Barf Diet Ingredients Only

[lv4dogs]

I know a lot of posts of like this have been posted already but there are so many & they are so long & they vary a lot, so I would appreciate it if only people that do feed BARF diet could reply here, also please only list the ingredients you feed, how you prepare it, if there are any medical reasons why you feed it & if so please list the additives/supplements that are used to help the medical condition. Also maybe the size of the dog(s) you feed, how much & how often.

I am thinking about switching my dogs to the barf diet, I have read a few books, talked with my vet (which is not too knowledgable on BARF diets), talked w/ friends & looked everhwere on different sites, communitites & posts, they all vary a lot so I am just trying to get an idea as to what the most common ingredients are & what works for most I know what works for one may not work for another I just want an idea.

Thank you in advance!!!!

[lv4dogs]

Oh I forgot to add about cost.... I know if you buy & make it in bulk etc... it is cheaper but is there a LARGE difference in price?

[K9karen]

Sorry for another senior moment You Do mean BARF as in barf right? It's not an acromyn for anything, right? T.G that's one problem I never had, but a friend's lab was really good at it! I remember her feeding him yogurt, cottage cheese and bland stuff. Now if you asked about the "other end" .... If it's constant, I'd call the vet to make sure it's not caused by any medical problem.

[lv4dogs]

I mean feeding a BARF diet (Bones And Raw Food) like a natural diet you prepare at home w/ raw meats & veggies & fruits & supplements.

Gosh If I was talking about feeding my dogs actual throw up I would shoot myself.

[K9karen]

Well..I warned you about my senior moment! I know that Dog Fancy magazine had a huge article about that recently...Maybe if you log onto their website (DogFancy.com) you may be able to find something.

[Shelteez2]

I don't feed it as my dog's soul diet yet. Usually I just give them raw on the weekends. On the weekend their typical meal would be veggies and organ meat in the morning (I premake this and freeze it into muffin tins). The veggies consist mostly of dark leafy greens, and then whatever I find as I'm walking down the produce aisle, things like yams or sweet potatos, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower, green beans etc. Basically anything goes. Things that don't go are onions (very bad for dogs can cause anemic reactions) and too many veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, bok choy (anything in that sort of family) as too much can supress thyroid function. I also throw some fruit in there, mainly apples. As for organ meat I use chicken livers and hearts, and sometimes beef liver. The RMBs I feed are mainly chicken backs and necks, and turkey backs and necks.
So.....they will get their veggies in the morning (approx 3 tbsp each) and they get their RMB at night, either a chicken back each or about 4-5 chicken necks each, or a turkey neck each.
As for supplements I add some kelp on top of their veggies and that's about it. Occasionally I'll throw an egg on top or some yogurt depends what I have. When I switch them over to raw only I will look for other kinds of meat sources as variety is important.
Here is a website of FAQs that I had recommended to me for people just starting out:
http://www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm

And here is another really well done site on feeding raw:
http://www.rawdogranch.com/

[binka_nugget]

Well, I've fed raw for a few months but I just switched back to kibble last week. I really encourage you to join some con and pro barf lists. Try to get the most out of both sides.

I fed both my boys some sort of meat in the morning with veggies and fruits mixed in. And for dinner, they would get RMB's. They usually were chicken as I've read that chicken is probably one of the best meats to feed but I try not to stick to one type alone because variety is key. Twice a week, they'd get an egg each. They'd also get some sort of organ meat twice a week as well. I switched off the diet because when I was chopping the bones small for Kaedyn, one splintered and scared the heck out of me. It made me paranoid so I'm taking some time off the diet to do more research. But in those few months that I fed them the raw diet, both my boys were very healthy. Both have gorgeous coats and bright pretty eyes. Also, Kaedyn acted more like a pup when he was fed raw. When Kaedyn was in the pound, he was fed average kibble. After eating raw for a couple weeks, you could really notice some changes. He had a more vivid coat and his energy levels were alot different. He's almost a senior but acted like a pup.

As for cost, it really depends on how good of a shopper you are. I bought pre-mixed meet/veggies from a local holistic pet food store. I think it was called mountain dog food (I think they have a site as well). They offered turkey, beef and chicken (I can't remember if there were any other kinds). They're mixed with different veggies and fruits and have some bones in there as well. For bones, I bought them at Chinatown. They were EXTREMELY cheap. I paid about 5 dollars a week to feed two boys which was very affordable.

You should check out the "my dog site" boards. There are quite a few barf feeders there as well.