Norskgra Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 (edited) I started feeding my oldest 2 Elkhounds on a modified BARF diet a few months ago and switched them to a complete BARF diet over a month ago. I keep in regular contact with the 2 breeders I got 3 of my dogs from but didn't tell them about the change as I didn't see the need to. The breeder of 2 of mine saw my oldest girl for the first time in 3 months at the chiropractor and couldn't get over what great condition she was in. She had gone from being very skinny to being the perfect weight with a great coat that actually had a shine to it. The breeder wanted to know what I had been feeding her and I told her my girls diet. My boy that I am feeding BARF to has gone from being sometimes dog aggressive to getting along with all dogs just from the change in diet. Last night I was speaking to the breeder of my oldest girl who has been breeding Elkhounds since 1978 and he was commenting on the coat condition of some of the Elkhounds at the show he was at. He was saying how dry their coat was and that they didn't look to be in very good condition. He asked what my dogs coats were like as he hasn't seen my dogs since November last year. I told them that apart from 2 of the girls loosing some of their coat, their coats were great. We got talking and I said that I am giving them fish oil tablets and that I feed them all 1 fish meal a week. I also told him what I was feeding my oldest 2. He was horrified that I was not feeding them any dry and said that dogs have to eat dry food as it is not good for them not to eat it. I told him that these 2 will not eat any dry which was why I started them on BARF. The only dry they will eat is Nutro which I will feed these 2 in emergencies or when travelling. I guess he will see how good their condition is at our breeds first Specialty Show at the end of next month! I doubt he will change his mind but I can't understand why he is against BARF. My vet is amazed at the condition of my dogs and how clean their teeth are. They jokingly complain that we do not visit them enough. We normally only have to go to the vet for vaccinations. The vets do not have a problem with us feeding BARF yet a breeder does! Edited May 2, 2006 by Norskgra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kal Posted March 26, 2006 Share Posted March 26, 2006 I use the Barf diet with my Sams, and the vets always comment on their health and especially their teeth considering their age, Sheba (see avatar) is 8 years old and has perfect teeth still! yay! Let us know if the breeder of the two dogs of yours changes his mind after seeing them! I guess people just get stuck in their ways Good luck at the specialty show! My boy that I am feeding BARF to has gone from being sometimes dog aggressive to getting along with all dogs just from the change in diet. I'm amazed that the diet changed the temperament of your boy! Then again, they now recomend children have special diets when they have ADHD etc, I suppose dogs wouldn't be any different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norskgra Posted March 26, 2006 Author Share Posted March 26, 2006 (edited) Thanks Zamystik. What ever happens, I will be glad when the Specialty is over and done with! The breeder who said that you have to feed dry actually bred only one of mine. I can see that my first post could be confusing. The breeder who said what great condition the girl was in bred 2 of mine but not that girl. A canine naturopath actually recommended the change to BARF quite sometime ago for my boy to see if it helped him. He wouldn't eat raw chicken mince until about a month ago. Edited March 26, 2006 by Norskgra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blacklabrador Posted March 26, 2006 Share Posted March 26, 2006 Not all vets are against BARF Some can think outside the square. One of the practitioners I see regards dried food as "junk food for dogs" which always makes me laugh. He is a behaviourist too - and believes that eliminating dried food from the diet can help calm them down. I reckon the condition of my dogs speak for themselves too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BubbleGirl Posted March 26, 2006 Share Posted March 26, 2006 Rosie started on BARF when staying with Imoenboxers and I have continued on since being here in Melbourne, the change in her coat is REMARKABLE!!!! She was dropping coat like no tomorrow and it was dull, now it's shiny and soft. She also has much more weight on now and is looking nice and toned. Bet your breeders eyes will fall out of his head when he sees them Take Care Riles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norskgra Posted March 26, 2006 Author Share Posted March 26, 2006 Probably Riley. I doubt he will change his mind though and I won't change mine either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted March 26, 2006 Share Posted March 26, 2006 (edited) He was horrified that I was not feeding them any dry and said that dogs have to eat dry food as it is not good for them not to eat it. Wonder how they got on in the wild ..... I'm amazed that the diet changed the temperament of your boy! Diet influences temperament more than many realise. In short, it affects/effects the release of seratonin (brain chemical responsible for calm/higher threshold for reactivity). Edited March 26, 2006 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espinay2 Posted March 26, 2006 Share Posted March 26, 2006 You will always get those - vets breeders or otherwise - who don't agree. We have them in my breed too - those who feed a dry food only for example (and not always a premium brand), claim to have 'healthy' dogs and disagree strongly with the feeding of a raw foods (or even any type of home prepared) diet. I remember coming across this atitude years ago when I first became involved in discussing a raw foods diet with others in my breed and it is interesting that the same people who had those beliefs then, usually still have them now. Setting up the raw feeding list for my breed all those years ago, I was sure it would be closed in a matter of months due to lack of interest. Certainly in the beginning only a few people joined and at times the list has been so quiet I was sure it was done for. Over the years though, more and more breeders and owners have changed for one reason or another. Many changed because they weren't happy or were trying to fix problems. Others saw the better health of other breeders dogs and decided to give it a try. Others were part way there already and simply took the final step when the information became available to them. Most have done it quietly and have not been overly vocal about it. We made a list of raw feeding breeders on our list a few months ago. The number who were now feeding a raw diet in our little international community surprised even me. Some quite well known names on that list too - not just newer breeders. So, those who disagree can go on disagreeing. I don't worry too much about them now (though it used to annoy me a LOT). I just go on doing my own thing, while making sure the information is readily available for those who are