Refusing To Eat Barf Patties

[Gayle.]

Given a beagles superior sense of smell, I'd tend to go with Daisy. She could be smelling something that you and the other dogs can't.

I make up a type of "barf" mix with raw mince, grated veges, eggs, cheese and whatever else is at hand......tuna, yoghurt, cottage cheese, sardines etc. The dogs get that, raw frames and other chicken pieces, brisket bones and the occasioanal meal of Pro Plan Selects kibble (which is like doggy takeaway). They look fabulous, and it's fairly easy to keep chubby Dusty's weight under control, simply by upping the vegetable portion of mer meals for a few weeks.

Also, on pandering to dogs....I think if you remove their uneaten meal then give them something different at the NEXT mealtime, it's not really pandering. If you continually trot out new food for their precious little tastebuds to try at the same mealtime, then yes that definitely is pandering.

[tira_mia]

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.

i always wondered about that...my boy loves kibble so we use it sometimes in training as treats, but he might also get a raw bone as dessert that night. is there any evidence that feeding both at the same time is really bad?

and would it be better to say, if you feed kibble don't feed raw for 24 hours..? or is it just don't feed the two together at all?

[Aubrey]

Our pup also doesn't seem too keen on BARF patties...she has eaten them a few times and other times, like this morning she just gives it a sniff and turns away...I've tried adding a sprinkle of cheese and this seemed to do the trick but only a few times - this morn the cheese was added and she didn't want it, I even tried heating it up a little in the microwave and still she did not want it....

[poodlefan]

I think they stink.

Make your own Huski.. not difficult and certainly cheaper. That way, as Anita says, you know EXACTLY what's in there.

[huski]

Thanks for all the tips guys. I am definitely going to start making my own BARF mix up, as well as feeding the chicken frames and other bones regularly.

I am thinking of mixing up some mince (beef or chicken) with natural yoghurt, sardines, grated carrot, raw egg etc. Does this sound ok? Then I will alternate it with the chicken frames etc.

I also got a heap of lamb necks from Coles last night, they were really cheap - the dogs loved them and they are practically a meal in themselves.

[poodlefan]

Thanks for all the tips guys. I am definitely going to start making my own BARF mix up, as well as feeding the chicken frames and other bones regularly.

I am thinking of mixing up some mince (beef or chicken) with natural yoghurt, sardines, grated carrot, raw egg etc. Does this sound ok? Then I will alternate it with the chicken frames etc.

I also got a heap of lamb necks from Coles last night, they were really cheap - the dogs loved them and they are practically a meal in themselves.

Vary the veggies (do you have a blender, juicer or food processor), add a bit of offal and some fruit and you've pretty much got my BARF mix Huski.

If you don't have an Eziyo.. get one (thanks for the tip JBBB). Definitely the cheapest way to get good yoghurt.

[huski]

Thanks for all the tips guys. I am definitely going to start making my own BARF mix up, as well as feeding the chicken frames and other bones regularly.

I am thinking of mixing up some mince (beef or chicken) with natural yoghurt, sardines, grated carrot, raw egg etc. Does this sound ok? Then I will alternate it with the chicken frames etc.

I also got a heap of lamb necks from Coles last night, they were really cheap - the dogs loved them and they are practically a meal in themselves.

Vary the veggies (do you have a blender, juicer or food processor), add a bit of offal and some fruit and you've pretty much got my BARF mix Huski.

If you don't have an Eziyo.. get one (thanks for the tip JBBB). Definitely the cheapest way to get good yoghurt.

Great, thanks PF. I have a juice and a blender. I'll add some apple into it too, the dogs love it

[poodlefan]

Thanks for all the tips guys. I am definitely going to start making my own BARF mix up, as well as feeding the chicken frames and other bones regularly.

I am thinking of mixing up some mince (beef or chicken) with natural yoghurt, sardines, grated carrot, raw egg etc. Does this sound ok? Then I will alternate it with the chicken frames etc.

I also got a heap of lamb necks from Coles last night, they were really cheap - the dogs loved them and they are practically a meal in themselves.

Vary the veggies (do you have a blender, juicer or food processor), add a bit of offal and some fruit and you've pretty much got my BARF mix Huski.

