Alfred Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Hi all, just conducting a bit of research. Does anyone feed their dog or cat on a Bone and Raw Food (BARF) diet? If so why and what results have you found? (Some people claim better behaviour, teeth, coat etc) Has anyone had any problems with feeding this diet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chooklady Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Hi Alfred I feed my dog a BARF diet and very healthy he is to. He is just over 4 years old and I started this diet Jan 08. He was always really skinny and the vet used to worry about his weight and so did I, we were always there and his upset stomachs and sickness drove us mad, you never knew what you would come home to if you went out or sometimes in the morning. Last year we had a vet free year, which was great (other than a cut pad and boosters) I am very passionate about feeding dogs BARF (I don't have any experience with cats) but I think things aren't too different. Spencer has gone from 36kgs to 41kgs in a year, he is just about right now, he has good breath, white teeth, they were quite yellow when we started, no doggy smell to speak of, also he had very dry skin which has completely disappeared. I do also think his bevaviour is better than it used to be but that could just be that he is mature now! The only problems we have encountered at the beginning were being too adventurous too quickly, I do have some tips that might help you if your interested about starting etc. I got most of my advice from an English lady that breeds schnauzers in Germany, she has been barfing for many years and knows her stuff. I think when people get puppies they sometimes don't realise that there is an alternative to processed food, we have all been brainwashed into assuming that is the only way to feed our dogs, but there have been dogs around forever the processed kibble is a fairly recent innovation. I certainly wouldn't want to eat the same food every day. Hope this helps a bit, PM me if I can help in anyway. Nicola Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alfred Posted March 5, 2009 Author Share Posted March 5, 2009 Hi Nicola, Thanks for the info, what exactly do you feed your dog and where do you get it from? Glad to hear he is doing so well! Could you also tell me what the brand of dog food he was on before was (the one that didn't agree with him) Thanks alfred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 I've always fed my dogs on a diluted version of BARF; I've just had a 6 year interval without a dog, so had to read up on it again whe I got Ruby last year. With a purely BARF diet it's hard to get the balance right TBH, or at least that's how I found it, so I feed my current lurcher pup on an organic non-cereal kibble, which contains fish rather than meat as the protein source. She has raw meat s"Ooops, word censored!"s and offal that I get from a local free range farming source that has its own butchers. I mince these up and give it to her with the kibble. She also has beautiful raw marrow bones from the same source and free range chicken carcasses, wings and off cuts from another local contact. As recommended for dogs on the BARF diet, she also gets a raw egg (shell and all) every now and then, Dorwest Herbs Easygreen Powder and a drop of cod liver oil every so often. In fact I think that she eats better than we do! Her absolute favourite treat though is a tin of pilchards in tomato sauce! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutmeg Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Another BARF feeder here for my lurcher. She came to us as a rescue at 6 months and I started on the raw feeding straight away and have never looked back. As Claret pointed out, it is difficult to get it balanced and at first I was worried that she would be lacking in certain vitamins, but now I just go with whatever is to hand to be honest. I bulk buy from a local company who provide everything frozen (she has her own freezer in the garage) including the veggies mixed in with lamb, beef, etc. (I used to liquidize the veggies, but soon gave up! ) She also has s"Ooops, word censored!"s from us, e.g homemade tuna pasta, leftover roast, etc.) I managed to get a cheap whole trout once and she just played with it in the garden for three days She also has porridge with blueberries, sardines in oil for her coat, tripe and offal (about once a month) Benefits are lovely soft coat, fresh doggy kisses (well within reason ) and small solid poo once a day! Of course, despite all this goodness, her favourite thing is to gobble up the leftover cat food when she thinks no-one is watching! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 True lurcher then! I can't walk Ruby through town without her scabbing chips and discarded kebabs from the pavement Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chooklady Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 (edited) Hi Nicola, Thanks for the info, what exactly do you feed your dog and where do you get it from? Glad to hear he is doing so well! Could you also tell me what the brand of dog food he was on before was (the one that didn't agree with him) Thanks alfred Hi Alfred The bulk of the meat I use comes from a company called Landywoods http://www.landywoods.co.uk they are quite a small company and they only deliver once a month as they have to cover all their areas. http://www.schnauzer-forum.