ready to seek it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norskgra Posted March 26, 2006 Author Share Posted March 26, 2006 (edited) I am not worried about what I am feeding them now. Their condition has improved so much. Thanks mainly to Espinay and Steve's advice. Last time I heard, this breeder fed his dogs Bonnie Working Dog with the occasional chicken frames and necks. I know what I prefer feeding mine and will stick to it. I am not saying that my dogs are better than his as he does have some very good dogs but I think mine are in better condition. Edited March 27, 2006 by Norskgra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norskgra Posted March 26, 2006 Author Share Posted March 26, 2006 I'm amazed that the diet changed the temperament of your boy! I was surprised as well. He wasn't too bad. There were only a couple of dogs he would show any aggression to if they came too close to him while he was in his crate at shows. Now he doesn't worry about them at all. The change in diet also helped him overcome some of his fears as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t-time Posted March 26, 2006 Share Posted March 26, 2006 A little bit disappointing for you, I guess Norskgra When your breeder sees the excellent health and coats on your dogs - won't he be suprised I would have thought that FISH and well, ELK would be great food for your breed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norskgra Posted March 26, 2006 Author Share Posted March 26, 2006 A little bit disappointing for you, I guess Norskgra When your breeder sees the excellent health and coats on your dogs - won't he be suprised I would have thought that FISH and well, ELK would be great food for your breed It was more annoying than disappointing. He hasn't seen them since early November last year and I must admit that these 2 were not in very good condition and he actually judged them. At that time they refused to eat dry food and I was struggling to find something they would eat. Since I have started them on BARF they have actually done more winning at shows as well. My oldest boy has actually beaten my youngest girl each time now and according to that breeder, she is 'exquisite'. He didn't breed either of them either. The breeder who did breed my oldest and youngest has seen them and is really impressed at their condition even though my oldest now keeps beating his brother. I thought they would love fish as well considering they are Norwegian. They can actually be fussy about what fish they eat. They will eat mackeral under sufference. They love red or pink salmon and sardines but I haven't tried them on pickled herrings. It is a bit hard to find any moose or elk around to try them on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t-time Posted March 26, 2006 Share Posted March 26, 2006 I reckon pickled herring would be the go What about some venison? About the closest thing we've got to moose/elk! You'll end up with incredibly typey dogs with a discerning palate to boot "Yes maam - truly Norwegian dogs..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norskgra Posted March 27, 2006 Author Share Posted March 27, 2006 I don't know about feeding them Bambi. They already have discerning palates! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest worried Posted March 27, 2006 Share Posted March 27, 2006 If your dogs condition has improved you must be doing something right with their diet. I would ignore the breeder and let him see the results for himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norskgra Posted March 29, 2006 Author Share Posted March 29, 2006 If your dogs condition has improved you must be doing something right with their diet. I would ignore the breeder and let him see the results for himself. I won't be changing their diet. The breeder can feed his dogs what he thinks is best and I will do the same. It will be interesting to see if he says anything when he sees mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockie Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 Hi all, i got a link which is against barf by a canine nutritionist. He stated his findings of the negative effects and some history. I cant remember wat else he said but its worth a look. http://home.att.net/~wdcusick/raw.html This is the mainpage http://home.att.net/~wdcusick/ He has other findings, facts on his website as well, all of which are related to canine nutrition and how the correct diet can do so much good to your dog. Dont get me wrong im not against barf. Its just that i find it worth a look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norskgra Posted March 29, 2006 Author Share Posted March 29, 2006 Hi all, i got a link which is against barf by a canine nutritionist. He stated his findings of the negative effects and some history. I cant remember wat else he said but its worth a look.http://home.att.net/~wdcusick/raw.html This is the mainpage http://home.att.net/~wdcusick/ He has other findings, facts on his website as well, all of which are related to canine nutrition and how the correct diet can do so much good to your dog. Dont get me wrong im not against barf. Its just that i find it worth a look. Everyone has their own opinion on what you should be feeding dogs. I was originally advised by a canine nutritionist to try BARF for my oldest boy. I didn't try it when she advised me to. It was only when this boy and my oldest girl refused to eat any dry food that I had to do something. They went for more than 2 weeks without eating anything and they were looking terrible. I then decided to give BARF a try through some more advice I received on DOL. The 2 I am feeding BARF have never looked better. They are healthier than they have ever been. The problems I was having with my boy stopped as well. I know that it is working for my dogs and I will stick to it. Eventually I will switch my other dogs to BARF as well. My oldset girl is due to come into season this Friday and I will be mating her. Any resulting pups will be fed BARF but I will also give them some dry food as well. I will be recommending to theor new owners that they continue with BARF but I will leave the final decision up to them. I intend to feed the pup I keep on BARF with dry being fed in emergencies or when travelling. I know that it is working for my two and I will keep them on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiera-Blue Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 I took Kiera to the vet last night for her C5 shot, The Vet asked what her diet was like as she was in great condition, & I told him she was on the BARF diet, & he laughed and said thats proably why he hasn't seen us for a year, Glad to see I am ding something right, although I did notice on the scales that she'd lost 2 kilos since November, which I was a bit concerned about, but she is still in the healthy weight range and looks fantastic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norskgra Posted March 29, 2006 Author Share Posted March 29, 2006 That is what our Vet is like as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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