Ok, so im getting there with the amounts to feed and where to buy etc and Fagan is looking great after just a week.  Ive read one of the BARF books and am currently tackling "grow your pups with bones".  Ive read on here and other places about additives so I got Fagan the following .. Vitamin E capsules, Garlic tablets and Flaxseed Oil capsules.  Ive also ordered him some gamekeepers mix and I think it was powdered greens from Dorwest Herbs.  So what I want to know is ..... how much of these additives should he have of each per day / week, and why if BARF is such a natural balanced diet, do we need to feed additives ?

You don't really have to give all the additives.

The Dorwest product is call " Easy Green"    .

Hiya

Welllllllll

Unless your dog has a specific problem, you dont NEED the vit E, i only feed that to my lurcher who has skin allergies (along with EPO and occasoinal zinc).

Garlic you are better off feeding real garlic (either crush it yourself or buy the puree) and adding it to the veg mix.

Flaxseed oil again i add that to the feed for my saluki x because its good if you suspect cancer (she had lumps removed not long back) but to get the best out of it you do need to feed it with something like cottage cheese.

I sometimes add kelp powder, and sometimes Keepers Mix because its got a lot of good stuff in it, but i dont add it every day or even every week.

If you are providing a wide range of veg, then you probably dont need anything but the garlic, however if you arent, keepers mix is a good thing to use.

Em

Thanks Em,

I did give him the real garlic once but he absolutely stunk thats why I got him the capsules :D :D :D

I will add the keepers mix etc occasionally then or when I dont get round to doing him any veggies.  He has a pretty varied diet with different meat and fish so I assume the EFA's wont be needed either :rolleyes:

Claire :)

Vitamins A, C, E are valuable anti oxidants and as such are a good idea for human and canine health.  If you feed raw Vitamin A will be amply supplied by liver; Vitamin C is also an excellent anti histamine, anti inflammatory and as it is water soluble can be given to bowel tolerance; useful in growing pups and in times of stress; although dogs synthesise their own, when adult, one can never know if it is enough.

Flaxseed oil is a valuable source of Omega 3s and EFAs however I prefer to feed Fish Body Oil for this purpose as it is active rather than inactive and is from an animal rather than a cereal source; also flax seed oil can cause itchiness in some dogs.  ALL diets whether commercial or raw,  are deficient in Omega 3s, because meat is grain fed, hence the addition.  Again FBO is a great anti inflammatory and is good for brain functin and joints.  If you DO feed either of these than Vitamin E is a MUST (read any of the raw feeding books); depending on the size of your dog 200 - 400 iu per day, preferably natural which is indicated by the term d-alpha -tocopherol. Vitamin C around 1000mg per day, garlic a fresh clove each day (internal antiseptic, cleanser, detoxifier, and deters fleas and worms).

Cottage cheese is not really necessary for dogs, as it is a dairy product and most adult dogs are lactose deficient.

ALL diets whether human or canine will be deficient in lots of vitamins and minerals for many reasons.  Processing obviously destroys a lot of them (hence why they are put back in commercial diets), the ground that veg and fruit are grown in are mineral deficient from over use.  Fruits and veg lose their vitality due to very long storage etc; hence why it is no bad thing to supplement our own and our dogs diets.

Keepers Mix is rich in alfalfa and kelp and both are rich in macro nutrients from the sea/land.

HTH

<<Again FBO is a great anti inflammatory and is good for brain functin>> I will stock up on this then being an Irish Setter Fagan needs all the help he can get :D :D :D

Thanks for your help, I think I understand now :rolleyes:  I have the raw feeding books by my bed and am trying to read them at night, its just a lot to take in - me being blonde and all that, in fact if I wasnt veggie I might try some fish body oil myself :P

Claire ;)

And of course if you feed raw oily fish as part of diet 2/3 times a wk you will provide both omegas in it`s natural state :D

Christine, Spain.

he has been having sardines and tuna in spring water.  what other tinned fish would you recommend? is tuna in sunflower oil any good ?

any oily fish such as pilchards, mackeral and sardines, fresh as well as tinned.

If you feed fish in oil I would drain most of it off, very fattening!  In Brine I would just remove the brine; that in tomato sauce usually contains modified maize starch which can be a problem to some maize sensitive dogs.

I often feed fresh herring

could I feed a whole fish bones too ? I worry about fish bones because the cats often get them stuck in their mouths, they do however always get them out with their paws :)

Sunflower seeds/oil contain a pretty large amount of vitE so is good way to provide it but I prefer to buy good quality bottle & give seperately.Tinned salmon when cheap? Trout?

Christine Spain.

I feed my dogs raw sardines/herrings/pilchards/trout/mackeral & when cheap salmon that I cut up & they`ve never had a problem with the bones yet :D

Oils should be cold pressed and in dark bottles or capsules and not exposed to light; my dogs do not have any problems with fish bones.  Salmon does not agree with all dogs.

Of course there`s bound to be some dogs that don`t get along with some foods some of the time, but all 10 of mine get along with fresh salmon just fine & you`ll never till you try :D

Christine, Spain.

My cats turn their noses up at salmon

I will have to pay the fish man in safeways a visit, I dont think we have a fish mongers in our town anymore :(

Fussy b*****s :D

Christine, Spain.

I know, it must be the "stuck up" pedigree side of them, they will quite happily go next door though and eat their cats kite-cat or whiskas

Cats just love being awkward :D None of my beardies can tolerate raw fish one won't eat it and the other vomits it back so we stick to tinned
                                                 Anne