Barf

[Joelf]

Three great foods are naturdiet (wet) James Wellbeloved, dry, and Burns, dry. All are free from nasty additives and are good balanced foods.

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Like Shona our 2 dogs are fed on Naturediet & JWB & they seem to do well on it.
I think you just have to find a method that suits your own animals.

[shonajoy]

I fed a raw natural diet to my dog, but it isn't BARF.
She has been fed this way since 8 wks old and she is now 3yrs. I am very happy with the results.

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Your signiture quote is great and too true!! My dogs have been fed BARF since they were weaned and I to am very happy with the results. I think dogs tell us what they like and don't like.......my too are chasing round the lounge like mad at the mo I think they trying to attract my attention!!!!

Lisa x

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Unfortunately a few dogs at work recently have *told* us they don't like bones, so I may well be biased.

Edited to add - how can it be  cheaper? I pay £1.00 a day for my boys, with biscuits extra-unless someone gives you food, how does that work

[silkstocking]

I feed a BARF diet - having got lots of info from Penel    on another forum  

To be honest Daisy chose it herself - she hates biscuits of any sort - even human      My mom did discover that she would eat rich tea - but you have to dunk it first ::  ::

So now she has a better diet than me and my OH!!!  We went to a farm shop today and bought organic chicken wings and lamb chops - the lady in the shop thought I was mad when I said it was for the dog    She asked Chris if he had the Pedigree Chum  

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That made me laugh, Lee often says to me that dogs eat better than him!! I have never tried giving them lamb chops.....might give it a whirl!!!! Thanks!! This site is fab!! lisa xxxx

[silkstocking]

I fed a raw natural diet to my dog, but it isn't BARF.
She has been fed this way since 8 wks old and she is now 3yrs. I am very happy with the results.

[snapback]155472[/snapback]

Your signiture quote is great and too true!! My dogs have been fed BARF since they were weaned and I to am very happy with the results. I think dogs tell us what they like and don't like.......my too are chasing round the lounge like mad at the mo I think they trying to attract my attention!!!!

Lisa x

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Unfortunately a few dogs at work recently have *told* us they don't like bones, so I may well be biased.

Edited to add - how can it be  cheaper? I pay £1.00 a day for my boys, with biscuits extra-unless someone gives you food, how does that work

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Because things like for example asda smart price pasta cost 19 p each and with 4 dogs she uses 2 of them a day so thats 38p for breakfast and mince for dinner she uses half a bag which when you buy in bulk works out @ £1 a bag so her total food bill for a day by that rational is 88p treats are extra but we have a great reciepe for healthy treats made with molasess that the dogs luuuurrrrve!

I can see that if you've seen dogs having problems with bones why you'd be dubious, it's fair enough, we are all entitled to our opionins no one is right or wrong!!        

[silkstocking]

Three great foods are naturdiet (wet) James Wellbeloved, dry, and Burns, dry. All are free from nasty additives and are good balanced foods.

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Like Shona our 2 dogs are fed on Naturediet & JWB & they seem to do well on it.
I think you just have to find a method that suits your own animals.

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I totally agre!!!! We all try to do what we see best for our animals, and to be honest they tell us what they do and don't like........like Milo wouldn't touch minced chicken for love nor money, but he wolves everything else down like he's never going to be fed again!!!!

[silkstocking]

I tried with the raw bones but both my dogs were passing blood with their poo(sorry if you're eating) when I'd given them neck of lamb. They seem fine with raw chicken wings. I'll still give them but have gone back to Butcher's choice and Autarky, I can't stand the worry.

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Which is totally understandable Glynis I guess we all work to our personal exerperiences and what works for some doesn't work for others........to be honest have never given them neck of lamb so not sure how there poos'd be either! If it wasn't on the list from their breeder i havn't tried it!! Lisa xx

[springsett]

mine are also fed raw. I always aviod discussing diet in to much detail, everyone has different ideas,do whats right for you and yours.

I give my two chicken wings and their are bones in the natures menu food they have (frozen stuff) what other raw bones do your dogs have? I'd like to add another kind to their diet

Mine have what evers cheapest at the butchers! All parts of chicken,turkey necks, ribs, chops, trotters...

[silkstocking]

mine are also fed raw. I always aviod discussing diet in to much detail, everyone has different ideas,do whats right for you and yours.

I give my two chicken wings and their are bones in the natures menu food they have (frozen stuff) what other raw bones do your dogs have? I'd like to add another kind to their diet

Mine have what evers cheapest at the butchers! All parts of chicken,turkey necks, ribs, chops, trotters...

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Beginning to wish i hadn't statred the great food debate!! It seems as controversal as the great docking debate! Lisa xx

[Penel]

You have to read the packaging of any commercial processed foods very carefully - "No added x,y,z," does not mean that x,y,z, are not in that particular food, it means that the company did not add it themselves.  Ie: it was possibly already in the source ingredient.... sneaky but true unfortunately.
Quote here directly from the JWB site http://www.wellbeloved.co.uk/ " Plus our foods have no added colours, no added flavours and no added preservatives - all of which are believed to contribute to hyperactive behaviour in dogs." see what I mean ...

