What is BARF DIET will it help Dixie?

[kekaufman]

Dixie is beautiful, her coat glows in the dark, she is lively, without an ounce of bodyfat. I feed her ProPlan kibble and am gradually switching to Nutro (Canidide not available in my area). Lately she is not eating that much, her stools are loose and not firm, but she acts the same and looks beautiful. She eats her kong toy treat balls, last nite I gave her scambled egg yolks in olive oil, which she ate after a few moments contemplation. She loves her wet food which she gets one can once a week. I should add she has never been a robuts eater. What is BARF and is this what she needs or if it ain't broke don't fix it?????

[AngelBunny]

kekaufman:

BARF = Bones & Raw Foods or Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods.

BARF has been discussed quite a bit, so reading thru the postings in this Forum will answer your basic question & get you started in figuring out if BARF is the diet you want to feed your dog.

[Lora Lee]

I would certainly consider switching foods, and Nutros Natural Choice isn't all that great either. But, it's okay---better than Science Diet or Eukanuba ;)

I feed Canidae, and table scraps....and raw meats, cottage cheese, plain yogurt, honey, beef heart, emu meat, pork kidneys, liver, chicken now, veggies....I dang near feed anything but chocolate, onions, and starches. :)

A Holistic Guide To A Healthy Dog is a wonderful, inexpensive book that cover BARF diets and how to switch.

[Judy Chrusch]

kekaufman,
Angelbunny answered your question about what BARF is and I too suggest you search the archives, there's lots of helpful info about the diet. You can also do a search on the web. Just type in Barf diet and you'll get info that way as well:D. I have a 12 month old male and he's been eating Barf since day one. At first I started out with some kibble and some raw then not too long after switched completely to BARF and I am so very glad I did :D. I never looked back and he's never been happier :D. His teeth are great, his coat, energy level is unbelievable, overall he looks fantastic! The best part about this diet is to watch your dog litterally dance around the kitchen patiently waiting for you to put their food down, that sparkle in their eyes and that little stub going a mile a minute is just such a pleasure, it's great to see how excited they are to want to eat and he licks that bowl clean and I mean clean. So do your homework, do lots of reading and we'll be here to help you through it if you decide to switch, I would though get off your present kibble and as for her shiny coat, it may be the eggs and olive oil you give her not necessarily the kibble ;). Oh and their stools, usually no more then 2 aday and they turn white then to powder. Rarely do they have diarrhea and if they do it goes away as fast as it came. I hope you do make the switch, overall I do believe they are healthier :D IOM their are more pros then cons! Best of luck to you and let us know what you decide in the end.

Oh and in answer to your other question, will it help Dixie, absolutely and you'll never see her pick at her food again, that's for sure.

Judy

[kekaufman]

Thanks Lori Lee and Judy - since I put that in I have done investigating on both sides of the aisle. I started her on chicken wings & some veggies & fruits (separate times). I am afraid of those bones based on contrary things I have read. So now I am back to kibble with veggies (pumpkin, sweet potatoes, carrots). On the meat side egg yolks, sardines in soybean oil (1x a week), chicken giblets, turkey ground, soup bones. She is eating well now, wiggling her but the minute I go into the kitchen, and her stools are small and not runny. However I am scared of the raw meat & bones.

[Teena]

I don't understand the scare of raw meat. If dogs can & do eat poop and all matter of rotten things...surely some fresh raw meat isn't going to hurt them. Their stomachs are made to handle raw meat & germs, while a humans isn't.
The bone part i can understand. I had the same fear for awhile. 3 weeks ago when i started my dogs on barf, i would crunch up all the bones. I have been crunching them less as time went on. Last night & this morning they got wings uncrunched. Rottie's have big strong teeth & jaws. Everything is fine, they ate & crunched their way through the wings just fine.;)

[Judy Chrusch]

I certainly can understand your afraid of the bones. When I gave a wing to my 8 week old pup for the first time I was a nervous reck, well to watch them is totally amazing, he had noooooooo problem but mom was real scared. The time when they swollow them whole is reallllll scary to say the least, anyway, it's all something we all experienced and it does pass. Talk about scared We order chicken necks when we need them but this last time turkey necks came instead, which we thought o.k. well these things were HUGE,we had to cut them with a hatchet in bite size pieces and I was amazed at how many bones were in them but Czar had noooo problem once again. The flip side to this is you could always get the bones ground up, it may be a bit of a pain but it would take the fear out of giving bones whole, just a thought:D It's great that you're giving veggies and fruits but keep in mind they must be pureed. Everyone has their preference but I feed them separate. The only fruits I mix with the meat and veggies is apples and blueberries. I wouldn't mix raw meat with kibble either. I hope all works out and I bet in a couple months you'll say, Oh what the heck, I'm doin' it, LOL:D Take care.

Judy

[kekaufman]

I put everything in the blender, and have not been mixing with fruit, truth is she does not like fruit other than apples. I have been cooking all veggies first then into blender. Maybe I'll just get a big mallet because she did like those wings.

[rottmommie]

i think i would consider the oils in what you give her, may cause a loose stool,
kinda like when a human eats a greasy pizza, or a triple wendys burger, GREASY IN GREASY OUT!

[Judy Chrusch]

When you throw everything in the blender throw RAW veggies in. When you cook them you take out all the vitimins and nutrition. I feed EVERYTHING RAW. If you choose not to give raw then just steam them for a very short time but the best way is completely raw. Have you tried giving her bananas, Czar gets one everyday, in fact they mean as much to him as his raw meat:D For dessert or a snack I also give yogurt mixed with blueberries or rasberries or any fruit as far as that goes. Use plain yogurt and fresh fruit if you can. I hope this helps, take care and Dixie has probably thanked you already:D

Judy

[kekaufman]

Glad I do not have to cook veggies, she wouldn't touch bananas even mixed with favorites like cottage cheese, maybe with pumpkin tonight; can you imagine loving plain pumpkin, unless its pie, and turning your nose up to bananas)!!!

[Lora Lee]

Judy's right, feed it raw. Cooking robs nutrients, same as with commercial dog food--when it is heated, vitamins, enzymes and protiens are less.

I was super worried about feeding chicken, and vowed to stick with red meats....but, what the heck, we have chickens so why not? The first time is the hardest, then you get over it.

Certainly try to feed whatever foods you decide raw. For fruits, papaya is very good and my dogs enjoy it. I sneak some of this in with their meats, which is devored. Pumpkin seeds are okay, they contain a high amount of Vit. A (I feed them to my birds) but they do contain a high amount of Phos (332.83mg).

A good way to look up the nutrients in foods is through the NAT. Here's their site www.nat.uiuc.edu/mainnat.html

[Judy Chrusch]

Lora Lee, Homerhomer posted what vitamins are in fruits a veggies in addition to telling what each one is good for, it's very helpful and hey maybe the site you suggested is even where Peter originally got the excellent info from. Go to Teena's post about veggies that's where Homerhomer posted that,:D Take care

Judy

[Lora Lee]

Interesting, I'll do that--Thanks Judy :)