Raw Food

[wolf_Q]

After reading this (http://207.44.135.130/talk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24518) thread and the link wolfsoul posted....I'm just wondering about the diets for dogs involving raw food, such as BARF.

The whole idea of it really does not appeal to me. Just curious to hear everyone's opinions. :)

[gkristian]

I wouldn't feed Foxy only on raw food. At the moment i give Foxe his normal dog food and about every second day i give him a chicken wing. Thats what the breeder said i should do.

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

Amy, I have incorporated the BARF diet into Drake's existing diet. He gets kibble for one meal and then raw food for the other. Drake likes it.

[Cookiebaker]

I'm *trying* to incorporate some of the BARF diet. I have read that it helps to alleviate overall boredom and takes longer for them to eat. The reasoning is that in the wild, dogs spend all day looking for a meal. When given kibble, they gobble it down and look for more. Malone just *gobbles* kibble if left to himself. I have been handfeeding at every opportunity (usually 2out of 3 meals per day) for probably two months now. They say its very important for your dog to "learn" to chew before you go all the way on the barf diet. It's been uphill at best, but we are working on LEARNING to CHEW!

[ramanth]

You didn't have the option I needed. I tried it (not necissarily the BARF diet but something similar) and Kia wouldn't eat it. So I went back to dry kibbies which she eats.

I'll add a raw egg or veggies to her kibbies though for flavor. :) She likes that.

[lv4dogs]

I have always wanted to feed my dogs the barf diet but I do not have all that extra time, I rarely cook for myself! I feed nutro. I do feed them raw meat bones all the time & WHEN i do cook for myself I always give them a few pieces of raw meat & other foods!

[joycenalex]

after thinking and doing research i switched alex over to a raw food diet in 12/2000. duke statrted eating raw the day he moved in with me 3/2002. feeding raw does involve a time commitment. i order the organically raised chicken necks on a thursday, go pick them up on saturday, then i whack the necks in to kibble sized pieces, dividing them, by weight, into the daily meal packs.(duke has bad teeth from who knows what before i got him and he can manage the small pieces very well.) i buy the veggies once or twice a week(depends on cash flow;) ) and food process them into a mixed veggie 'glop" and freeze that into meal sized packets. when i travel, i take a cooler with the correct amount of frozen chicken necks and a few frozen veggie packs, i'll buy fresh veggies where i go. i spend, not counting car /shopping time, 3 hours a week on this. i do have a few frozen meals packs in the basement freezer in case i'm sick and a friend takes over the dogs for a few days. for the dogs and me, the benifits are great. when i switched alex to the raw diet he didn't have a seizure for 7 months., what ever chemicals were on the kibble where helping lower this seizure threshold. both dogs look geat, good weight, shiny coats, good breath and clean teeth. the stools are very small, surprisingly oder free and dry out in a day to a white pebble like 'stone'.
raw feeding is not for everyone, but for us, it's been a good thing. oh yeah, my vet says my dogs eat better then she does, for that matter they eat better then i do!

[kai]

At first, I had no idea people would feed their dogs raw. It sounded odd but I researched on it, read books and asked the vet. I also went to msgboards to ask BARFers and non-BARFers on their opinions. Everyone has their own opinion. I think if one really wanted the benifits of the BARF diet...and wanted to be safe..home-cooked would probably be the best bet.

As for Kai...He's fed mainly Eukanuba. I just hate Eukanuba...he doesn't like eating it too. I mix a bit of kibbles and bits in because he just hates kibble. Once we finish bag of Eukanuba, we're gonna switch to BARF. He's had raw turkey necks, pork bones, chicken bones etc in the past. I tried out a 2 lb pack from this local pet supply store. He just LOVES it! He gobbles it up right away but I have to watch him because I don't want him choking on a bone or anything while eating. When I asked our vet about the BARF diet he said that he hasn't had any problems with it at first..he didn't really say that he encouraged it..he just kinda left it to me to decide.

[cali]

I feed BARF, their are VERY few cases where and raw diet hurt a dog or had no benifet. people against the BRF diet scrape around for something against it, they find a very rare case and use it as an exaple of why it should not be fed, where as pro BARF people have absoluly no problem whatsoever coming up with great things about the diet, it has litterally saved dogs lives, whoever told you(wolfsoul) that raw has no benifet is a total idiot IMO:rolleyes:

[sammi]

The more I have read on the BARF diet its sounds better. I would never put my dogs on it due to the time involoved and it is a big commitment. What about adding raw foods on occasion to the dry kibble? Kai - you mention a 2# package you bought at the pet store. Is that just meat/bones?

[kai]

Originally posted by sammi
The more I have read on the BARF diet its sounds better. I would never put my dogs on it due to the time involoved and it is a big commitment. What about adding raw foods on occasion to the dry kibble? Kai - you mention a 2# package you bought at the pet store. Is that just meat/bones?