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=25 This is the BARF section on the schnauzer forum I belong to, there are some useful tips and lists of different foods on here. Things to avoid. I am BFG on the forum and the lady that converted me is Lipgloss and she compiled the lists on there. Spencer had several changes in kibble, as a pup he started of on Purina One - Beta, then James Wellbeloved and then Burns. When you start most people find it is best to change straight over. Spencer had his last kibble meal in the evening and then I left him a day and started the following day. It is not a good idea to feed kibble with raw as the 2 types of food have a different rate of digestion and can cause problems. If you must feed both then you should leave roughly 8 hours in between meals. Balance is acheived over time, we do not eat the same things everyday so why should our dogs, I will never go back to kibble with my present dog or any that I might own in the future. It is also much cheaper, I spent about £45 previously and I reckon it's somewhere in the region of £25 now per month. When you start out it is also advisable not to feed bones straight away; this gives the dogs digestive tract time to adjust to the raw food and build up the stomach acids ready to deal with digestion of the bones. So the best thing to do is start the dog on beef mince and you can add ground down eggshell, shouldn't be a problem! to replace the calcium that they would get from the bone, any excess just comes away when they go for a poo. If you do this for 2 -3 weeks then you can start to introduce bones. I cannot afford to feed Spencer organically it would be too expensive but I do the best I can. Spencer has cottage cheese, extra virgin olive oil occasionally, and natural yogurt, a bit of veg he is not too keen. Green tripe on a regular basis, one of the best things you can feed your dog, minced lamb, minced beef, minced whole chicken, bones and all. a couple of eggs a week, lamb bones and beef knuckle bones. Although not strictly BARF canned fish is a good standby for when you have forgotten to get the dogs dinner out of the freezer. Before I started this Spencer could not have anything else, if I gave him anything like s"Ooops, word censored!"s he would have suffered for days, but now he does have some on a Sunday after the roast, he loves runner beans! Purist BARFERS would say I am wrong to feed any thing that is not raw. Sorry this is so long. If there is anything else I can help with ask away. Best wishes Nicola Edited March 7, 2009 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 We've had Jazz on a mostly BARF diet since she was 7 weeks old. She has an amazingly shiny coat, doesn't smell overly doggy and has beautiful teeth/gums and fresh breath. We do use Pero organic kibble for some parts of meals. She has yoghurt and a few pieces of dry kibble in the morning (she has to take homeopathic tablets for her pollen allergy morning and night so we add them to the yoghurt) She has either a Pizzle Stick or a pig's ear during the day and in the evening has any of the usual BARF stuff, or leftovers if they are mostly vegetable/pasta/rice or pilchards with some kibble. She also has the Dorwest Easygreen powder and Keepers Mix, a dollop of Safflower oil and occasional raw bones. For a labrador Jazz is, surprisingly, not a greedy dog - she only eats what she wants and will leave food. We have to use high value treats for any training - usually tiny pieces of cooked sausage or tiny cubes of cheese and a few dog choccie. drops. Jazz was fine with raw bones until about 8 months ago - now, she is sick if she has bones but is still OK with chicken wings (which I buy from Sheepdrove or from the Farmers' Market if we don't have any of our own) It is important that dogs fed the BARF diet have a fast day once a week to give their kidneys a rest - Jazz fasts on a Monday apart from a teasp. of yoghurt with her tablets in the morning and a small dry biscuit in the evening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkshire Pudding Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 I'm reading this with interest - I've always fed complete dry foods to my cats, but my last one developed diabetes (although it was in old age, I wondered if the diet contributed to it - cats are obligate carnivores after all). I'm due to have another cat in a few months and would like to feed it the best possible diet I can afford; bearing in mind we sometimes leave our collection of animals overnight (usually only for 24 hours) maximum. Could I do this with an animal on BARF? Does anyone feed their cat a BARF diet? I'd be interested to know what they are given and whether it works as well as for dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutmeg Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 True lurcher then! I can't walk Ruby through town without her scabbing chips and discarded kebabs from the pavement Yep, you can always rely on a lurcher to hoover up! Maisy once came out of the undergrowth with a Mars Bar and another time with a raw kidney, which I presume was from a Rabbit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Ruby's favourite is tissues Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkshire Pudding Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 She must have a very well-developed immune system! