Does anyone else feed a BARF diet to their pets need some info???

Question

I have been looking in to (and starting the dog) feed a barf diet to my dogs and cats...my dogs have always gotten raw soup bones and pig ears. and they get most table scraps, mixed with kibble...
however after we lost our male cat at the young age of 4 to a bladder blockage...i have been looking in to feeding our other male and new female cat a raw diet...the vet told me that indoor fixed male cats get it more often then say a fixed male barn cat would. my mother also loss her indoor unaltered male cat a week before we lost ours(same food fed). So the more i looked the more i belamed the food companies that claim they care.
also the male cat is VERY over weight. and the dogs are chunky...but they get lots od exersize....so lite diets would be helpful.

so the question is have u read any good books or web sites with some free recipes?

thanks in advance.

first off CS u asume to much and are a bit of a b*itch about it....i know what caused it..i know the crystals and the male urthea..i also know that u have to watch the ash content and Magnesium ect. for males. As MY FAT CAT has had infections..i know this my cats where on the right food...
CS SAID: Funny though, your willing to blame a food company, but not your own medical management of a cat that you have let become overweight and therefore unhealthy...wonder why that is?

...my cat was over weight well before i got him....and he has lost some because i cut back his food and diet food make him sick...or he won't eat them wasted even money on the crap the pet food companies sale....and like i said Assuming makes ya look like an ***.

Oh and what do u think our pets ate before the pet food company's?!

oh and thanks electro....

oh my dogs are not over weight they are just a bit chunky... it winter here it been very cold (They are not out side dogs but they do play outside for about 3 hour though out the day plus i walk them for about an hour a day....before any one belames me for that to)and they seem to gain winter bulk. they are at 73 and 75 lbs they are rottie/ border collie and 'u name it' mixes. so i figure they are about 6-8 lbs over ....

Answer 1

Basically you want to feed 2-3% daily (2% if they are pretty sedentary, 3% if high energy or are working dogs) of their DESIRED body weight. The links below all will give you some ideas and here's a sample recipe for my very high energy 60 lbs 2 year old Belgian Malinois:


Day 1:

1 chicken quarter
1/3 of a can of sardines
several tablespoons of organic yogurt
1000 mg of ester vitamin C
1 400 IUE vitamin E capsule


Day 2:

1 chicken quarter
1 whole organic or cage free egg (with shell)
splash of organic olive oil
several tablespoons of cottage cheese
1000 mg ester C
2 fish oil capsules
1 vitamin E capsule

Day 3:

1/2 can of canned mackerel
1 raw egg
1 raw meaty pork neck
1/2 can of Innova EVO 95% rabbit
several tablespoons of yogurt
1000 mg ester C
1 vitamin E capsule

Day 4:

1/2 pound of ground turkey
several tablespoons canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling w/ spices)
some chicken gizzards or liver
1 raw egg
splash of olive oil
2 fish oil capsules
1 vitamin E capsule

Day 5:

1 whole tilapia (must eat it outside, phew!)


And so on...they might also get ground bison, beef kidney or liver, beef or venison green tripe (the intestines with the already digested grasses in it), pork hocks, Innova EVO 95% venison, canned Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul, etc. You can also give some steamed veggies every day or every other day if you like (though some raw feeders feed only meat based stuff). Dogs can be safely fasted for one day a week after they are done growing, apparently to let the digestive system rest.

Edit: okay, so if you want your dogs that are in the mid 70s for weight to be in the 60s, try the recipes I gave. Nothing is necessarily written in stone as you want nutritional balance over time. Start gradually and slowly add in more protein sources. It's also nice if you can make friends with people who hunt or who raise chickens, rabbits, cattle, etc to get some of their scraps. The Leerburg link below gives a link to what he feeds his 65 lbs female German shepherds and he's one of the top working GSD breeders in the US.

