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  #1  
Old July 14th, 2004, 02:16 PM
lauriem lauriem is offline
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Question BARF diet ?

Hi,
Has anyone been using the B.A.R.F. diet with their pets? It stands for bones and raw foods. I do give my dogs bones but not anything they could choke on. Does anyone know if the meat they use in this diet is raw too? I do feed my dogs meat(sometimes) but it is always well cooked. Their diet consists of mainly dry food (sciencediet) and water. On occasion i give them meat and veggies. they love fruit and nuts, on our family movie night i give them a few potato chips.
carrotts seem to loved by all my dogs-raw.

can anyone give me a good overview of their experience with this type of diet? I'm really trying to give the dogs whats healthy for them. Packaged dry foods are so mysterious. In the wild dogs would eat plants and meat.
what do you think?
thanks,
Laurie
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  #2  
Old July 14th, 2004, 03:32 PM
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cmt489 cmt489 is offline
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On his breeder's recommendation, Oliver has been on a mix of raw (BARF), home cooked "stews" and premium homeopathic dry food since the day he has come home. He mostly gets raw which varies from a raw chicken wing to meat and veggies ground together (straight chicken wings, backs and necks are his favorite!) He also gets raw bones to chew on. I just made and packaged up a "stew" for him two nights ago. It consisted of several pounds of fresh beef, carrots, brocolli, tomatos, cauliflower, celery and rice. I then puree it in a food processor. His dry food is Petcurean's Go! Natural. He only gets about 1/4 to 1/2 cup a day - mostly to tide him over between when the dog walker drops him off and I get home.

He has a thick, glowing coat and great teeth. He has had some seasonal allergies of late but I am trying to address this using natural remedies.

I would recommend a more natural diet for any dog! There is no comparison!

Michelle
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  #3  
Old July 14th, 2004, 03:57 PM
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LavenderRott LavenderRott is offline
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Science Diet is not very good dog food at all.

My girls get chicken, a vegatable, yogurt and supplements daily. One day a week they get mackeral instead of chicken. Oh, that would be chicken leg quarters. Sometimes Auntie Carina brings over a huge batch of "dog stew" or veggie glop. Every couple of weeks they get a big bone to gnaw on.

If my girls had to wait for me to cook, they would starve. I hate cooking more then I hate doing dishes.

While everyone has their own opinion on feeding raw, I will say this: Chase has had so much more energy then she did on kibble. Her coat looks better, she enjoys her meals and she lost weight.
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Old July 14th, 2004, 04:56 PM
lauriem lauriem is offline
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healthy eating

Alright then, i didn't know that science diet was not that good !

So I think it's something i'll try to get into. I already give them raw and cooked foods, leftovers are common for them, plus they enjoy it tremendously!
thanks for your input
Laurie
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  #5  
Old July 14th, 2004, 05:12 PM
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heidiho heidiho is offline
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I just have to say the dog i had was put on solid gold hunchen flaken,wow his coat is like nothing i have ever felt,it is as soft as a fur coat...........
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  #6  
Old July 14th, 2004, 05:15 PM
Lucky Rescue Lucky Rescue is offline
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For anyone interested in a raw diet, here are the basics.
BARF diet
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  #7  
Old July 14th, 2004, 05:36 PM
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Luba Luba is offline
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I home cook for my dog as well!



She's very healthy and it actually pulled her though a very severe sickness as a puppy so I'm all for it!

Sadie gets a mixture of meats but NOT during the same meal/day.
She gets Turkey, Chicken and Beef as well as Salmon, Mackeral once a week.
As LavR says, I also supplement with yogurt and vitamins too.

I make a large pot of stew with all sorts of veggies and meat in it as well as a source of carbohydrate. Whether it be rice, potato or pasta.

Aunt Carina She's a good aunt!
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Old July 14th, 2004, 06:05 PM
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Cactus Flower Cactus Flower is offline
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Thanks, LuckyRescue for that link. You always have a good link handy!

Reading about the raw food diet....I have to wonder how anyone affords it.
I'd love to do this for mine, but I doubt if I could afford to buy so much extra meat each month (feeding a Dane....egads). Both my dogs get scraps when I have them, but how do you do it on a daily basis without taking out a loan?
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Old July 14th, 2004, 06:11 PM
lauriem lauriem is offline
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great help

Thanks again, really great help, informative website. My family (aunts, siblings) dont belive a dog should eat anything but dry food.

Heidiho, whats that food you mentioned and where do you get it?
Laurie
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  #10  
Old July 14th, 2004, 06:26 PM
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heidiho heidiho is offline
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It is only at specialtiy stores here,i got mine from the lady that is fostering my dog right now..It is solid gold,hunchen flaken,not sure if that is spelled right,but it is by solid gold............I cant believe how soft he is,unbelieveable..
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  #11  
Old July 14th, 2004, 06:27 PM
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heidiho heidiho is offline
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they do have a website i think it is solidgoldfood.com
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  #12  
Old July 14th, 2004, 06:29 PM
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LavenderRott LavenderRott is offline
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There is a book called "Raw Dog Food" by Carina McDonald. It is an excellent book for beginners, very easy to read. And I am not just saying that because she is a friend of mine. You can order it at www.dogwise.com.

