Another BARF question....

[CarolineL]

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!! 

[Rhona W]

Do you feed a mince meal? Mine have whizzed up veg mixed in with their mince and it is then impossible to pick out. 

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. 

[CarolineL]

Do you feed a mince meal? Mine have whizzed up veg mixed in with their mince and it is then impossible to pick out. 

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. 

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 

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....

[Penel]

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 ?

[CarolineL]

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...

[Petra]

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?

[Penel]

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 !!!

[Cob-Web]

Molo won't touch offal on its own - but I hide it in with mince 

[Petra]

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..... )

[CarolineL]

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!

[DennyK]

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

[Cob-Web]

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 

[silkstocking]

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!

[CarolineL]

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

[Emz]

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) 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  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