The one I bought was"Moutain Dog Food" (http://www.mountaindogfood.com). I'm sure there are alot out there already prepared and balanced but MDF was actually kinda expensive...even for a small dog like Kai. But I'm pretty sure that the bigger bulk packages are cheaper.
And yes...it has bones and meat in it...the one we got was Ground Chicken/Bones/Apples/..some other fruits and veggies

[jersey girl]

Hi! i've been feeding my babies (2 german shepherd dogs and a chihuahua) on BARF for six months now and the results are fabulous! everybody's coats are shinier and softer, they've got whiter teeth (and i'm having to brush their teeth less often), and they all have lots of energy. i did a lot of research before feeding BARF, there is a lot to learn but so far all has gone very well! i do feed them dry kibble (nutro, Natrual Choice) in the mornings to make sure they're getting all the nutrients they need (i also supplement with diff. oils and flintstones vitamins). feeding kibble and BARF works well for us, but if you chose to do that make sure you always feed the kibble separate (at least 20 min. apart or preferably longer) 'cause dogs digest the kibble differently than real food and it stays in the sytem longer, increasing the risk of an infection from raw meats! when feeding a diet like BARF you get a lot of different reactions from other people (i work at a pet store so i'm often asked what i feed my dogs); i actually had some lady tell me i was killing my dogs by feeding them "people food"! (though our vet says they're looking better than ever!) :eek: my response to people of that opinion is always that dogs (and cats) are designed to live off of real food (be it raw or cooked) and no creature was meant to live out of a bag or a can! :)

[Dogz]

I don't think I would feed my dogs raw food, but I am not sure... I have never tried it before.

[Pam]

My daughter (Christiansmommy) has just started giving her Swissie puppy occasional raw food. His breeder has been raising swissies for about 15 years and he swears by it. He doesn't give his dogs a 100% BARF diet but that is just because of cost and all that is involved (he has about 6-8 adult swissies). :eek: He feels that a minimum of three servings per week should be adequate. Little Dale just loves his raw food and I have been toying with the idea of introducing raw food to my two. After all, my Bella did eat a bird from the yard right in front of my eyes. :eek: I think the scariest part of that was seeing her swallow the beakl! :eek:

Jerseygirl - welcome to Pet Talk. I guess you must originally have been from the Jersey area but are now living in Georgia? Anyway, it's always good to see another "jersey girl" on the boards! :)

[sabies]

Originally posted by Pam
it's always good to see another "jersey girl" on the boards! :)

I agree!

I don't have the time or the skills to prepare Sadie a raw diet but I know she would love it. I do give her raw eggs, cottage cheese, and marrow bones now and then to help her suffer through her kibble.

As for her kibble, it will sit in her bowl for 24 hours before she gives in and realizes no other meal is coming (I've tried many brands and flavors - we use Nutro now).

Whether a BARF or kibble diet, do whatever works for your dog. Sadie obviously is just really into meat while other dogs I've had will finish a bowl of kibble before it reaches the floor. Dogs have different tastes just like humans - I'm a vegetarian cause I don't like the taste or texture of meat while my boyfriend thinks steak is great.

[Dobiegirl24]

I plan on switching my two to BARF, i'm still doing research on it and trying to convince my mom to let me switch. I feel so horrible for feeding them kibble though:(

[ChrisH]

I thought you all may be interested in reading this critique of the BARF Raw Food Diet written by John Burns

http://www.burns-pet-nutrition.co.uk/BARF_Raw_Food_Diet.htm

Chris

[micki76]

I do not have the time to feed the BARF diet, though I wouldn't if I did have the time. Chester has pancreatitis and the fat content on the BARF diet would possibly send him to the hospital for a lengthy stay. He is on a steady diet of venison and rice and has not had a single episode of pancreatitis since we changed to this low fat diet. He's doing perfect, he likes the food, and his allergies have not flared up all summer why would I change?

I do have one issue with the BARF diet. (please do not take this as a criticism if you feed or want to feed this way)
The reasoning for this diet is that dogs have eaten raw food in the wild, and we should take them back to a more natural way of eating and that this is far healthier for them (producing better coats, etc.) correct? Well, people ate raw food too at one time. Should we go back to eating raw food? Not me!! I’m sorry, but the reasoning for this diet doesn’t hold water for me. I think dogs have been domesticated for long enough to be used to eating their food cooked.

