I wondered if anyone had any advice for me please. I've recently put my two dogs on the BARF diet and although one of them has taken to it extremely well, the other (a little terrier cross aged 12) won't eat the meat and bones. He tried it once when I first started the diet but since then he won't eat it and only eats veg or fish. I've tried offering him nothing else but he still won't have it. His teeth are so much cleaner since we've started this diet and giving him no pain but he's not interested at all and I'm worried that he'll end up with deficiencies in his diet if he carries on (his number twos are ok at the moment though).

I've tried giving him the minced meat and bone stuff but he won't have that either, nor will he have chunks of meat. He'll eat cooked meat but obviously I can't give him cooked bones and it's that I want him to eat.

Any suggestions?

Andrea

have you tried chicken wings as they are a good mix of bones and meat

Neil

You can also get the meats from AMP that have the bones ground down and mixed in with them. They are a good alternative if you want to go down the raw feeding route but the dogs don't!:D

TTFN

Ruth

Have tried the chicken wings and although he ate one once he won't eat them again, he just sniffs at them and then walks away.

Have also tried the AMP bone and meat mince but neither of my dogs will eat it, even tried putting some gravy on it but no way!

Andrea

Get some green tripe he will eat that I'm sure.

That sounds disgusting but I'll give it a good go. Thanks.

You could try weaning him onto raw meat by partially cooking it first so it's rare in the middle, then cooking it less and less until, hopefully, he's eating it raw. It worked with one of my dogs :)
Lara x

Many dogs don't like cold raw meat. Warm it through so that it's blood heat but still raw (like a fresh kill!) and they love it......

Just wondered about the bones though. At what stage during heating up do the bones become dangerous?

Andrea

Mmmm is it possible that he is just waiting ato see if you offer him something more tasty?

If you want to warm stuff up, just hold the wings under a hot tap for a while, that will take the chill off them, but not heat up the bones to much.

However, do realise that by switching to a raw diet, its like telling a kid, 'well, i know u ate macdonalds for the first 12 yrs of your life, but now its healthy salads and stuff for ever' wouldnt go down well would it.

If there is no medical reason why he isnt eating, then just let him go hungry for a little while, dont give him ANYTHING until he eats a wing. Its not cos he really doesnt like them cos he has eaten one before, hes just holding out for something better in my opinion!

Em

I do think you're right - I believe he's holding out hoping I'll give him some of the old stuff (I'd rather eat McDonalds than salad any day!)

It's very hard not to feed him anything at all because I have another dog that's taking to the new diet really well (same age) but she barks when we're out so we have the treat balls and kongs with food stuffed in them to try to keep her busy and obviously he gets some of that. I am away from work for a week shortly so I will take your advice then and not give him anything else at all. Just hope I'll manage it, those big brown pleading eyes.........

Gonna run for a cuddle now.

Andrea

ROFL. Actually the way my girls are acting (we just started a partially raw diet) it's like we've been feeding them salad all their life and NOW we've discovered McDonalds

Wendy

It could be his age. However Landywood Pet Foods do a good chicken and bone mince which is whole birds so you get meat and bone together rather than just bone.

Some time ago I saw an advert in The dog World from chicken wingand and suck at 10p a pound the place was in Leicester. Did anyone else see this and it so could they let me have the number.