[Colin]

Beginning to wish i hadn't statred the great food debate!! It seems as controversal as the great docking debate! Lisa xx

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Don't worry - as you say it's all about putting out the information then it's up to us all to make a personal decision as to what we feel is best for our dogs and as Rachel says, fits in with our own lifestyles. Personally I doubt I'd ever feed raw, I'm far too squeamish :: - I tried twice to give Jimmy chicken wings and was so relieved that he appearred to be as revolted by eating raw meat as I was.  I daresay there would be ways to encourage him but have to confess that even just handling raw chicken made me feel like heaving. ::  

However... I would like to do my best by my dogs with regards to "commercial" dog foods - I've tried Naturediet, Burns and Nutro and all of them seem to have an adverse effect on one or both of my dogs. They both seem fine on JWB but it seems to me to produce too much "waste", which is also occassionally runny. I'm thinking of trying Arden Grange but notice that the protein level is really high compared to other foods (about 25%) and am sure I read that high protein levels are linked with hip problems.  

Another query for you food experts I have is re bran  - I put a bit of this in the dogs' food to help with anal gland problems they both have ( not that it seems to help   ) , yet I understand that cereals are not supposed to be good for dogs. So much advice seems to be conflicting.

So, high protein levels good or bad ? Bran, good or bad ?

(Sorry if this is off topic, though I guess it's kind of related to the reasons people choose to raw feed.)

[suki1964]

Colin, Arden grange has a protein content of around 25% compared to JWB of 21% but then you have to compare that to how much they get fed - its smaller portions of the Arden grange. I changed Alfie over to it about August time and theres been a marked improvement on his coat (he was on Burns previously) and he actually eats it. I did have him on JWB before Burns and his out put was dreadful, often runny and lots of it. Whilst he still goes more often then he did on Burns, its always firm

I also have doubts about adding Bran so I do give chicken wings and lamb ribs. Alfie is good and knows to take them into the garden to eat so I dont have to hear the crunch (although I do keep an eye just in case) If you are that squimish have you thought about asking a friendly butcher to put some chicken through a mincer for you - bones included? Or a processor should do the job.Then feed this raw once a week or so. Nature diet has a high ground bone content which is why they dont advise adding any biscuit mix to it

[Cob-Web]

I think the important thing to remember is that WE are responsible for providing our dogs with a balanced, healthy diet - and if bran/ground bone/egg shells provides the dietry substance that would more "naturally" be gained from gnawing bones - then why not?  

I do wonder how far evolution/selection has taken the domestic dog away from their origional, wild diet    The fact that many dogs react badly to raw meat and bones suggests that they are a long way from their wild cousins when it coms to diet and digestion......wild canines which had these kinds of intolerances would die before reproducing so any genetic predisposition/weakness of this kind would be quickly eliminated from the gene pool.

[bluegirl]

I do use cereal and I do add bran and wheatgerm to my dogs dinner and I have been shot down in the past for sticking to my beliefs that cereals are good when this is not what other raw feeders believe.

I have found a diet that my dog thoroughly enjoys. She doesn't have any anal gland problems but I couldn't be sure if that is through the extra roughage in her diet of just the whole raw instead of cooked/ commercial food. ( my last cocker had blocked anal gland problems throughout her life and she was fed a mixture or homecooked and commercial dog food.)

Pennys faeces is also completely different to my other dogs in that it is virtually odourless and there is definately less of it.

The diet you feed your dog is a personal choice as others have said, I could never have seen myself feeding raw before Penny, but circumstances made me consider all options, but whatever product we have all chosen will be because we believe it is the best choice for our dog.

[silkstocking]

but whatever product we have all chosen will be because we believe it is the best choice for our dog.

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Here, Here!!!! Lisa xx

[Penel]

if bran/ground bone/egg shells provides the dietry substance that would more "naturally" be gained from gnawing bones - then why not? 

I do wonder how far evolution/selection has taken the domestic dog away from their origional, wild diet    The fact that many dogs react badly to raw meat and bones suggests that they are a long way from their wild cousins when it coms to diet and digestion......wild canines which had these kinds of intolerances would die before reproducing so any genetic predisposition/weakness of this kind would be quickly eliminated from the gene pool.

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The thing is Rachel, gnawing raw bones is not the same as eating a whole prey animal, which is what a wild dog would do.  The fur, brain, eyes, everything - would make a perfectly balanced diet: ie a whole rabbit.
I have to say I do not know of *many* dogs that have reacted badly to a raw diet - and perhaps if they have it is because their owners have not introduced it properly, or also because their insides are so totally unaccustomed to eating it that they have reacted badly initially - and sometimes a little patience is needed.  
I have said before  - I totally completely understand people not wanting to feed raw, I was exactly the same 6 years ago and was very sure that I would never ever feed raw - but was sort of forced into it by a homeopathic vet when Saffy was very ill.
I've said before and will say it again, dogs are not cereal eaters - they do not have flat molars for grinding cereal (like we do) - all their teeth are sharp and pointy for ripping and tearing meat and breaking bones - anyone who's been bitten by a dog knows how strong their jaws are !!!!!  I do agree that there might be a miniscule amount of stomach content eaten when a whole animal is consumed but this would more likely contain grasses than cereals - unless the bunny lived in a wheat field  
Tilly used to have no end of anal gland problems til she was switched to raw at 2 years old - she used to have to have them emptied every 8 weeks - 5 years later, she has not had a problem since.