BARF Diet - Page 1

Hi, I am pretty new to a the BARF diet. I have recently purchased frozen bags of chicken and tripe and also lamb mince from Berrie Wood Wholesale here in the UK. With the mince I purchased a couple of bags of vegetable and herb powder that I mix with water and add to the meat. Additionally I am waiting on bones to be sent by the same supplier. I am wondering if there is anything else I need to add to his diet. Oh yes, I do also add some salmon oil and sea weed as well.

The reason for the change is because he is skin issues. I went from Arden Grange, which he was fed from a pup, to Fish4dogs thinking that things would improve on a grain free diet. In fact, they have gotten worse. He has a yeast infection on his stomach which I have been washing with Malaseb shampoo and also extremely waxy ears that I have to constantly keep clean. For the ears I have ordered some Zymox solution. Anyway, this all flared up recently and I took a closer look at the ingredients in Fish4Dogs; although there are no grains, there is a high content of potato which is said to promote yeast.

Lastly, does anyone know of any other reputable BARF diet suppliers in the London/Essex area?

Thanks

Sangar

 

Chicken is high in bone content, 33%. I don't have experience feeding raw in London, but I do recall there are a lot of ethnic markets and butchers, so you might do better just finding a local store that would sell you things cheaper. In the US I buy chunks of meat: pork and beef from the local stores, it is quite a bit cheaper than the ground meat for dogs. 

http://rawfeddogs.org/rawguide.html

Not to start a debate either, but in general veggies is not species appropriate. I remember in the beginning I was grating carrots for Chaos, and they pretty much came out the same way they went in. For whatever reason, they were never digested. 

This mght be  dumb quetion but why do yougive fruits and veggies?  As filler?  Isnt the whole point of feeding raw to et back to what  the dog would eat in the wild?  I have never seen a GSD or any other dog for that mater wander through a garden and eat some veggies.  No disrespect intended just trying to learn more about raw feeding

I have the best luck if I par-boil the carrots then puree or chop;  then they use them.  The vit/mineral content is also better if carrots are precooked.  OK  that said, the reason for vegi's at all is that there are vitamin/minerals in especially the green stuff;  spinach, KALE, cabbages, any of the other green dandalion stuff, even romaine;  vit/minerals the dogs don't normally get.  If they willingly eat all the greens then their bodies are using it also.  You do not have to feed any vegi's but it is also good weight control, especially green beans packed with a vit/mineral punch. 

To the poster,  if you have a dog with yeasty stuff going on, I would leave out any vegi's that have sugar;  sweet potatoes, apples, carrots, and of course other fruits or at least limit to a small amount to make green vegi's more palatable;  sugar feeds yeast.  And have you tried any of the prepared raw frozen diets?  Bravo, K9 Kravings and 2 of my favorites; Natures Variety, Darwins, and some local towns will make up their own formula;  and some butchers will also grind anything that you want together and you can freeze yourself.

Food for thought.  Take care  Nan

Why was I feeding veggies? Because I didn't know any better. I do supplement once in a while with alfalfa and kelp, but that is it. Chaos gets fruit on occassion, he picks strawberries himself from the garden, and he absolutely loves bananas, so he gets some once in a while. This year we might have some blueberries, I will see if he helps himself to those too. He doesn't eat any of the greens in the garden. But it is possible that he eats the strawberries because he sees his human siblings eat them and he always wants to do whatever they are doing.

 

BARF, the diet familiarly known as “bones and raw food” but also tagged as “biologically appropriate raw food" and as Nans gsd says.... the reason for vegi's at all is that there are vitamin/minerals in especially the green stuff; spinach, KALE, cabbages, any of the other green dandalion stuff, even romaine; vit/minerals the dogs don't normally get. If they willingly eat all the greens then their bodies are using it also. You do not have to feed any vegi's but it is also good weight control, especially green beans packed with a vit/mineral punch.


 

Hiya Sangar,i,m a gsd owner n have fed a raw diet 2 my gsds 4 many years.There are 2 firms in the London area that deliver.Are u on facebook by any chance as there are several good raw groups on there that u could join 2 glean more advice.The main thing with feeding raw 2 make sure the animal is getting a BALANCED diet is VARIETY ,both in the minces/chunks of meat,raw meaty bones,fish(preferably oily fish),offal.I also use eggs(one or two a week),yoghurt(probiotic)cottage cheese,ordinary cheese n on the odd occasion veg if i,ve cooked 2 much for us.I buy my minced meats from Davids doggie dinners ,here in kent.Can u advise what area of london/Essex u r in n i can get u the names of raw food suppliers in your area.I feed Durham animal food(minces)n Manifold Valley Meats(minces)I used 2 use Berriewood but find they dont have the variety i now get frommy raw supplier who stocks DAF/MVM /Natural Instinct (NI)products.Will go onto Facebook 4 u n get those suppliers names.U dont have 2 buy in bulk either.Dave does deliver over Essex way but not in the london area,only outside the M25 area.Carole (Rheinmeister gsds)

here u rSangar....raw food suppliers (Essex area))Essexraw4paws........Canine Meals on Wheels.....both have facebook pages.Raw feeding grps.on facebook........Raw feeding UK.......BARF Diet Chat........A Raw Start Explained(A.R.S.E.)Carole.

Thank you all for your comments. They have been very helpful. With regards to vegetables, my understanding is that when dogs/wolves kill prey in the wild, the first part they consume is the stomach and intestines as these contain the most minerals as well as fruits and vegetables. I should have added that the mix I have is dry and is made up of various greens and herbs. Here's the link for that: http://www.berriewoodwholesale.co.uk/det/5781/Berriewood-BARF-Vegetable-Herb-Mix-500g/. Although they have hiked the price by £4 per bag since last week - ouch!!

Carole - I will PM you for further details.

Thanks once again!

Sangar