If you don't have an Eziyo.. get one (thanks for the tip JBBB). Definitely the cheapest way to get good yoghurt.

Great, thanks PF. I have a juice and a blender. I'll add some apple into it too, the dogs love it

Here's my latest mix..

Poodlefan's BARF Mix

Ingredients

1 kilo (Eziyo container) of yogurt

4 kg of mixed fruit and veggies (I use some root veggies, some fruit and some green veggies in every mix) celery and pumpkin always feature

2 kg full fat beef mince or other mince

1 large piece of liver or a half a doz kidneys

Optional: Any nutritional supplement as per directions eg. Missing Link, Green Pet

Before Serving: Egg, oil

Method

1. Add yogurt, and mince to a large container (I use a 20 litre bucket) and blend well

2. Juice a little of the fruit and veggies. Add some of the juice to a blender and blend the offal until smooth. Resist urge to smell mix – you will regret it. Try not to vomit at result’s appearance and add to main ingredients.

4. Run the rest of the fruit and veggies through the juicer or blender. Add all the pulp to the mix and enough juice to obtain a firm but not sloppy consistency. You should end up with about 30% mince mix and the rest is veggies.

5. Put into storage containers and freeze.

Add egg, oil (I use Megaoil) and any supplements to mix before serving.

My mix is evolving over time. My large dog owning friends do the mince/offal and yoghurt and then freeze the mix, juicing fresh veggies separately to add to it. This cuts down on freezer space and the time taken to make the mix.

If you find your dog is not accepting the mix, add a little more fresh mince to their feed and slowly reduce the amount of mince they receive.

Edited November 26, 2008 by poodlefan

[Baby Dragon]

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.

i always wondered about that...my boy loves kibble so we use it sometimes in training as treats, but he might also get a raw bone as dessert that night. is there any evidence that feeding both at the same time is really bad?

and would it be better to say, if you feed kibble don't feed raw for 24 hours..? or is it just don't feed the two together at all?

Sorry I don't know. I was just repeating what was told to me.

I also use kibble as training treats (though he doesn't get them very often anymore) but normally when using them, he wouldn't get them past say 3pm. And then he doesn't get fed his raw until say 8pm.

I would like to know the answer to your question too though from someone who knows.

[Gayle.]

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.

i always wondered about that...my boy loves kibble so we use it sometimes in training as treats, but he might also get a raw bone as dessert that night. is there any evidence that feeding both at the same time is really bad?

I think that's pretty much crap and probably one of those DOL urban legends. Different foods digest at different rates.....plant matter digests much faster than meat, for example and digestive systems cope with it quite nicely. Dogs might be carnivores, but at a very basic level, they are opportunists and in the wild they are scavengers (oh yeah, in my house they are scavengers too! little bin-snacking buggers).

If it's not crap, I stand corrected but I'd really like to see some valid research to back up the claim. So far I've seen absolutely none, although I've seen this statement repeated by many people.

[huski]

Well I finally made my own BARF mix tonight, I used chicken mince that I got from a chicken specific butcher - its one for dogs with minced chicken frames and innerds in it.

I will probably use plain beef mince (fatty human grade stuff) next time simply because after I defrosted the chicken pet mince, it was quite bloody and smelly for this reason - the yoghurt counteracted the smell though.

But anyway, I grated some vegies and apple into it (I only did 1kg of mince just to see how the dogs liked it) with yoghurt and a couple of tins of sardines. I forgot to get any livers/kidneys but I will make sure I get them next time!

So I let the dogs all have a sample, and they thought it was the best thing ever, including Daisy who gobbled hers up! Now lets just hope she doesn't go off the mixture after a few days like she did with the BARF (although I will be interspersing it with chicken frames/lamb necks etc). Even the cat wanted some! I gave her a spoonful and she gobbled it up too Does anyone know if this sort of BARF mixture is ok for cats occassionally too? She would never eat it as 100% of her diet as the dogs do as she likes her dried too much, but I thought it might be good for her to have a bit?

Ultimately I am SO glad I changed the dogs to BARF, its much cheaper and easier to feed and the dogs are loving it. Another BARF convert here!

[Koemi]

I was going to suggest trying Vets All Natural, but it looks like you've found a solution already