Answer 2

Is it cheaper? That depends on if you can find a cheap source of ingredients and what size dog you have. A 50 pound dog needs about 1 pound of food a day. Expect to pay anywhere from $1-$5 per day depending on what meat you use and what supplements you add. Is it better? That also depends. Meat from a questionable source and an unbalanced recipe is no better than grocery store kibble. High quality ingredient sourcing with a proper nutrient balance (per bite or over time), is just as good as the best quality kibble. For some individuals, raw might be better (ex: an overweight house dog), for some it might be worse (ex: a hunting dog expending a significant amount of energy and calories every day). Personally, I have seen some dog's who's health has been saved by raw, and others who have been harmed by it. Is it messy? That also depends. Prey model can be when you have to clean your floor after your dog dragged raw food all over. Barf is messy when you are putting the meat and bone through the meat grinder. Store bought is not very messy if you use pre-portioned patties. To switch them over, use the same method you would when switching kibble brands. Slowly mix in the raw food with their current diet over 1-2 weeks. Not sure what 'ur' is in relationship to raw. There are no breeds that should not eat raw, but if your pet has a medical condition you should consult a holistic vet before changing their diet. As a 'real' person I have feed high end kibble, prey model raw, and pressure pasteurized store bought raw. I have sold pet food, including raw, for the past 8 years. My own dog's did terrible on prey model raw. My puppy developed a growth related problem from excess calcium, and my adult vomited bone shards almost daily. This did not seem right to me. Both of my dog's did very well on a store bought, AAFCO approved, pressure pasteurized raw. It was just too expensive to keep up with. They have both done just as well on high end kibble with 30-35% protein and at least 60% of the ingredients coming from an animal source. The key with any diet is balance. A dog will do poorly on an all meat diet. It will also do poorly on a vegetarian diet. In nature, a dog would first eat intestine, stomach, and bowels. These organs contain digested grain, fruit, and veggie. This is how they get essential trace nutrients. They would then eat the muscle meat and a small amount of bone. We can imitate this with a diet that is 70% muscle meat and organ meat, 20% cooked grain & veggie or fresh green tripe, and 10% bone. My best advice to to pay attention to your dog. If the raw is working, stick with it. If the raw is not working, go back to kibble. Keep an open mind and don't get stuck on a single feeding philosophy. Every dog is unique, so always do what is best for your individual.

Answer 3

i have to agree with CS. feed a good diet. i had 1 cat die about 20 yrs ago from the crystals in his urinary tract. i said i would never get a male cat again because their urethras curve whereas a females doesn't. that's why the blockages occur more in males. cat foods have come a long way sincse then. i have a 14 yr old male who does fine. he's been on Diamond, Natures Variety, and several others. You just need to get a good quality food without a lot of filler crap in it.
they used to say magnesium and ash content were to blame. most good foods now have a very low content of those ingredients.

Answer 4

pick up a 5 or 10 pound weight at the gym and visualize that weight coming off holding the weight in your hands helps bring home just how heavy even 5 pounds of extra fat can be

Answer 5

Stand up and walk atleast 5 mins after evry 2 hours while working

Answer 6

I cannot advise you about the BARF recipes personally, I have never used them (nor would I, but thats my opinion). But I can tell you that with cats with FLUTD its important that they be put on a diet that changes the acidity of their urine, thus making it less likely to produce the crystals that cause the blockage. This is why many vets recommend a prescription diet for this condition.

Funny though, your willing to blame a food company, but not your own medical management of a cat that you have let become overweight and therefore unhealthy...wonder why that is?

Answer 7

if you re cooking food in the microwave chances are you re eating unhealthy packaged foods if you must microwave consider soy chicken patties veggie burgers or steamer vegetables and brown rice

Answer 8

try a plain greek yogurt with frozen berries for a pre workout boost

Answer 9

when picking up your kids from school get out of the car and greet them with a hug instead of waiting in the car curbside

Answer 10

waist dance to the radio or tap out a beat on the steering wheel while driving