Up until recently I fed holistically, first BARF, then Burns. However, the dogs didn't get on with Burns and I changed onto commercial dog food and they were fine. I have read a lot of posts on here about BARF and would like to go back to it. The trainer I had at the time was the one who told me what to feed, and I was never sure if it was right. I have always been paranoid that they were missing something from their diet, so I thought maybe if I told you what she got me to feed, you would be able to let me know if anything was wrong, and ideally what they should eat on a daily or weekly basis. They had:-

AM-
porridge oats (not cooked)
dessicated coconut
raw lambs liver/heart/kidney
cod liver oil

PM-
tripe
veggies (green)
bake (dry biscuit stuff made of herbs and grasses only)

Weekly-
chicken wings/legs
breast of lamb

So, if anyone can let me know exactly what they should have, I may just consider putting them back on it. :-)

Thanks in advance, Claire

I personally never give biscuits or porridge oats..and I give ribs, wings etc daily and not weekly. Also raw fresh fish a couple of times a week. I was told to not overdo the liver and kidney ..once a week in my house ;)

The trouble with BARF I have found is that everyone sort of takes the basics and moulds it to their own dogs :D Not very helpful when you start out initially ;) I keep an eye on my dogs to make sure they don't get too fat or too skinny (by feeling their ribs) and apart from that, I stick to the basics.

Mine have

AM

Raw lambs ribs
Lights
OR
Chicken carcasses/wings
PLUS
raw trotter/ear

PM

Raw meat (AMP or the like)
Veg
Fish oil OR raw fish

WEEKLY

2 eggs
Yoghurt

Plus any additional things they need (sure I must have missed something off the list there....hmm)

Thanks Melody, this woman was one of these people who makes like she knows it all, but in hindsight, I've started to doubt that, hence checking on here. My other problem is, my dogs have got incredibly sensitive stomachs, something as basic as a pigs ears gives them the runs. And that was when they were on BARF/Burns, so nothing to do with chemicals being flushed out.

Unfortunately, my oldest appears to be suffering from a bug at the mo, so he will be having nothing more than mash potato and bio yogurt for a couple of days. What about tripe? They did well on that as a basic everyday meat, but does it count as BARF? I mean, it is raw and it is meat, so would that be ok?

Oh, and what are 'lights' and 'AMPS'? It is when people start talking about sea kelp and herbs that I began to worry! My other problem was, and still is, storage. It is my mums house and so I can't buy an extra freezer as the only place for it would be the lounge. Mmmmmmmmm, I can just picture her face! By the way, my dogs are BCs, with a Sibe on the way next spring. Hence the sensitive stomachs I s'pose.

Thanks again, Claire

We buy frozen fresh meat monthly, we don't have a massive freezer, just the family one (we are after another freezer JUST for dog food :D ) but AMP (Anglia meat products- most larger pet shops sell it or something like it in the freezer section) sell the blocks of frozen lamb/beef/turkey and lamb ready minced and we can get 1 months worth (60 packs) into two drawers of our freezer. We get fresh pigs ears (not the cooked ones! ), trotters, bones, chicken etc etc from the local butcher (bless his heart) and he often throws *lights* in as well (lungs) which Hudson won't touch but Delta loves :D :D

Not sure about tripe , I would think possibly it can be given as part of a BARF diet but I can't stand the smell ..always smells exactly like cow dung to me so after trying it once, we never bought it again :D

Join the UK Barf club and you will get loads of info to help ;) UK Barf Club

Thanks a lot Melody, you've been a great help, I think I will give it a go. Not sure on how to break the news to my mum though! :D

Claire

Dogs won't be able to digest raw oats, not unless they have been severely pulverised.   The instant porridge oat you buy are already cooked.  Maybe this is what you gave?

Dogs don't need much cereal, if any.

Wendy

This "diet" is completely unsuitable for a dog; raw oats will not be digested by your dog, they will just be used as fibre.
Not sure what dessicated coconut is for.
CLO can be a problem if you are not careful; you are already feeding liver, giving CLO means you are in danger of overdosing your dog with Vitamins A and D both of which can be toxic as they are fat soluble.

Your dog should be getting one meal of RMBs and another of "something else" either meat, offal, fish, egg and veggies, tripe etc etc

If you are going to feed raw it is ESSENTIAL that you obtain correct information by purchasing the right books and acquainting yourself with knowledge rather than opinions otherwise you are in danger of compromising your dog's health.

Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats by Kymythy Schulze is probably one of the best and most accessible books available which gives diet plans, sources of nutrition etc etc and is in simple, logical language.

ATB

This woman who got everyone at her club feeding this diet (not any more, they are all on Burns). She behaves like she knows everything and scoffs at anyone who has their own ideas. I don't know where she got this diet from, I know she had all the books. Anyway, she said it all formed the complete diet for dogs, with the Bake being the grasses and herbs they would get from their preys stomach, I don't remember what the coconut or raw oats (not ready cooked!) were for. All the people at club follow this woman, and everything she does, like sheep and if anyone questions her, God help them! :rolleyes:

Needless to say, I got sick of all this and left, which is why I went back to commercial, because I wasn't confident that this diet was right, and therefore figured commercial was better than BARF done wrong! However, I did prefer feeding raw, but want to be certain I am doing it right; and this is where you lot come in!

Tohme, I will get that book, and thanks to everyone for your help. I'm sure the dogs would thank you all too, judging from the expression on their faces when I gave them that chicken last night! ;-)

Claire and two very happy collies :p

Claire
feeding BARF is not a case of feeding a balanced diet every day buy a balanced diet over a period of time.
Archer

Thanks Archer, I realise that now. I have put together a feeding plan using a combination of advice from here and the BARF website. I never knew veg should be liquidized either, I s'pose that's to make the vitamins more digestable rather than going straight through. I have it all ready to go in the kitchen! :-)

This woman may have got the dessicated coconut idea out of Juliette levy's book,she has alot of ideas that do not make sense,including giving large amounts of raisins for most things that ails dogs Which i would not advise anybody trying!