CockersOnline Forum

Cocker Specific Discussion => Feeding => Topic started by: CarolineL on January 04, 2007, 03:21:57 PM

Title: Another BARF question....
Post by: CarolineL on January 04, 2007, 03:21:57 PM
OK - Hurley has been 100% BARF for about 6 weeks now. Before that he was morning BARF, evening dry food.

For the last 3 weeks he has been refusing to eat any vegetables - he picks them out of his food bowl and drops them on the floor.
I have tried everything - from whizzing up veg, to individual veg, to cucumber/tomatoes and he refuses to eat them.

If he's going to eat them, will cooked veg be good enough?

I feed him a variety of chicken wings, chicken thighs, breast, lamb chops, pork chops, beef steak, turkey, eggs (including shell) and mackerel or sardines, every now and again he is fed one of the Prize Choice (I think) 'Complete' meals.

I have never fed him any offal - however realise from DennyK's post that I need to start doing this. I did buy some pig kidney's from the supermarket but couldnt bring myself to even touch them. I am a vegetarian and feeding Hurley BARF is a mission within itself, however these were a different kettle of fish.... they were so bloody and slimey I just couldnt do it without retching!!

Can anyone give me any tips as to what would be easy to feed him from my POV?

Thanks!!  :D
Title: Re: Another BARF question....
Post by: Rhona W on January 04, 2007, 03:27:30 PM
Do you feed a mince meal? Mine have whizzed up veg mixed in with their mince and it is then impossible to pick out.  :005:

I also put the offal through the blender and serve it with a dollop of whizzed up veg. Couldn't face chopping it either and didn't want to feed it whole as they gulped it down and then brought it back up again later.  ph34r
Title: Re: Another BARF question....
Post by: CarolineL on January 04, 2007, 03:35:38 PM
Do you feed a mince meal? Mine have whizzed up veg mixed in with their mince and it is then impossible to pick out.  :005:

I also put the offal through the blender and serve it with a dollop of whizzed up veg. Couldn't face chopping it either and didn't want to feed it whole as they gulped it down and then brought it back up again later.  ph34r

He cant eat minced meat because he just throws it back up later! Even if I put it in the blender for some reason it always re-appears, usually on the rug in the front room  ph34r

any minced meals I do give him are the packet AMP/prize choice ones and if it has added veg in it he won't eat it. I have tried whizzing the veg up and mixing it all in but he just turns his nose up at it....
Title: Re: Another BARF question....
Post by: Penel on January 04, 2007, 03:49:20 PM
Try adding avocado - I know it sounds weird but often dogs like it - and it's a "way in" with veggies.... once he's eating avocado ok with his meals, then you might be able to sneak in other veg.  Have you tried putting the whizzed veg into natural yoghurt ?
Title: Re: Another BARF question....
Post by: CarolineL on January 04, 2007, 04:23:39 PM
No, that's one thing I havent tried - will give it a go tonight.

I think also read that someone else added orange juice to theirs - I might give that a try too...
Title: Re: Another BARF question....
Post by: Petra on January 04, 2007, 04:36:14 PM
Dillon loves carrots - so as long as his veg portion includes carrots he will eat it...
The avocado or the yoghurt sounds like a good idea though, but am not sure about the orange juice - surely someone will be along later.

Can I be really cheeky and add my own BARF question to your thread??   I cannot get Dillon to eat offal, have tried kidneys and liver, and he just turns his nose up, gives it a tentative lick and looks at me.
Any advice how I can get him to eat these?
Title: Re: Another BARF question....
Post by: Penel on January 04, 2007, 05:38:15 PM
Flash fry them.  Lots of dogs don't like the "feel" of raw offal it seems...  a few seconds in a really hot pan seals the outside and makes it taste nicer apparently !!!
Title: Re: Another BARF question....
Post by: Cob-Web on January 04, 2007, 06:04:04 PM
Molo won't touch offal on its own - but I hide it in with mince  :005:
Title: Re: Another BARF question....
Post by: Petra on January 05, 2007, 09:45:02 AM
Oh thanks - had forgotten about the flash frying thing! Will try that!

