A BARF Diary.

[Sarah.H]

I don't supplement Ruby's diet - from her coat, her energy levels, her teeth, her happy nature and her poo , you can see that she is one healthy little dog in prime condition.  I did buy some apple cider vinegar, and she's had the odd spoonful of that in her food, but I can't remember now what it's supposed to be good for.

I think its good for joint stiffness

[Nicola]

This diary seems to have started a BARF revolution. Well OK not quite, perhaps that is an overstatement , but there seem to be a few people on COL deciding to move over to BARF recently.

Happydog the diary's a great idea    I haven't posted so far but I've been checking it every day. I've been feeding Alfie raw now for a couple of months and it's going really well. TBH I'm pretty laid back about it I haven't weighed out any of his food since the first couple of days of feeding BARF, I just feed him enough to keep him looking lean and fit and adjust it as necessary. He's in really good shape with gleaming teeth and coat and not a spare ounce of fat on him, he's all muscle. He's getting a mixture of the freeflow mince, tripe, organ meat, fish, veg, eggs and bones. I've found a really good butcher nearby who is providing me with whole rabbits and chicken backs with organs etc. attached so for two meals a week Alfie gets chucked in the garden with half a rabbit carcass to amuse himself with... yes, it is disgusting and yes my neighbours love me    but he's thriving on it so it's worth the funny looks over the hedge 

Before I took the plunge I was a bit worried after reading about folk weighing this and that and working out ratios of x to y etc. but once you get going it's not difficult at all and I'd recommend it to anyone who's considering a change in diet for their dog.

I hope you keep up the diary, it's great to read Fern's progress! 

[happydog]

How honesty denied Fern a very special BARF meal today.

I only had time to give Fern a quick run today. I bundled her into the car and instead of driving her straight down the lane to the farm where she was born -went via the nearest town's butcher. Although the freezer is full of meat it is all hers  and I had nothing to cook for us tonight.

So by the time I got to the farm (with bag of lambs liver on the floor of the passenger seat well, for our liver and bacon dinner  ), it was about 3.30pm and Fern was pacing about in the back of the car muttering excitedly, torn between the enticing smell of raw liver and the enticing smell of the countryside (with all those luverlee game birds just waiting to be flushed from their bolt holes).

As I drove past the farmyard I noticed all the extra four wheel drives parked at the far end...and then I remembered that there was a shoot today    . I usually keep away on those days out of courtesy as I do not know the order of drives. I could have kicked myself for forgetting. Fern was by now desperate to get out of the car and it was too late to drive to another of her walks.

We got to one of the bridleways just in time to meet the beaters, dogs and farmer loading up the trailer ready to move off to the next drive. After a bit of teasing on his part about my poor memory he said it was fine to walk down past the wood, as they had just finished there, so off we went.

They had certainly saved a few birds for the next shoot, for Fern spent the next hour happily flushing between two and three dozen pheasant, who having fled the wood earlier and were all taking cover in the copses either side of the bridleway all neatly popped themselves straight back in to the wood  Nice tidy little dog, my Fern 

On the way back to the car I noticed a shot french partridge that had been missed by the picker uppers. It was lying by the hedge on the bridleway and was still warm. I picked it up and looked to see where the next drive was so I could add it to their bag. I couldn't see or hear them though. I put it in the car on the floor next to the bag of liver. Our dinner next to er -her dinner? All I could think of was how much Fern would enjoy a partridge for her dinner and how easy it would be to part pluck it and leave her to it  . 

Honesty got the better of me and I left it with the farmers wife at the farmhouse on the way home. Fern had chicken mince, whizzed veg and an extra large chicken wing tonight.

Thanks for all the nice comments about this thread. Good luck to everybody embarking on BARF 

[happydog]

The farmers wife knocked today selling poppies for Remebrance Sunday and as it is so cold I invited her in whilst I found some money. Somehow I ended up telling her that I was now feeding Fern BARF. It went down like a lead ballon. After asking me why? She looked very doubtful, was horrified that I was feeding her chicken bones  and began to lecture me about how they can splinter  then went on to say how thin Fern was  . I got a bit defensive I'm afraid.
It is her son who owns Ferns Mum, and now am I worried that I won't be able to get Fern Mark 2 when the time is right because they wont want one of their pups going to such an irresponsible owner  . I took months of reading to be convinced of the soundness of BARF feeding. I found it very hard to explain in a few short sentences and failed miserably. I know what I would say to others if they posted a similar comment. It is different when it actually happens to you though.  .

