Puppies on BARF

[Penel]

If they go through a stage while teething where they struggle with bones, then either increase the amount of tripe they get per week: it has a broadly similar calcium/phosphorous balance to bone, or feed a pre-prepared mix with bonemeal in as a failsafe.  The calcium/phosphorous balance is important as too much calcium leads to leaching of phosphorous (much like too much iron leaches copper in humans, so over-supplementing with iron can cause copper deficiency - which has many symptoms similar to iron deficiency!).

oooooh errr listen to you  - top marks Denise 

[Wightpaws]

I've just started to move Rocky over to BARF over the past few weeks, he really enjoys his raw meat, especially his chicken wings and is even managing to persuade Snoopy to give it a go (he's just so fussy with his food).  Rocky is now coming up to 18 weeks old and is having 3 meals a day, 2 mince (made by our butcher which includes Trips, chicken, beef, offal/liver and Lamb), followed by 1 chicken wing or portion of lamb ribs for his 2rd meal.  He also have natural yogurt and veggies with his mince everyday, I  just wondered what was the best meal to add eggs too and how many a week?  We starting to add supplements Omega 3,6,9 next week (hopefully they would have arrived by then ) 

I have also got some frozen Rabbit, do you think its too early into the diet and Rocky's age to introduce some Rabbit into his diet?

Does anyone have any other suggestions on what I need to do, I know that Rachel has helped a lot with information and we did our BARF shop on Saturday morning early so my BARF freezer is now fully loaded and rearing to go..... 

[CraftySam]

There's lots of mention of tripe and I don't feed tripe at all to any of mine, am I wrong?    They eat a mix of liver, kidney and heart twice a week. I've just started Morgan on a bit added to his mince three times a week, which I'll increase the amount of offal and decrease the amount of mince gradually. 

Should I give Morgan a meal of PAH Tripe mince a week? Do the others need Tripe too?

Cheryl, I add an egg to his meal with one of his mince meals a week.  Normally mine get their eggs with sardines but Morgan's not having that yet.  I tried introducing some Goats milk last week but it gave him the runs a bit.  I'll try a bit of yoghurt to see if that helps.
I'm going to order some Omega 3,6,9 too, and at the moment they all get Evening Primrose Oil, Salmon Oil and Keepers Mix.

I'm not sure about the rabbit I'm afraid, as I don't feed it.

[Wightpaws]

the mince we get from our butcher is a combination of tripe, lamb, chicken, offal, etc.  I know that natures menu frozen mince from PAH contains tripe along with vegtables and chicken, lamb, or beef, etc.  Snoopy loves tripe, but rocky isn't so keen on it so I only feed pure tripe once a week to Snoopy.  If you order your Omega 3,6,9 from Hoilland and Barratt online they did have last week a special on, so check there before you buy locally. 

[Penel]

I feed tripe a lot cos it's one of the things Lola isn't allergic to, and it keeps weight on the lurchers who are skinny beggars   oh and the cats like it too so they have it as well !  Tripe is fantastic, really really good for dogs 
I don't give any milky products at all, never have - not even to them when they were puppies.  IMO goats milk is for baby goats, not baby dogs  but that's just my opinion of course    I only give them live yoghurt when I remember, which isn't very often - maybe once every few months.  And eggs are about once a week, but again that's not every single week.
Don't get obsessed with supplements, if you feed a varied good diet, they shouldn't really need them.
Rabbit is a fabulous food for dogs - its *the* most natural prey for a dog. 

[amandaC]

 Am following this thread very eagerly.

I have braved the raw chicken wings, went down a treat although Amber likes to run around the garden very proudly with hers for some reason!? So I cannot give raw legs is that right? And Never cooked chicken bones of any sort?

What big meaty bones should I give and how do you stop any squabbles in a multi dog household? As a child my mum always told me to keep away from a dog witha bone and I do remember being growled at by some very mean looking GSD's!! My Dad feed's raw but he's in Kenya and they feed different things over there and as I said he has GSD's which happily munch a sheeps scull no problemo!! So my daintly little cockers would not manage the bones he would feed.

One last thing, my girls are not keen on offal, won't touch the stuff, should I cook it? The local butcher makes a dog maet ( Offal ) sausage thing especially for dogs and I offered a tiny bit raw and they all turned their noses up. Also Dad said it gives them gas really badly!! At the moment they do not suffer this problem and long may it continue.....!

Looking forwards to replies,
Best wishes
Amanda

[Penel]

You can feed chicken legs just wait a while til your dogs are used to digesting bones - a few months and they'll be fine.

No never any cooked bones, ever.

Mine have big pork bones - from the butcher - pork because Lola can't eat any other type of bones.  Other dogs could have beef bones, lamb bones, whole rabbits.  Why shouldn't your dogs eat a sheeps skull -I bet mine would !  just keep an eye on them - make them eat in separate places - give them at least 6 ft of space in between them, more if you know they are possessive of things like bones.

You can cook the offal if you really want to - flash fry it so it's sealed on the outside, that sometimes does the trick.

[JaspersMum]

Mine are both on minced chicken, beef, liver and a little lamb although this seemed to upset their stomachs, they love chicken wings.  They didn't seem to be too keen on tripe but I might give it another try.  I mince up various veg and defrost a delop with each batch of meat I defrost.

Jasper seems a little constipated at the moment - is it worth adding a little more fish (pilchard) or can you suggest something (other than the lamb which we go the other way with)?

I still put some Auteky with it on occasions in case I needed emergency feed.

Anything I should add, they both seem to be doing well - if anything too well, but coats lovely and silky.

[happydog]

Jasper seems a little constipated at the moment - is it worth adding a little more fish (pilchard) or can you suggest something (other than the lamb which we go the other way with)?

A little extra veg seems to sort it out for Fern.