Hey Carmen....BARF ?

[RSbunny]

I can't say anything for Kim, but if any of you do have any questions that you want to ask I'm happy to answer them, whether you are feeding your dog BARF or not. I never had any trouble changing Biscuit over to the BARF diet so I don't have any type of negative experiences about it at all.

I will add one last thing to this. Dr Ian Billinghurst has a huge list in his book of supplements. However if you read his book he tells you which vegetables provide what and you eliminate yourself what supplements you don't need. If you are giving your dog the full range of vegies then you don't need to supplement and Dr. Ian Billinghurst has said that he doesn's supplement his dogs often at all. Biscuit gets her omega oil every day, she needs them for her coat, she gets the seaweed meal (brewer's yeast) four times a week (a good way to know if you are over supplementing that is their faeces have a green tinge to them) and she gets the multivitamin once a week or so. She only gets calcium if I am being lazy and she gets something cooked, the calcium is taken out if it's cooked so we supplement that but she might get cooked food about once amonth. Usually I stick to the diet!

[ILoveFuzzies]

Quote: Originally Posted by RSbunny one thing to Ilovefuzzies....I work with a vet. He recommends the BARF diet to all clients that he knows will follow the guidelines and not get lazy. He is been in the practice for 40 years and is sick and tired of having all these dogs come in with allergies from the food they are eating.

Really? That is interesting. Well, maybe the next time I get a dog, I will try this BARF diet out.

[Christi]

I'll admit I didn't completely read all the posts here but I just wanted to ask ZCarBarbie if she's done any research on all the nasty crap that is in commercial dog food? Certainly, if you do some reading you'll see that the BARF diet can't be any worse, and most certainly is better for dogs.

[RSbunny]

I just wanted to let everyone know that barbie has pm'ed me with a negative article on BARF and I have explained why that instance happened. She didn't want to post it cause she didn't want people to think she was deliberately digging stuff up and once I answered she was a lot happier and even asked if she could post it in a BARF forum she has signed up too, to learn more. Barbie has also told me that she has written away to the doctor's asking for more info. So yes she took all the negative stuff and posted it here, but on the other hand, she is still researching. Oh and Kim, she doesn't want you to stop posting questions either!! I'm sure Barbie can answer her own question but I wanted to let everyone know that Barbie hasn't stuck with the negative stuff, just felt it was better to learn more and is doing so elsewhere

[DirtySouthChins]

Well that's good to hear Carmen The only way I learned was by joining a forum and doing lot's of research, the good always out weighed the bad IMO..... we are cutting back here on the BARF and doing a 50/50 for now, ONLY because it is so expensive over here and the only RMB we can find is chicken,turkey or rabbit and I REFUSE to feed our dog's rabbit.....UGH @ the thought!! so far out of the 10 or so meat markets we have been to as well as the base there are no beef meaty bones NOT even ribs so we have decided to put them back on their kibble but supplement with a chicken/turkey RMB as well as still giving them a portion of the veggie mush until I am back in the states this spring, where I can find a good butcher and begin to wean them back on the BARF straight out!
I hope this won't mess their system up to bad, we just started this tonight!

[RSbunny]

no they'll be fine Kim!!! And it will be easy to switch them fully when you are back in the states and can afford it!! Like everyone says, no one diet is right for all dogs and their owners, so you've made what is right for you now.

[DirtySouthChins]

This is very true Carmen We were trying everything from going to the stores, to the meat markets and we just couldn't get past the fact of having to pay 5 Euro per Kg it's Craaaazy! That is costing us about $6.75 for 2.2 pounds, ACK!!! that is dang near Dakota's RMB portion alone, well okay he only gets like 1.7 but still

[greybird2]

With 10 years experience as a vet tech, I can tell you this; No bones are good for a domestic dog. I have not only given many enemas to dogs who have been fed whole entire poultry carcasas, but I have assisted in many surgeries to remove splintered bones from dogs intestinal tracks.

When I worked at the vet clinic, every Thanksgiving and Christmas in particular, people would give or their dogs would steal turkey bones, both raw and cooked and their dogs would end up very sick for the holidays. Myself and the other techs would dread this time of the year because it meant so many scik dogs.