Rachel - do you put yours through a blender first to chop them up a bit?? 
Just a daft question - but how much would that smell whilst you are doing it?   (am a bit of a wimp with offal smells..... :-\)

Title: Re: Another BARF question....
Post by: CarolineL on January 05, 2007, 10:09:16 AM
Rachel - do you put yours through a blender first to chop them up a bit?? 
Just a daft question - but how much would that smell whilst you are doing it?   (am a bit of a wimp with offal smells..... :-\)

Not only that but how do you touch it!!! It makes me feel so sick eugh!
Title: Re: Another BARF question....
Post by: DennyK on January 05, 2007, 11:48:29 AM
Touching the heart/kidney/liver - yuckeroooo from me too.  I've steeled myself to do it  but have you tried using latex gloves - at least then you wouldn't be handling it?  Caroline - another interesting point which Derek Turnbull (the BritBarf list owner) made on the BritBarf site was this:

"Vegetables are optional, and do not provide as much nutritional benefit, nor are as necessary as Billinghurst might have one believe.  However, a small amount can certainly be useful for providing some vitamins and minerals, as well as acting as prebiotics for the large intestine.

Many dogs enjoy eating (some of!) them, and a little of what you fancy (allegedly) does you good, as they say.  There is nothing particularly wrong with feeding the odd carrot, any more than there is feeding the odd biscuit.  Neither are species appropriate, and both have carbohydrates, often as simple sugars!  (Remember those 'empty' calories!) "

So it sounds as though, if your dog likes veg and eats it as a small part of its diet, all well and good.  And if you're struggling to get him/her to eat veg - it's not a big nutritional worry.  It set my mind at rest - I'm still feeding whizzed veg mixed in with mince but if I forget to thaw some, it's not going to do Pads any harm to go without for a few days.

Denise

Denise

Title: Re: Another BARF question....
Post by: Cob-Web on January 05, 2007, 12:29:24 PM
Rachel - do you put yours through a blender first to chop them up a bit?? 

If I'm feeling indulgent, yes, as he prefers not to eat it diced  ::) He will if its the only thing offered though  :005:
Title: Re: Another BARF question....
Post by: silkstocking on January 05, 2007, 12:33:13 PM
Can I be really cheeky and add my own BARF question to your thread??   I cannot get Dillon to eat offal, have tried kidneys and liver, and he just turns his nose up, gives it a tentative lick and looks at me.
Any advice how I can get him to eat these?

You can get a mince mix made up of these, erm I think its kidney heart and liver, with a bit of chicken thrown in for good measure!! Red bag, Natures Menu ( do I mean or diet!?!?!) Freezer section PAH. He might not realise he is getting it if its all minced up togther! :lol:
Title: Re: Another BARF question....
Post by: CarolineL on January 05, 2007, 01:13:11 PM
Touching the heart/kidney/liver - yuckeroooo from me too.  I've steeled myself to do it  but have you tried using latex gloves - at least then you wouldn't be handling it?  Caroline - another interesting point which Derek Turnbull (the BritBarf list owner) made on the BritBarf site was this:

"Vegetables are optional, and do not provide as much nutritional benefit, nor are as necessary as Billinghurst might have one believe.  However, a small amount can certainly be useful for providing some vitamins and minerals, as well as acting as prebiotics for the large intestine.

Many dogs enjoy eating (some of!) them, and a little of what you fancy (allegedly) does you good, as they say.  There is nothing particularly wrong with feeding the odd carrot, any more than there is feeding the odd biscuit.  Neither are species appropriate, and both have carbohydrates, often as simple sugars!  (Remember those 'empty' calories!) "

So it sounds as though, if your dog likes veg and eats it as a small part of its diet, all well and good.  And if you're struggling to get him/her to eat veg - it's not a big nutritional worry.  It set my mind at rest - I'm still feeding whizzed veg mixed in with mince but if I forget to thaw some, it's not going to do Pads any harm to go without for a few days.

Denise

Denise



The fact that 'someone in the know' - well more know than me, states that its not a nutritional requirement certainly puts my mind at rest - whatever I can get him to eat tends to come out pretty much undigested anyway (sorry to be so graphic!). He likes avocado and mini corn on the cobs so will keep giving it a go and keep trying to hide what I can in his food....

Lisa - those mince mix with kidney/heart/liver sound perfick for me..... will take a gander at lunch.

Cheers all!

x
Title: Re: Another BARF question....
Post by: Emz on January 17, 2007, 07:12:19 AM
Hi there,

Molly was the same... now I whizz them up and top with a bit of gravy and it's gone in a flash   :-*

I will say thou, (not wanting to step on any toes) ph34r that I would personally advise against feeding avocado. It is actually toxic.
With dog's you usually see vomitting and diarrhea, and there is a concern among many vets that it can damage the heart muscle,
as it does in many other species  :-\

I hope I haven't offended anyone  :-*

Oh and good luck with the kidney/liver handling ... totally yucky I know... I look like something out of a horror movie when I'm
preparing it.... gloves... apron... and mask  :blink: lol .... I only do it once a month, bag it up and freeze it... (probably doesn't do
much for the vitamin content but there you go).... I don't think I could do it a couple of times a week... the things we do for our cockers  :blink:




Title: Re: Another BARF question....
Post by: JaspersMum on January 17, 2007, 07:50:09 AM
Another little hyjack - I thought I'd move mine onto something a little more nutritional and interesting than the Beta puppy, especially as Lou's now 6 months and reducing to 2 meals now.  Loueie is not a problem he eats ANYTHING then asks questions after but Jasper is another matter he is such a fussy eater.