I feed the girls a lot of chicken leg quarters because quite often I can get them at my local market for .39 cents a pound. That gives me 40 pounds for less then $20.
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Old July 14th, 2004, 07:19 PM
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Luba Luba is offline
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THAT is really cheap LavR!

Great score there, I have to look into that. Tx much for the tip.
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Old July 15th, 2004, 12:21 AM
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moontamara moontamara is offline
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what's wrong with science diet? for those of us who can't follow something like b.a.r.f., is science diet worse than any other dry dogfood? I thought I was doing the right thing, buying right from the vet's office, exactly what the breeder was using....???
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Old July 15th, 2004, 04:22 AM
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LavenderRott LavenderRott is offline
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I just looked at the ingredients list for Iams and Science Diet last week. If I remember correctly, the first ingredient listed is corn. Corn is a filler that dogs can not digest. Chicken by products are also in the top five ingredients. Chicken by products are the parts of the chicken they can't sell to people.

Your vet gets money to carry Hill's products. The more he sells the more money he makes.
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  #16  
Old July 15th, 2004, 02:12 PM
CityLimits CityLimits is offline
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Thumbs up

I started feeding my 3 guys a raw diet about 3 weeks ago. I feed mostly chicken backs, necks & wings and substitute other meats for variety once or twice a week. I also add pureed veggies, vitamins, oils, kefir or yogurt, kelp or alfalfa cubes.

I find it more time consuming but it is all worth it as I watch them gulp & crunch down their meals. I have to admit it I was a little scared giving them the whole chicken necks and backs at first, I thought for sure that they would choke - but of course they were fine.

Yes, it is a little more expensive than feeding the dry kibble, however the health benefits and hopefully the reduction in vet bills is well worth it. I think the trick is to find a good supplier (as LavR has - what a great price) and learn tricks and short cuts that make the feeding raw less daunting. I think it will come with time and experience. I know you can also buy a pre-maid raw diet from health pet food stores but they are even pricier than doing it yourself.

LR - great article. I especially like the recommendation of consulting a holistic minded vet. I did that before I started my 3 on a raw diet as I was a little over whelmed at first and wanted to make sure I would be giving my dogs everything they needed.

Don't even get me started on what is in some types of kibble. LavR is right on in why the vets push Hill's products and it is not for the good of the animal. It is important to read the labels if you are going to feed dry kibble. There are some really good ones out there that contain a lot of the whole ingredients dogs require and minimize on the byproducts and fillers.

In the end, you have to be comfortable with what you are feeding your dog. If you decide to feed raw and don't do it fully or correct that can be worse for your dog than a well made dry kibble. Just my 2 cents.
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  #17  
Old July 15th, 2004, 03:44 PM
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Cactus Flower Cactus Flower is offline
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Hmm! Good information! Maybe I can talk to our butcher and see if I can get good deals on scraps and bones, etc. Surely the necks and backs of chickens are not a popular sale item? Will check it out.
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  #18  
Old July 16th, 2004, 02:34 PM
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TalonsMa TalonsMa is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by heidiho
they do have a website i think it is solidgoldfood.com
Here's the website:
http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/
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  #19  
Old July 27th, 2004, 06:45 PM
Shakes Shakes is offline
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Question Help with homemade Barf Diet!

Hi! I'm new here, but need some help!
Last month I was feeing my little guy the Ultimate Diet (prepared Raw Food diet) and he would happily munch it down. last week I decided to try making my own - after much reading, research and some vet-recommended recipes.

I ground up a whole chicken (no bones) and separately made up some veggie slush. I bought a supplement called the Missing Link also recommended by my holistic vet. Shakes will sniff it, lick it, nibble some of it - but that's it.

HE WON'T EAT IT!!

It's been 4 days and still not really eating. Instead he sits next to me until he falls asleep.
I've noticed on here, that some of you have given your dogs whole pieces of chicken - raw necks, backs, wings. If I do that, Shakes will eat it, happily. Can I do that everyday? But then if he gets too much bone in his diet he gets constipated.

I have to trick him to eat the food - stuff the veggie slush in a Kong. Now I have a bunch of raw chicken patties and a whole tonne of veggie slush in the freezer! Should I just be giving him pieces of raw chicken?

PLEASE HELP ME!!
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  #20  
Old July 27th, 2004, 09:23 PM
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trescanis trescanis is offline
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Hi Shakes, I've been feeding raw for 7 years now. It's the best thing I've done for my dogs health wise.

Here's a link to a wonderful yahoo group. rawfeeding TONS of great people to offer advice on this one particular subject.

His tummy can't handle JUST meat. Bones are imperative in this diet. What ratio's are you feeding him and what does the slush consist of?
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  #21  
Old July 28th, 2004, 07:42 AM
Shakes Shakes is offline
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To: Trescanis - Ratio's and Veggies

Ratio - 60% meat, 30% veggie slop (kale, chard, carrots, peas, bokchoy, apples, pears, etc.,)
Raw Chicken neck every other day or every 3rd day.

Can I give him raw chicken backs and Wings? How often. I really don't want to have to buy the Healthy Paws prepared meat from the petstore, I've just not been able to find precise recipes...
I don't have a meat grinder - or the money to buy one.

Thanks for the tip on the Yahoo chat group!
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