Barf feeding...

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maisie

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I would like to change my 4 dogs onto a Barf diet but don't really know where to start - I don't want to order a great freezer full of meat in and find that none of them like it! I am also slightly worried about the whole bone issue. I have a labrador, a lurcher and 2 whippets and have no idea how much to feed them per day to start off. Ideally I would like to feed chicken wings and veg/meat mixes and mixer. Anyone else feed this who can give me an idea? Lastly - is it really cheaper than feeding complete dog food?
 
I feed raw ( not veggies, i dont see the need for them ) It takes quite abit of getting used to but well worth it. You need to start off slowly introducing one protein source at a time. The concept of bone is very hard to get used to but Alfie loves them but i cant feed too much as it just comes out in his poo You just need to get the balance right.

You are supposed to feed 80% muscle meat, 10% bone and 10% offal ( live, kidney, spleen etc ) to ensure a balanced diet and from a variety of meats. I find it way cheaper than dry food ( apart from i had to buy large freezer ) You may find that wings are too small for you lab and they just swallow them so you might need something larger like a chicken quarter. This page may help you with any questions you have. ( there is also a forum on there )

Dogster
 
We feed raw and love it. Do as much reading as you can first - there loads of info around and then have a play around to see what suits your dogs. We experimented with quantities and have found around 2% of their body weight a day is about right to maintain weight (both lurcher's).

We started of buying smaller quantities form the supermarket to see what the dogs would eat and how much we would need. We now have 3 freezers and buy mostly form Landywoods. Also get tinned fish in oil or tomato sauce from the supermarket and the odd rabbit form the butchers.

We tend to buy bigger chicken than wings as Bes will pretty much swallow them whole.

Also a large chopper knife and a junior hacksaw is handy if you want to joint carcasses!

We also feed the odd egg and natural yogurt.

They get any leftovers they can have from our dinners as well.

I think it is a bit messy to start with and takes a while to get yourself organised but we're so in a routine now that it's very straight forward and our dogs love every meal, they are healthy and very shinny!
 
This will help with your research:
http://www.brushbow.co.uk/src/speciesmenu.htm
it's the diet I have feed for 11 years not BARF but Species appropriate. Personally when I get a dog (I rehome all mine) I change immediately and fully getting them off the C*ap food straight away.

What you will need to do is scout round for a good local source of bones and meat, support your local butcher and get some freebies or cheapies at the same time!

Don't mix raw with a mixer as you will get problems, the mixer is unnatural food for a dog and travels very slowly through the gut unlike a dogs natural food so you can cause an impaction.

Bones form the greatest part of my diet with the occasional addition of liquidised veg to mimic what a wild dog would get from a prey's stomach, but that and muscle meat are a lesser part than the bone.

My cattle dogs are fed once a day and they weigh around 20kg. They maintain weight on 5-6 chicken wings or a single chicken carcass if it still has a bit of meat on it. I also by lamb rib with all the meat on it and they have half of one of those once a week, they have venison bits, game birds, rabbits, pork occasionally but the bulk is the chicken which is the correct meat to bone ration 80:20.

The beauty with this diet is that you do not have to weigh it nor worry about balancing it on a daily basis, it can be balanced over several weeks just like in the wild. Feed a variety of meat a small amount of offal and veg and you are well underway, and you can feed by eye, to gain weight feed muscle meat and to loose or maintain use more bone.

I feed the bulk of my diet for £5 per month from the local butcher, supermarkets are great for wings and Morrisons do a lamb bone pack for soups! Offal and hearts are cheap in the supermarket too. I do feed 1 cooked item, fish, mine won't have it raw so they get pilchards in tomato sauce and sometimes some whitebait chucked in. What this diet really saves you is vets fees!!!!

Be prepared for some detox, scratching etc for the first couple of months, that is the bad food effects leaving, get through that and you will cleary see the benefits. Hope you give it a go.
 
I have been using landywoods for the last year or so but due to so many shortages and constantly being charged incorrectly on my orders I have decided to give thedogfoodcompany.net a go instead. They haven't got the range of landywoods but on alot of items are cheaper, I get my first order next week so will see what the meat is like.
 
I use Durham Animal feeds. They are very reasonable and delivery is spot on. Ive never been let down with an order
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