huski Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 I have recently switched all the dogs over to a BARF diet. I am feeding them the Dr Billinghurst BARF patties and every second day I feed some bones like chicken frames etc. All the dogs LOVE the patties (I am using chicken based ones) - in the first week Daisy was scoffing them up, she loved them, then suddenly a few days ago she decided she didn't want to eat them. She would have eaten them with gusto for four days in a row (before I got some chicken frames) and now she won't touch them. Cherry and Micha are still going wild for them. Daisy only eats once a day in the morning, and this is the third day she has refused a BARF patty. The first day I took it away after 15 minutes, but my sister didn't realised I'd tried to feed her and gave her some dried food once I'd gone to work. The second day she refused, I took it away and she ate nothing that day - the next morning I had chicken frames so fed her those instead. Today is the third day she has once again refused the BARF patty, so I've taken it away and she won't eat again until tomorrow (will feed her the same patty). Food refusal is VERY strange for Daisy, being a food orientated beagle, she has never refused food before. I can understand if she just didn't like the patties, but she ate them for four days with no sign of refusal and now she is suddenly off them Do I just keep taking it away until she's hungry or should I try a new flavour? Its just so odd for her not to eat! Normally she'll eat literally anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueM Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 Personally they are well named the smell of them makes me Barf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted November 25, 2008 Author Share Posted November 25, 2008 Personally they are well named the smell of them makes me Barf LOL - I actually find the chicken ones quite odourless! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueM Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 The Beef Ones stink Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 Is it THAT particular patty ..or has she been offered others? perhaps that one is not right for some reason?... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted November 25, 2008 Author Share Posted November 25, 2008 (edited) Is it THAT particular patty ..or has she been offered others? perhaps that one is not right for some reason?... No she has been offered new ones. The one from this morning I defrosted last night and it was fresh out of the packet when I gave it to her. ETA: I forgot to mention, that she gets excited when I am preparing the patties and putting it in her bowl, we do triangle of temptation etc all as normal - its when I release her to eat that she just sits at the back of her crate and refuses to eat. Edited November 25, 2008 by huski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddles Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 hmmm, sounds like she had a chat to Dream on Sunday - that behavior is exactly what Dream does with her dry food *most* meal times She used to love it and scoff it down, but now its a mission - sometimes she won't even consider it unless there is pumpkin or peanut butter in it - and even then sometimes she'll sniff and leave. So we do the same thing you are doing, take it away and out it comes for the next meal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkySoaringMagpie Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 I would stop feeding them to her and feed her something else. If she is very food motivated, she's telling you something if she refuses to eat something. Anything I haven't made myself from scratch my dogs can refuse, some of the lessons from the food recalls in the USA were heartbreaking (ie, people forcing their dogs to eat food that ended up killing them). While BARF is supposed to be one of the good guys, so were some foods caught up in other recalls. It also may be that the food is making her feel sick or otherwise doesn't suit her system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted November 25, 2008 Author Share Posted November 25, 2008 (edited) hmmm, sounds like she had a chat to Dream on Sunday - that behavior is exactly what Dream does with her dry food *most* meal timesShe used to love it and scoff it down, but now its a mission - sometimes she won't even consider it unless there is pumpkin or peanut butter in it - and even then sometimes she'll sniff and leave. So we do the same thing you are doing, take it away and out it comes for the next meal LOL - Daisy LOVES her dried food! She's would rather eat her Royal Canin than the bloody BARF patties I would stop feeding them to her and feed her something else. If she is very food motivated, she's telling you something if she refuses to eat something. Anything I haven't made myself from scratch my dogs can refuse, some of the lessons from the food recalls in the USA were heartbreaking (ie, people forcing their dogs to eat food that ended up killing them). While BARF is supposed to be one of the good guys, so were some foods caught up in other recalls. It also may be that the food is making her feel sick or otherwise doesn't suit her system. Thanks Anita. There have been no apparent side effects from changing her diet - she is farting less and her poos are smaller so I thought she was doing well on it. Do you think it would be worth trying a beef or lamb based BARF? ETA: I always thought if a dog was being fussy you didn't pander to them, I never thought of it from your angle She did happily eat the patties for days before refusing them which is why I thought it was a bit odd. Edited November 25, 2008 by huski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkySoaringMagpie Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 