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Oh, definitely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chooklady Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 My dog will automatically starve himself so I just go with him if he doesn't eat his food within 10 mins then I take it away and he gets it the next night. I would think that the process with cats is pretty much the same. Since Spencer has been on this diet I haven't actually put him in kennels but I would have thought most decent ones would over a raw food diet or would be happy to do it if you provide the food ready for them to give to the dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milly Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 I have never heard of this diet before, but I suspect my cats have had a diluted version of it for years! In spring and summer they catch young rabbits and mice and it certainly seems to keep their teeth clean. Our previous cats who didn't hunt had to have their teeth cleaned by the vet with all the expense and trauma for them. But it's not very nice finding half eaten bits of rabbit under the bed, so a controlled diet would obviously be better. Is there any information on feeding cats a BARF or even partial BARF diet? I'm not that keen on feeding them processed food when I wouldn't eat it myself (processed food I mean, not cat food ) Milly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 I think that the book which Lesley has talks about BARF for cats, but I'm sure that you'd find some info if you google. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milly Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 Thanks - I googled as suggested. Most of the entries seem a bit dog-centric, even though they keep saying that cats can have the diet too! I think I might try adding some raw meat to their current diet and see how they get on - I was always worried about giving them raw meat in case it wasn't good for them, but I can see that doesn't make sense - they eat raw food when they catch it! And they are wormed by the vet so there should be no need to worry on that score. But if anyone has real life advice I would like to hear it please. Milly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 My cats get some of the mince that I have for the dog, and also the odd chicken wing. But they mostly like catching their own, which still has fur and a pulse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutmeg Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 When I started feeding BARF I bought the book 'The BARF Diet' Raw Feeding for Dogs and Cats by Dr Ian Billinghurst. I found it very informative and it gives sample weekly menus for both cats and dogs to get you started. (Not sure if that is the same book as previously mentioned) Our cat has raw mince, liver and kidney, but I admit I have not tried him with chicken wings, which seems daft as he has no problems with wood pigeon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chooklady Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I have never heard of this diet before, but I suspect my cats have had a diluted version of it for years! In spring and summer they catch young rabbits and mice and it certainly seems to keep their teeth clean. Our previous cats who didn't hunt had to have their teeth cleaned by the vet with all the expense and trauma for them. But it's not very nice finding half eaten bits of rabbit under the bed, so a controlled diet would obviously be better. Is there any information on feeding cats a BARF or even partial BARF diet? I'm not that keen on feeding them processed food when I wouldn't eat it myself (processed food I mean, not cat food ) Milly Hi Milly, just put 'cats barf diet' in google and I'm sure you will find lots of information about how to feed your cat, I cannot comment as I only have a dog and I don't want to tell you something that may be wrong in some way. There are forums etc about BARF. I am so passionate about this you have no idea. Good luck. Nicola Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chooklady Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 (edited) PLEASE BE CAREFUL, IT IS BEST NOT TO FEED DRY FOOD AND RAW FOOD TOGETHER IF YOU MUST DO BOTH FEED THEM AS SEPERATE MEALS TO LET YOUR ANIMAL DIGEST IT PROPERLY. The 2 types of food digest at different rates and can cause upsets fed together and you should allow 8 hours in between feeds. Edited March 9, 2009 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Thanks for the advice Chooklady, none of my lurchers has ever suffered by being fed both kibble and raw in the same meal, but then being hunting dogs, they probably have cast iron digestion. I can understand your concern though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chooklady Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Thanks for the advice Chooklady, none of my lurchers has ever suffered by being fed both kibble and raw in the same meal, but then being hunting dogs, they probably have cast iron digestion. I can understand your concern though You are lucky Claret because some dogs do have a bad reaction to eating both at the same time. You are probably right that they have a tougher constitution Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 I've always feed my cats on a Barf diet, believe me they have no problems with chicken wings! we've had cuts and s"Ooops, word censored!"s etc but never any other health issues abd we always get great comments on their coats, teeth etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamebird Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 Like Claret, I too have been feeding my dog a semi-BARF diet. Raw minced lamb and pieces of free range chicken breast, eggs, vegetables, fish, salmon oil, garlic etc. I would like to give him chicken wings but I do have a concern that they will be from battery hens. Does anyone else have this concern? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
