Feeding Barf

[maximum]

Hello All

I feed Max a mix of foods:

He gets a Canine Country BARF patty at night, mixed with either a raw egg or sardines/tuna in oil (about half a small can).

I fill his Buster Cube each morning (takes about half a cup of Nutrience Junior) and he feeds himself breakfast from that - he won't eat anything for breakfast unless there's activity involved, i.e. rolling the Buster Cube around. Kibble in a dish sits untouched, until the cat eats it.

He also gets a variety of treats: dried liver, dentabones and dentastix. (plus I occasionally give him some of what I'm eating, if I think it's safe for him)

I'd like to feed BARF only, but my problem is Max HATES bones! Won't have anything to do with them. I've tried all the usual suspects, except beef bones - the bones either give him an upset tummy (lamb), or he won't touch them (chicken). He barely nibbles at the lamb flaps too.

The BARF patty ingredients are (pls excuse caps, this is taken from their website): CHICKEN FRAME MINCE, BEEF, LAMB & FISH, Fresh Fruit - apples and pears, seasonal fruits. Fresh vegetables - pulped Carrots, beans, pumpkin & seasonal vegetables. Eggs, Flaxseed Meal, Yogurt, Kelp, Brewers yeast and Garlic.

CANINE COUNTRY PRODUCTS ARE PRESERVATIVE FREE, NO COLOURINGS, NO FILLERS OR ADDITIVES. HUMAN GRADE INGREDIENTS AND FROZEN TO PRESERVE.

So, lamb doesn't always upset his tummy, just when it's attached to bone. Which doesn't make sense, but there ya go.

He seems to be thriving on this diet, but I'd really like to protect his teeth as best I can. And as far as I know, the best way to do this is with raw bones. He's a chewer like all puppies, but not fanatical - e.g. I haven't lost any important household, furniture or personal items to his teething. He loses interest in 'chew-specific' treats - dentabones/stix, pigs ears etc. can hang around for days. But he loves to chew plastic toys, although he's not interested in his Kong once the food filling is out of it!

Any ideas on bones, or comments on his diet? One thing I get concerned about is the amount I feed him, as he's only 6 months and a very active puppy. It's been a while since our last vet visit, but I'd estimate his weight at about 6kg, possibly 7kg.

[huski]

How old is Max?

[maximum]

How old is Max?

6 months tomorrow, Huski.

[huski]

How old is Max?

6 months tomorrow, Huski.

Ah ok. Sometimes I've seen pups who are not that interested in bones but as they grow their interest increases with their ability to eat them.

Have you tried feeding him a chicken neck or wing as his only meal for the day?

[maximum]

Ah ok. Sometimes I've seen pups who are not that interested in bones but as they grow their interest increases with their ability to eat them.

Have you tried feeding him a chicken neck or wing as his only meal for the day?

Oh, ok. Perhaps he'll develop a taste for them. Yes, I've tried the chicken wing for dinner - I even once bashed one with a hammer a couple of times, just to make it less 'daunting' for him. He just sniffs it and walks away.

I've also tried pretending to eat it myself - that usually get him going with other food, but not with the bones...

How old should he be before I start worrying about his teeth, in terms of eating bones?

[laffi]

What worked for my cat was to give her chicken necks with a little bit of oil/water from the fish can. She loves canned sardines so I would just use the oil or water from sardines to sprinkle over her chicken necks or wings.

Gradually you add less and less fish oil/water until you don't have to add any at all

Now I don't have to do it anymore and she loves her chicken necks/wings

[huski]

Oh, ok. Perhaps he'll develop a taste for them. Yes, I've tried the chicken wing for dinner - I even once bashed one with a hammer a couple of times, just to make it less 'daunting' for him. He just sniffs it and walks away.

I've also tried pretending to eat it myself - that usually get him going with other food, but not with the bones...

How old should he be before I start worrying about his teeth, in terms of eating bones?

My butcher sells a tray of chicken wing tips for 50 cents - they are small and I use them to feed Cherry or my cat. It is the only type of bone the cat will actually eat all of! You could try cutting the tip of the chicken wing off and giving him that as a small piece to try.

What if you skipped his dinner and tried feeding him bone for brekky?

I'm not sure about the teeth thing sorry - I've never had an adult dog who wouldn't eat bones.

Edited March 10, 2009 by huski

[maximum]

What worked for my cat was to give her chicken necks with a little bit of oil/water from the fish can. She loves canned sardines so I would just use the oil or water from sardines to sprinkle over her chicken necks or wings.

Gradually you add less and less fish oil/water until you don't have to add any at all

Now I don't have to do it anymore and she loves her chicken necks/wings

That's a fantastic tip, thank you! I'll give that one a try.

Might even try it on my cats - none of them will eat bones either...

[maximum]

My butcher sells a tray of chicken wing tips for 50 cents - they are small and I use them to feed Cherry or my cat. It is the only type of bone the cat will actually eat all of! You could try cutting the tip of the chicken wing off and giving him that as a small piece to try.

What if you skipped his dinner and tried feeding him bone for brekky?

I'm not sure about the teeth thing sorry - I've never had an adult dog who wouldn't eat bones.

That's also an excellent tip, thank you Huski - I'll see if I can find a butcher that sells the wing tips and give them a go.

Skipping meals doesn't seem to work with him. He's a stubborn little bugger! If I skip his evening meal and try him at breakfast, he just ignores things he doesn't want to eat. And, as he's still a pup, I'm a bit hesitant to deprive him of food for more than 24 hrs because he's so active.

I know the saying is a dog will never starve itself, but how long is too long when you're trying to 'out smart' a puppy and get them to eat what you want them to eat? I tried this with kibble when I first bought him and it was a battle of wills for 48 hrs before I gave in. He'll only eat kibble out of his Buster Cube, never a bowl.

[MolassesLass]

He's got you well trained.

At 6 months of age most dogs are ready to cut back to one meal a day so this may play a part in why he's not super hungry and therefore willing to try something different. Other than heating a the bone a little in warm water to bring out the smell, just offer the food for 10 minutes then take away until next meal time. In a healthy pup I would not be concerned up to 4 days without food. At 8 weeks (I'm guessing) he survived just fine after 48 hours and he's bigger now.

If after that time he's still not interested in food I would start feeding again but also go to the vet for a thyroid check.

[puggy_puggy]

I think he just doesn't understand what to do with bones. At what age did you first give him a bone? Ho wlong do you leave him to try and eat the bone?

For example. The last foster pug I had here was around 7 months old and obviously had never had a real bone in her life. She knew exaclty that she had to use her feet to chew on the Nylabone toys but the first time I presented her with a lamb flap she had no idea what to do with it only that it did seem like it smelt yummy. She took twice the amount of time as the other pugs to eat it as she didn't realise that you are supposed to use your feet to help tear bits off bones. She ate it by having it hang out of her mouth and chew on it. Slowly, whilst she was with me, she started to learn how to really eat a bone.