Jasper is so picky he walks away even if not seemed to have eaten for ages and Louie sweeps in if I'm not ready to lift the dish.  I've found Jasper will eat the puppy food better than most but still needs a tempter such as cheese which I want to avoid as its my high value trainer. I'm alsosure not good for him too often.

I've found he loves pilchards so I've been adding a small amount to his breakfast.  He likes carrots occasionally.  I've bought frozen tripe, chicken and similar mince and the natures menu pre prepared but he walks away - he'll eat cooked chicken; instead of raw, can I introduce cooked meats even if the nutrition may have slightly reduced where's the best place to get information where to start because I'm overwhelmed by the choice and what to do to get started.
Title: Re: Another BARF question....
Post by: DennyK on January 17, 2007, 12:07:39 PM
the problem with cooking the meat is that you change its structure and nutritional profile - so dogs don't benefit from it as much.

Can you try feeding Jasper separately?  Paddy is often reluctant to start eating so rather than hover or fuss, I just leave him in the kitchen on his own with the door closed: it's always been eaten when i come back ten minutes later.

Denise
Title: Re: Another BARF question....
Post by: JaspersMum on January 17, 2007, 04:38:31 PM
the problem with cooking the meat is that you change its structure and nutritional profile - so dogs don't benefit from it as much.

Can you try feeding Jasper separately?  Paddy is often reluctant to start eating so rather than hover or fuss, I just leave him in the kitchen on his own with the door closed: it's always been eaten when i come back ten minutes later.

Denise

He was a poor eater before Louie arrived, hoped that competition might of encouraged him but that didn't work either.  it doesn't matter who gets fed where or when he's just not fussed.
Title: Re: Another BARF question....
Post by: minstrel99 on January 17, 2007, 09:08:04 PM
Hi Folks, have any of you tried the RawMeatyBonesUK site? I started raw feeding about 15 months ago firstly trying to follow Ian Billinghursts suggestions then I read Tom Lonsdales book 'Raw Meaty Bones' and I very quickly changed some of my thinking, my three, Buddy 7yrs, Teal 4yrs and Rosie 13months are now fed only once a day with the occasional whole egg and a spot of Goats Milk in the morning. In the average week they enjoy 1-2 whole chicken carcasses, pairs of lamb ribs taken from a whole rib cage,2- 300gs large chunks of ox-heart, whole turkey necks, 2-300gs lumps of green tripe, tinned Mackrel/sardines in oil(they don't like the texture of whole raw fish), 3-4 pork ribs. they are all thriving and thoroughly enjoy their food, feeding time has an air of excited anticipation, the only time I use minced tripe and offal is when I want to add wheatgerm oil, evening primrose and fish body oil or to worm them. they also get a fair bit of garlic. their teeth are beautiful with nice pink gums, their coats have a lovely bloom and they are full of energy. I also give them the odd large knuckle bone for recreational gnawing.
luv linda and the doggliesx
Title: Re: Another BARF question....
Post by: Anita breathes Cockers on January 23, 2007, 12:09:32 AM
Thought I'd just add to this post in case anyone is interested.  Spent an evening reading posts from last year about BARF :o
Well, my dogs have been having it for about 10 days now and already I cannot believe the difference! :D
They are wolfing down all offal, tripe, veg, eggs and looking absolutely FANTASTIC.  My roans coat is shiny, she has put a little weight on, their tails are wagging off their bottoms at meal time.  They make lovely noises and are very happy!!!  Thankyou for helping me convert, we will never lookback.
Oh and the pooh situation is amazing!!!!! No constip or diarr, much less.  Smelly breath gone.  I am amazed!! :-* to all you people debating and giving me the courage to go ahead.
One question, why is uncooked egg white ok when other sources talk of avidin???  Scramble eggs or just yolks for little ones but is uncooked white ok with BARF???? PLease????
Title: Re: Another BARF question....
Post by: CraftySam on January 23, 2007, 01:41:48 AM

One question, why is uncooked egg white ok when other sources talk of avidin???  Scramble eggs or just yolks for little ones but is uncooked white ok with BARF???? PLease????

Mine have raw eggs with shells, white, yolks and all once a week. I know others that do the same too.