Thanks Anita. There have been no apparent side effects from changing her diet - she is farting less and her poos are smaller so I thought she was doing well on it. Do you think it would be worth trying a beef or lamb based BARF? ETA: I always thought if a dog was being fussy you didn't pander to them, I never thought of it from your angle She did happily eat the patties for days before refusing them which is why I thought it was a bit odd. I agree with not pandering too - I won't hand feed a healthy dog for example unless I'm training them and making them work for their food. We definitely don't coax dogs to eat in our house either and I know they won't die if they miss a meal so I don't stress if they won't eat it. However, if a dog continuously refuses something it's worth listening to what they are telling you and investigating further. One other option I forgot to mention, it's possible it's a suspicious behaviour that he has formed by association. For example, maybe he ate a patty the same day as he ate a 10 day old rotting bird carcass or a texta or whatever, felt sick, and has associated feeling sick with the patties not the bird. I would probably try chopping up a beef or lamb patty so it's not recognisable as a patty and see if he eats that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greytmate Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 Give the manufacturer a call, and ask if they will let you swap the batch you have for a new one. They are really nice people who will want to get to the bottom of this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted November 25, 2008 Author Share Posted November 25, 2008 Give the manufacturer a call, and ask if they will let you swap the batch you have for a new one. They are really nice people who will want to get to the bottom of this. Thanks for the tip Greytmate. However, the patties I fed the dogs today were the last of the box I had. I have another one in the freezer that I haven't opened yet. The fact Micha and Cherry are happily wolfing them down made me think it was a problem with Daisy, not the patties Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dackel Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 Dog food should Not stink at all. If an animal refuses once 'liked food' there is usually something not right about the food. My experience. Petra and Felix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 I'd scrap the patties for her and give her a couple of chicken wings in their place. BARF is not the be all and end all of every dogs diet and like us, there are some things that some dogs just don't like or the food does not agree with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted November 25, 2008 Author Share Posted November 25, 2008 I'd scrap the patties for her and give her a couple of chicken wings in their place. BARF is not the be all and end all of every dogs diet and like us, there are some things that some dogs just don't like or the food does not agree with them. So scrap the patties all together? I am happy just to feed chicken carcasses, wings, necks etc as well as some vegies, sardines, yoghurt etc. I was just worried about it not being 'balanced' enough, and thought the patties might be a safer option than DIY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huga Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 I DIY I would be more careful with a puppy, but I think adult dogs would be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tira_mia Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 So scrap the patties all together? I am happy just to feed chicken carcasses, wings, necks etc as well as some vegies, sardines, yoghurt etc. I was just worried about it not being 'balanced' enough, and thought the patties might be a safer option than DIY my boy didn't love barf patties as much as i hoped he would either so i now just feed him a mix of RMBs, meat, offal, sardines or salmon, yoghurt and veges maybe once or twice a week. he seems to be flourishing on it (fingers crossed!) i'll admit it's hard work at first and there are moments where i wonder whyyyyy i'm analysing poo (eg white is too many bones, corn goes thru them whole, too many carrots makes it erm..hard to pick up... sorry will stop there) but 2 months in and i've gotten the hang of what works for him in what portions i still throw in a barf patty every now and then as a vege supp (because i have half a box of htem left ) and he'll gladly eat one maybe once a week, but if i just have the barf patties as his meal he wont touch it at all no idea why, but good luck with daisy ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted November 25, 2008 Author Share Posted November 25, 2008 Thanks guys. I will try phasing out the BARF patties Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 You need only look at my girls to see how a dog does on DIY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baby Dragon Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 I would try breaking the patties up and mixing them with something you know she does well on and loves, like raw egg, yoghurt, mince meat etc. The trick I think, is to make them smell like something she's familiar with and loves. And don't give up too soon. It takes some dogs two weeks or so to accept new food. Just go slower for her, add a little more each day and combine it with food she already likes. Then as she accepts it, add more BARF and less of the other food you're mixing it with. You could also try breaking them up and stuffing them into her chicken frames. Some people warn against feeding raw food at the same time as feeding cooked food (eg kibble) due to different digestion rates, so that's something to consider too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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