JMHO

[tikeyas_mom]

I dont like the idea of feeding my dogs raw meat what if they get tape worms :eek: that wuldent be good. and they can get worms from raw meat. I just dont liek the idea, I stick to iams/nutro dog foods + the odd ppl food ;)

[binka_nugget]

Well, since the last time I posted in this thread, we've started feeding BARF. I'm taking everyone's opinion into consideration. No opinion is a dumb opinion. For us, the barf diet works (so far). It's really time consuming for me (I'm the one who buys, prepares and feed the food) but the benefits so far are well worth it. For any future dogs, I'm not sure if I'll feed barf again (especially for a larger dog) because it's quite expensive if I don't buy in bulk and it takes alot of my time up. If I don't feed barf, it'll either be home-cooked, or a kibble with human quality ingredients.

A major plus for us (me actually) is that I haven't had to scoop poop in our yard since we've started feeding barf. It dries and crumbles to a white powder after a couple days. Since I've started adding eggs in twice a week, his coat is ALOT healthier looking. He's gotten complemented on it many times.

[alicat613]

Originally posted by micki76


I do have one issue with the BARF diet. (please do not take this as a criticism if you feed or want to feed this way)
The reasoning for this diet is that dogs have eaten raw food in the wild, and we should take them back to a more natural way of eating and that this is far healthier for them (producing better coats, etc.) correct? Well, people ate raw food too at one time. Should we go back to eating raw food? Not me!! I’m sorry, but the reasoning for this diet doesn’t hold water for me. I think dogs have been domesticated for long enough to be used to eating their food cooked.

JMHO

Actually that's not quite it. Yes, humans ate raw before we learned about fire and cooking. But our bodies are very very different. It is about those differences, not simple history. And no, I don't run around speaking of 'wild dogs' nor do I feed BARF. But I do feed raw food and I do agree that it is the ideal for most dogs, physiologically it is their true diet (that which is raw and simulates a prey animal). But I also feed cooked. :D

BTW it costs me more to feed my 2 small cats (7.5 lbs and 11 lbs) commercial food than it does my Great Dane (130 lb growing skinny pup) on a home diet. But cost shouldn't be the deciding factor, there is a lot of initial work and there is greater effort required on a continual basis.

[joycenalex]

.... Chester has pancreatitis and the fat content on the BARF diet would possibly send him to the hospital for a lengthy stay.
I do have one issue with the BARF diet. (please do not take this as a criticism if you feed or want to feed this way)
The reasoning for this diet is that dogs have eaten raw food in the wild, and we should take them back to a more natural way of eating and that this is far healthier for them (producing better coats, etc.) correct? ...
dear micki, no offense taken at all!:) for alex, this diet is a better choice. he has had a bout of pancreatitis(garbage eating) and i was able to control the amount of fat in his diet in during his recovery. the chicken necks are skinned and the canned mackrel is rinsed off. there isn't any added fat on the veggies. alex is on multiple meds for his epilepsy and i truly bellieve that without the BARF diet, i wouldn't have him still. common commerically prepared dog foods have just so many bad things in them, animal by products, rendered fat, chemical preseratives (bha, bta for example), wheat, corn, that for alex and duke, there are no benefits and a lot of seizure triggers.
if i didn't have a medically challanged dog, i'm not sure i wouldn't do BARF. i would be buying a super premiun kibble like flint river ranch or wellness.
last month, my dogs were eating their chicken/ground squash/green bean dinner and my 18 month old niece got very interested in the dogs' food while sitting in her high chair,( she's a bit of a picky eater & she could see their bowls) so i whipped out my food processor and ground up some green beans and squash for her (no raw meat for a human of course!) and she inhailed the mix. food good enough for all!
feeding your dogs BARF is a choice, and sometimes it's the best one for that dog.

[NoahsMommy]

Micah is a cat, not a dog, but I answered this poll anyway. :)

I just started Micah on a combo RAW and Innova canned diet yesturday and amazingly enough, he has MORE energy...if that's even possible! ;)

Micah has feline Inflammatory Bowel Disease and I've been researching a lot on how to make him better. The raw diet has been proven to fix IBD in cats!! So...anything Micah needs to make him better is worth it to me. Pets are a huge committment, and regardless of what they need, its my job to do whatever I can for him.

Here is a link on what I use to make Micah's food: http://www.felinefuture.com/ As far as paracites go, the dont recommend feed pork, because it has the only bacteria cats CAN get from eating FRESH meat. Cats (and I'm pretty sure its the same with dogs) have a shorter digestive system and food passes through MUCH quicker than with people. So, salmonella and e.coli aren't a threat to them.

Making the food isn't bad at all. I spent about an hour last night making 12 days worth of food. (That included cleanup and feeding him his first taste.) It really isn't that much of a hassle if you ARE considering it.

Lots of companies make suppliments to be mixed with the fresh meat, so there isn't a fear of the animal not getting enough nutrients.

As far as the animal getting sick FROM the raw diet...I guess that's why we have to monitor our animals a bit more closely, but that's something we should be doing anyway. Fecal tests can detect tape worms and only cost about $20....and SHOULD be included in yearly exams anyway....

Anyway...that's my take on the raw diet. :)

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