There is a lot of discussion about the BARF diet in domesticated canines, but they are long removed from their wild ancestors. Wolves ate the entire stomach contents when they killed a rabbit or squirrel, therfore they recieved the benefits of what their kill had also eaten.

I would never personally give my babies any bones and very little people food. A premium dog food is a much better choice, but that is just my opinion. You have to make the call for your dogs.
~Kathy~

[DirtySouthChins]

Quote: Originally Posted by greybird2 With 10 years experience as a vet tech, I can tell you this; No bones are good for a domestic dog. I have not only given many enemas to dogs who have been fed whole entire poultry carcasas, but I have assisted in many surgeries to remove splintered bones from dogs intestinal tracks.

I must differ that NO BONES are good for domestic dog's, it is very healthy for them if fed properly, bones help massage the gums, clean the teeth, etc.... Everybody has their own opinion about the BARF diet, and every vet and those that work in the vet field have their own opinions as well.
I for one have been working in the vet field since 1998 and have NEVER seen a case as the one you have mentioned above.

Quote: Originally Posted by greybird2 I would never personally give my babies any bones and very little people food. A premium dog food is a much better choice, but that is just my opinion. You have to make the call for your dogs.

Exactly not everybody's opinion is the right one for other peoples furry babies!!!

[RSbunny]

I agree with Kim totally. and I would like to make an emphasis on the 'feeding bones properly'. If your dog is a dog that scoffs food down, and doesn't chew it up then you DO NOT feed small bones.....you remove them and only feed the ones that they actually have to work on.

[greybird2]

There are hundreds of websites, both pro and con concerning the B.A.R.F. diet, so I guess it's best to agree to disagree because more than likely, no one is 100% right in their opinion. Wars are fought and people die simply because of opposing opinions.

I do believe the one thing that we all have in common is our deep and abiding love for our animals. I consider my animals as children and since they don't have the ability to speak, I can only hope I make the best decisions for them with the knowledge I obtain, both from education and life experiences.

Presently, there is much debate on whether to give our African parrots red palm oil as a diet supplement and just as the B.A.R.F. diet, their is dessention among the troops! Some say too much fat in a parrots diet will cause fatty liver disease. Some say, in the wild, African parrots consume the palm nuts and because it is a natural diet in the wild, it must be advantageous to psittacines in captivity. What ever you choose to feed your animal, either feathered or furry is a personal decision and we will have to live with the consequences on down the road. Hopefully scientific research will give us all the answers in the future and our babies will benefit and live long and healthy lives due to people who care!

~Kathy~

[meewolflover]

I've used the BARF diet for over 10 yrs. I even put older dogs that were left in my care on it and had no problems. But you have to be careful with young puppies on the diet. You might have to cook their chicken because of Salmonalla. And don't use raw eggs on the BARF diet. And if you use raw chicken bones for small puppies, grind them up. They can't chew the bones like they should. All the years I have had my dogs on the BARF diet I fed raw eggs too. But recently the raw eggs gave my dogs Salmonella. I have an 11 week old puppy that is real sick. The vet is doing tests but thinks it is Salmonella from the raw eggs. I started using the BARF diet because we had a 5 yr old German Shepherd that died of cancer. She was raised on Iams. I don't trust any commercial dog foods any more. On the BARF diet you use dairy products,small amounts of grains, small amounts of vegetables ground in a blender. It's better if the dairy products are raw. But I know thats hard to get. I used to be able to get the raw milk. but can't anymore. Raw ground meat such as hamburger can give diarrhea, because of the fat content. A lot of the chicken has quite a bit of fat too. If you have dogs that gulp their food it's better to smash the bones so they don't swallow too much bone at once. I have never had any problems with the raw bones, except a Pit Bull that was left in my care. He had been starved when he was younger before he was rescued. So he gulped down his food. So had to watch him close and I only gave him the backs, that had smaller bones. Or if we gave him any others we smashed them. Other than the raw food I give my dogs canned salmon, mackerel,tuna and sardines. I use a lot of cottage cheese and other cheeses,plain yoghurt. Other vegetables good for dogs are squash, sweet potatoes and pumpkins. You use only small amounts of veggies on this diet. Dee

[meewolflover]

I was wrong my puppy has Parvo, not Salmonella. Please pray for my puppy. Dee