones (at least twice a week) - (vary between Lamb (ribs/lamb flaps, backbones) Beef & Kangaroo Tail) Some dogs can not stomach kangaroo as it is very rich. So see how they go with it and if they are unable to eat it then substitute it for another meat. Kangaroo I get from a pet produce store. Chicken necks from either a chicken shop or the supermarket. Offal from the butcher. Bones from the butcher. I will buy the meat, chicken necks, yoghurt and offal in large quantities and divide it up into separate meal portions and freeze. The night before that ingredient is to be eaten I will take the portion out of the freezer to defrost. Chicken necks, meat and offal I freeze in the snap lock freezer bags and the yoghurt in little tubs. Veggie slops I make up in big batches and freeze in Chinese takeaway food containers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trishalouise Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 WOW - thanks for that puggy - that is exactly the info I have been looking for! I went to a talk by Ian Billinghurst on the weekend and it was very interesting. I have been thinking about going raw for a while and now I have the info I need to do it. My only trouble is my Greyhound who doesn't have many teeth left (13 actually!) - trying to work out what to do in place of the bones - or safe ones that he can kind of suck on!! He does have his canines so can pick at bigger bones but no molars on the top so he cannot actually chew any. My concern is that he will try to swallow a piece that is too big. The Poodle is fine and is currently munching on a brisket bone as I speak!! Trish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puggy_puggy Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 My only trouble is my Greyhound who doesn't have many teeth left (13 actually!) - trying to work out what to do in place of the bones - or safe ones that he can kind of suck on!! He does have his canines so can pick at bigger bones but no molars on the top so he cannot actually chew any. My concern is that he will try to swallow a piece that is too big. The Poodle is fine and is currently munching on a brisket bone as I speak!!Trish Trish you could substitute the chicken necks for the chicken puppy mince that a lot of places sell. It is basically minced up chicken frames. The 14 week old pug pups I have work their way through little lamb bones with no problems so maybe lookout for the offcut pieces of bone, that are about a finger size in length, at the butchers as well. My feeding is for pugs so if you have different sized dogs then you probably will have to vary the portions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laeral Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 HI, I have started feeding my GSD on a raw food diet too. The info on this site has been fantastic and really helpful. I have a question regarding how much to feed. I have read The Barf Diet and calucated the portions according to what it suggested, but she seemed to be hunrgy still. I started feeding her more than they recommend but she still seems a bit hungry. Every night she flies through her dinner and then licks her bowl for about 5 minutes after. She hasnt lost to much weight but Im worried Im not feeding her enough. should i keep increasing her food til she doesnt seem so hungry or is this just normal? Any thoughts?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laeral Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 (edited) Ooops double post Edited June 23, 2008 by laeral Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tess32 Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 Explain what you're food and how much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laeral Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 In the morning she gets meaty bones, chicken wings, chicken neck, lamb necks, flaps etc about 600-770gm (about 4 big wings). At night I feed her a blend of vegies, usualy spinach, silver beet, zuchini, carrots, tomatoes etc plus some beef or pork with an egg. twice a week she gets some offal and once a week fish. I also add a little cod liver oil and kelp to her dinner. Im working on about 400gm of vegies and 200 of meat or fish etc. Oh she also gets some fruit included in her vegie mash about twice a week. I guess in total shes eating about 1.2kg of food a day, sometimes a little less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KitKat Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 How big is your GSD? Also what is the ratio between meaty bones and vegies? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now