My Barf Diet

[melbell]

Okay so im ready to give up the supermarket brand and switch over to the BARF diet, sounds like it is the best possible thing I can feed my little boy...so I just need a little advice to get started

Ive brought and read the book as suggested - Give your dog a bone and highlighted all the important bits. Ive done a kind of set menu and would really appreciate everyone's feedback and to make sure im not missing a vital ingredient.

Here goes:-

Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays: Chicken based meal - either chicken necks, wings or carcasus if i can find them mixed in with my vegie mix (see below)

Tuesdays and Thursdays: Beef or Pork based meal - chuck bones etc with vegie mix.

Sundays: Offal day - kidneys, brains, heats etc with vegie mix

Fridays: Fish day - Sardines mixed with some natual yoghurt and vegies.

I was going to buy a big selection of vegetables, spinach, brocoli, carrot, peas, potatoe, sweet potatoe etc and put it through the food processor or juicer. Pack the mix into snap lock bags and freeze it, then take a couple out to defrost as needed - would that be okay?

I was also going to add a kelp tablet every couple of days. I also give him the big marrow bones a couple of times a week to keep him occupied.

Im not to sure on portion sizes...how much should each meal consist of? He is a 1yr old staffy/mastiff x who weighs 30kg. My plan was to keep an eye on his weight and adjust accordingly.

Also I dont have a juicer or food processor so will need to go and buy one, what do most people find the best/easiest?

Many Thanks

Mel

[Staff'n'Toller]

Sounds good...I am only just starting out with BARF too...so the more experienced BARFers might give some great advice.

Two things- I have used a food processor in the past so that you can puree the vegies- I've read that's how they get the best from them.

Can you get the BARF patties up there? I just bought a roll today, but they seem to take the hard work out of things for you....just need to supplement with the bones and the fish. My breeder in Brissy asked her pet supplies to get them in, and apparently they are very popular there now.

Mel.

[Allerzeit]

Hi Mel,

I had the same concern for AGES on how much to feed!

I eventually found the recommendation to start with between 2 - 3% of body weight per day, so that's where we've begun and they all look good so far (only about 1 week into it). We will stick with this for now, and then adjust if necessary.

We also break ours up into two meals - just what we've always done, even before BARF.

Veges - ahhh. I went out a purchased a blender too - and then spent about 3 hours blending vegetables (we are talking about weeks worth of food for 5 adult Rottweilers and one hyperactive puppy BC x Kelpie - so it was a LOT of vegetables). I'm still having a lot of trouble getting one of our dogs to eat his veges, just doesn't like them (sigh), but the rest have been fine. I'm hoping the blending gets easier!

I think (??) our blender is around 450 - 500 watts (don't quote me though) and in hindsight I would have purchased a stronger/heavier duty blender - although it may just be that I completely SUCK at blending stuff!

From a very novice point of view, I think your diet plan sounds good - but I'm sure there are people with far more experience who will be able to offer you better advice than me in that area

Cheers,

Trace

[PAX]

I have killed two blenders since BARF and now have a juicer. It is so much faster and does a much better job.

I have a 30kilo Dobe that is three years old and i feed her approx two chicken backs and one cup of mixed fruit and vegies per day. Just as a guide for you, your dog is still growing so would probably need more. I split the meals into Breakfast and dinner.

I dont get to worried about what they get on what day, just try to balance it over a week. I have found if i fed all the offal on the one day it upsets their tummys a bit and they have sloppy poo so i add a bit a few times a week. Same as with the fish.

With the vegies i stay away from potatoes and pumpkin and go more with green leafy vegies. Capsicum, celery, bok choy, carrots, parsley, beeetroot, sometimes a bit of garlic, apples pineapple bananas just whatever is cheap and in abundance.

At first you might have to mix your vegie mix with mince until they get used to it. I also add fish oil capsules and a few other additives but i dont stress about it just like with what we feed ourselves. Just aim for a balance.

Lisa

[poodlefan]

I use both a blender and a juicer to feed BARF as my guys don't like offal on its own so I blend it into veggies.

Personally, I'd not worry about feeding veggies every day. If you feed raw meaty bones two days out of three then a mostly veggie mix would do for the third day. I could post my veggie mix recipie if you like.

[Allerzeit]

Yes, please poodlefan - I would love to know your vege recipe

[cavNrott]

.

Edited May 7, 2009 by cavNrott

[PAX]

I dont blend any meat or offal, it is tooooo disgusting. My dogs mouths are big enough to chew..........lol. I am lucky that they are greedy and eat everything.

I sometimes do lots of vegies and pack and freeze but lately i have been slack and just do it every other day. Some for today and some for tomorrow then i might miss a day or i might do more.

[melbell]

Wow thanks guys for all the help. I might just wizz up the offal into the veggies a couple of times a week, i dont want to give him a tummy upset.

Poodlefan the veggie recipe would be great.

Anne just a question if i may, why would you elimate the potatoe?

Im thinking of going with a juicer that you can juice whole things, that way i can have juice too. Ewww not to sure about juicing a liver...gross :rolleyes:

Allerzeit you must have been at that blender for a LONG time blending for 5 dogs! WOW

Ive seen the BARF patties at a store so i might get a pack more for emergencies and if we need to have a holdiay and leave Toby with a family member, less fuss for them.