[Joules]

Try not to get disheartened.  I have been surprised by how ill-informed a lot of so called doggy people seem to be about different ways of doing things    And, come to that how open minded some others are!  Hopefully, when they see how fit and healthy Fern is on BARF, they may come round and stop thinking you are an evil mummy trying to poison her dog! 

[Claire]

I ended up telling her that I was now feeding Fern BARF. It went down like a lead ballon. After asking me why? She looked very doubtful, was horrified that I was feeding her chicken bones  and began to lecture me about how they can splinter  then went on to say how thin Fern was  .

I know exactly how you feel.  In the summer I had a woman who owns a Leonberger (very big, looks a bit like a St Bernard) stop and ask me in the park what diet I fed Ruby.  Her dog was only a year old, but had a very dull coat, was smelly and hardly ate anything.  You could see the bones sticking out of his bum, and he had no energy and no interest in food.  The vets had found nothing wrong with him.

I told her I raw fed Ruby; mainly meat and bones, but also veg, fruit, egg and fish, all raw.  She said in a rather condescending tone 'Oh I don't think that's a good idea', and (she was late forties, I am 25) that more experienced dog owners would know better.  I was fuming!

I said, calmly, that this wasn't something that I had made up myself, but that this approach to feeding was well documented and I had read up extensively before switching Ruby's food over, and since doing it I was thrilled with the results as she thrived on the diet.  I explained it was often referred to as the BARF diet, which stood for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food, and the theory (as the name suggests) was that you were trying to mimic what dogs would eat in the wild, i.e. what their bodies were designed to digest.  I thought this summed it up quite neatly.

She was having none of it, and suggested the diet was irresponsible.  She was cooking chickens and all sorts trying to get her dog to eat, so you would think in her situation she'd be interested in trying something new.  Worse, she stopped and asked me about Ruby's diet specifically because she looked healthy and full of energy - in distinct contrast to her dog.  What was the point if her own views were so set that she wasn't going to change?  And how dare she be critical when she approached me!   I would never dream of criticising what other people choose to feed their dogs, it's their choice.

I took months of reading to be convinced of the soundness of BARF feeding. I found it very hard to explain in a few short sentences and failed miserably. I know what I would say to others if they posted a similar comment. It is different when it actually happens to you though.  .

This is exactly the point.  Most people read widely before embarking on raw feeding fully informed.  If you haven't heard of the idea, or read anything about it, how can you make a sweeping statement that it's not a good diet?

The things you hear are ridiculous.  From choking to salmonella, to making your dog vicious by feeding bones, to turning them into sheep killers because you've fed them raw lamb, I've heard it all.  What rubbish.  I think everyone is entitiled to their own opinions, but if people insist on criticising my choice of diet for Ruby, I would be much happier if they were to do it from an informed perspective, rather than on the basis of a few old wive's tales they've heard with no scientific basis.

[Rhona W]

Claire - did you point out to the woman that the diet must be doing good since she had asked you what you fed because she was so impressed by the condition of Ruby?   

to making your dog vicious by feeding bones,

I had that one from my sister - Well it was more of a "They will turn wild." 

[Claire]

Claire - did you point out to the woman that the diet must be doing good since she had asked you what you fed because she was so impressed by the condition of Ruby?   

I tried to, but there are occassions when people have already made their mind up and whatever you say is never going to make any difference, and this was one of those.

I saw her two months or so later in the park; she was talking to one of the group of dogwalkers that I meet with every morning.  I arrived half way through the conversation to hear her continuing woes of her dog that's off his food and getting thinner, and how she's tried changing to all sorts of different brands of dog food to no avail.....I didn't mention BARF again.  If she had wanted to ask me about it again, she would have done and I would have been happy to give her some information.  Clearly she didn't, which is a shame for her underweight dog.

to making your dog vicious by feeding bones,

I had that one from my sister - Well it was more of a "They will turn wild." 

Yes, I've had that a few times.  I forgot to mention the 'raw feeding is very expensive' myth as well.  As for the sheep one, Ruby disproved that theory when she met one for the first time the other week.  It was sat in the middle of the grassy path we were walking along and wouldn't move.  Despite having been fed raw lamb bones many times, she didn't feel the urge to chase and kill it...she felt the urge to hide behind my legs!

[happydog]

(she was late forties,

So am I 
Some of us 'oldies' have an open mind to change . The farmers wife is in her late 70's ,  so I suppose I should give her some leeway  . I had rather hoped  that because of her age and her occupation, not only would she have memories of the days before tinned/dry dog food, but she would also have been more amenable to the idea of a natural diet. They are arable farmers though  . Perhaps I was expecting too much. I think I shall keep my mouth shut about Ferns diet from now on, unless asked.
Thanks guys. I shall have to resist the urge to deliver copies of my BARF books to her door as an early Christmas pressie  .

[Nicola]

(she was late forties,

So am I 
Some of us 'oldies' have an open mind to change . The farmers wife is in her late 70's ,  so I suppose I should give her some leeway  . I had rather hoped  that because of her age and her occupation, not only would she have memories of the days before tinned/dry dog food, but she would also have been more amenable to the idea of a natural diet. They are arable farmers though  . Perhaps I was expecting too much. I think I shall keep my mouth shut about Ferns diet from now on, unless asked.
Thanks guys. I shall have to resist the urge to deliver copies of my BARF books to her door as an early Christmas pressie  .

Bet you wish you'd held onto that French Partridge now dontcha!!! 

[happydog]

Bet you wish you'd held onto that French Partridge now dontcha!!! 

Absolutely 

[Claire]

(she was late forties,

So am I 
Some of us 'oldies' have an open mind to change .

  That's not what I meant!  I mentioned her age and mine because of her comment about experienced dog owners knowing better than to raw feed.

I think I shall keep my mouth shut about Ferns diet from now on, unless asked.
Thanks guys. I shall have to resist the urge to deliver copies of my BARF books to her door as an early Christmas pressie  .

It is tempting when you first start out and see how much the dog enjoys it, actually how easy it really is, and how lovely and shiny their coat goes - and all the other benefits - to sing about BARF from the rooftops!  Most people are at worst, appalled by the idea, and at best bemused.  I haven't been met by a positive reaction yet.  Now all I do is maybe mention I raw feed if the subject of dog's diet comes up, but I don't explain about it further unless anyone looks interested.  I have to say, I don't know any other dog owners (excl COL) that do raw feed.

Yesterday we excelled ourselves on the raw feeding front...Ruby had springbuck steak.  There's a place near us that sells unusual meat (alligator, ostrich, etc ), and we bought some in for specials on the pub menu a while back.  When rummaging through one of the chest freezers, I found one had gotten left.  She liked it very much.

[happydog]

That's not what I meant!  I mentioned her age and mine because of her comment about experienced dog owners knowing better than to raw feed.

Well this one doesn't obviously

 Most people are at worst, appalled by the idea, and at best bemused.  I haven't been met by a positive reaction yet.  

That's what I'm finding. It's a strange old world. If BARF was a designer dog food with a huge advertising budget and fancy packaging which gave such good results,  people would be falling over themselves in the rush to get it  first .

Yesterday we excelled ourselves on the raw feeding front...Ruby had springbuck steak.  There's a place near us that sells unusual meat (alligator, ostrich, etc ), and we bought some in for specials on the pub menu a while back.  When rummaging through one of the chest freezers, I found one had gotten left.  She liked it very much.

Now that is one spoilt dog 

[happydog]

BARF Day 12.
The biggest problem I am having with BARF feeding at the moment is that as I am only feeding Fern meat from the freezer, this means I have to take it out to defrost a few hours beforehand. From the second her nose scents dinner she is pacing and waiting for it. A tin being opened and a rustle of mixer bag was a sign of imminent dinner. Now it's pure torture for her -poor starved little doglet  .

New veg mix tonight. Cabbage, cauli, brocolli, carrot, and garlic. Beef mince 400g (I only feed once a day) and half a dozen slices of poultry neck for 'pud'. Bowl licked clean at three separate visits 
Fern is definately happier on this amount. She is such an active dog that I really cannot see her thriving on much less. I wouldn't mind if she put on half a kilogram anyway.
Her eyes are still a bit gunky, but nothing that causes me concern. Her ears are fine, her coat is smashing, it went through a slightly greasy stage last week. the tartar remains on her canines although the rest of her teeth are looking brilliant white. Breath is still a little pongy. Wonder if it's worth giving them a scrub with Logic dog toothpaste for a few weeks?

[Cob-Web]

I haven't been met by a positive reaction yet. 

Neither have I (although I have encountered some neutral opinions more recently), but find it interesting, cos its obviously becoming more popular - as I said in another thread, our local store has added another freezer to their store so they can increase their raw food range