Im scared that I wont be feeding him enough! Just out of interest do people add fruit to the vegies or feed that seperately?

[PAX]

I switched to the BARF diet because my dog had very bad skin problems and the book i read (one of the billinghurst books) said to stay away from carbohydrate type vegies like potatoes pumkin and i think legumes like peas and beans.

I do feed them but not a lot in the mix

I mix fruit with my vegies.

A juicer pulps the fruit and vegies much finer and i found the blender did take ages. You have to keep stopping and pulling it apart to empty it where as the juicer you can just keep feeding it in. Also with the blender some things just go around and around on top of the blades, you have to cut things up quite small but the juicer takes whole vegies like whole apples and carrots.

I have bought the patties when my dogs had to go into boarding once and i did not want them to be fed kibble so i supplied the food and it was much easier for the boarding kennel but they work out a lot more expensive.

Lisa

When i first switched to BARF i weighed the dogs every week just to ease my mind that they werent losing weight. It doesnt take long to get the hang of it

Edited July 13, 2005 by packsapunch

[poodlefan]

As requested:

Poodlefan’s BARF Veggie Mix

I based this on Dr B's recipe for veggie patties in GYPWB. Lets see if I can explain it like a cook book does!

Ingredients

4 eggs

1 small container of yogurt

2 tablespoons of flax seed oil

4 tablespoons of Missing Link (optional)

2 kg of mixed fruit and veggies (I use some root veggies, some fruit and some green veggies in every mix)

1 kg full fat beef mince

1 large piece of liver or a few kidneys

Method

1. Add eggs, yogurt, flax seed oil and Missing Link to huge bowl (I use the biggest saucepan I’ve got) and blend well

2. Add the mince and mix well . Remove cat from kitchen bench.

3. 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.

6. Remove cat from bench again.

7. Cave in and give a little of fresh mince and mix to cat

8. Put into storage containers and freeze.

I find this mix feeds 5 mini poodles for 5 meals. My mix is evolving over time. I’ve used other additives like Power Blend, Barley Grass Power, Brewers Yeast, Vitamin C – I just change them from time to time.

My large dog owning friends do all the stages from 1 to 3 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 July 13, 2005 by poodlefan

[PAX]

Poodlefan,

thats very funny.

I would feed the cat as well that is why i own a 10 kilo siamese

[Allerzeit]

:rolleyes: :cool:

Will the recipe be OK if I omit the cat though, or is that an essential ingredient?

Just been visiting the Rainbow Bridge section - so I needed the laugh Poodlefan, good on ya

Thanks for the recipe too!

Edited July 13, 2005 by Allerzeit

[poodlefan]

For you Allerzeit, replace "cat" with "bench surfing Rotty".

I vary the veggies and fruit as much as possible but tend to have apples and carrots in most mixes. I cheat and juice some of those first so I can have some fresh juice (no offal) while I make the mix.

I do not include cruciferous veggies in every mix - it can interfere with thyroid function. :cool:

Try juicing fresh beetroot for the mix for fun - the mix ends up bright purple and the results in the back yard are... interesting. :rolleyes:

[Guest LittlePixie]

This is possibly a silly question that will earn me a smack from the devoted BARFers, buuut...

Is using frozen vegetables okay? Buying a large variety and then blending them all together..?

[poodlefan]

Frozen veggies are OK LP but you certainly won't get the same range as you can buy fresh. Also most frozen veggies (eg. peas, corn) are pretty starchy.

I'd use them if I was desperate but fresh is always better! You're going to pay a mint for the frozen ones too. :rolleyes:

[espinay2]

I wanted to add here that it is important to remember that the most important part of the diet is not the veggies but the raw meaty bones (emphasis on the meaty) and organ meats etc, dogs being the carnivores they are. Personally, after over 10 years feeding a raw diet, I have simplified it a lot more than Billinghurst advocates (or rather as many Billinghurst advocates have interpreted) , as have many raw feeders. The veggies my dogs get tend to be leftovers or 'cleaning out the fridge' when I will throw everything in the food processor or blender. They get veggies on average about once a fortnight and rarely more than once a week. Personally I would probably recommend not feeding them more than every 3 days at the most (unless you happen to have a few leftovers 2 days in a row! :rolleyes: ).

In Billinghursts book I would suggest reading and taking to heart the section on the 'truckies Rottie'. Some very good points to remember there.

[Miranda]

Hi everyone,

I feed chicken wings, necks, brisket bones and lamb flaps and I'd love to feed chicken frames but they still worry me with all those little pointy bones. Has anyone ever had any problems feeding frames? I know I'm being stupid, but I just can't seem to get past all those little bones. Also does anyone feed lamb necks? I often look at them too, but haven't given them to my dogs yet.

I just need some reassurance :rolleyes:

[KitKat]

My two large dogs love the chicken frames and lamb necks...and haven't had a problem with them. I used to prefer giving the whole lamb necks as i was a tad unsure about the sliced ones because of the hole in the middle of them. But they are easier to get so i tried them and the boys just munched and crunched and they were gone without a problem so...all is good with them :rolleyes:

I also get some little roasting chickens whole and cheap which the boys get and luuuurrrve to eat.

[Missymoo]

ok, probably silly questains...

I started feeding a BARF diet but then started worrying about all the vitamins and minerals etc that my dog was missing or I was giving in wrong quantities...

what additives are a must for the diet??