Dog Community

BARF. Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods - Advice needed

Posted : 1/12/2010 8:32:30 PM

After much reading about commercially produced pet food, I decided I want to put my dog on a 100% BARF diet. (Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods). I need some help in figuring out how much and how often, and I want to be sure my dog gets the nutrition she needs, so need to come up with um... a menu I guess, lol.. I certainly can't feed her prime rib and filet mignon every day, but I love my dog and want what is best for her and I think BARF is the way to go.

Tonight she had 2 raw beef back ribs, and although I did read about "don't feed cooked bones", my baby did get her paws on 2 cooked bones that had a little meat on them, however, she only cleaned them of their remaining morsels of meat.

I want to be able to be consistent and keep my dog on a 99% BARF, but at the same time I don't want it to become financially cumbersome if you know what I mean, so I spent some time checking out various products in the meat and poultry sections of the market to get an idea of my costs and I see that various organ meats are pretty cheap, however, I recall reading something about certain risks associated with organ meats and know I can not give my dog too much of these.. such as chicken or beef livers..I forgot what it was thoug... I'm pretty sure it was someone here whom told me not to exceed 5% of organ meats in their meal, and also read somewhere I think something about too much vitamin A or something not good about it..

So, what I do know is that I can give her raw beef, fish and chicken, but what about pork? At the moment, I need to buy the cheap cuts, bones, packages, etc due to my budget.. things like marrow bones, ribs, chicken leg 1/4s, pig feet, cheap organs, pork butts or country style ribs, etc.. basically whatever is lowest cost per pound.. Don't get this wrong.. I love my dog and I'm not trying to be a cheapskate, but I have to do this within my budget, which at the moment is pretty tight. For commercial dog food, I think it's costing me around $20 a week and I think going BARF will cost more, although very well worth it and more beneficial for my dog, I have to keep my costs down.. So, any ideas, suggestions, tips, menus, etc are greatly appreciated.

Say one night we're having chicken soup for dinner.. how many leg 1/4s do I give the dog? We always buy bulk packages of chicken legs for my wife's soup and other chicken recipes.. Leg 1/4s are always the cheapest, unless thighs go on sale.

I read some articles, etc where the dog owner said he or she gives their dog some fish once a week.. will all dogs eat a raw fish? Fish is rather expensive.. most kinds of fish I see in the market are all over $6 something per pound.. what's a good cheap fish to buy?

Can I feed her pig feet? I saw a package of 4 feet for $1.75. What other kinds of things can I look for that I may not know about?

Sorry for the ramble on of a post.

BTW.. my dog is a 1 and half year old spayed female black and tan coonhound X husky mix if it matters

Spazzy

Posted : 1/12/2010 9:24:45 PM

Ive been feeding Bailey 100% raw for a couple years now, so hopfully I can help you some.

The amount you feed will depend on the weight, and activity level of the dog. Generally, you feed 1-3 % of the dogs body weight per day. 1% being on the lower end, for less active dogs, and 3% for very active dogs. The larger the dog, the lower the percentage usually. The best way to find out how much your dog needs it so try feeding around the 2% point, and if the dog starts gaining weight then go down to 1, or if the dog starts getting thin then go up to 3%.
Bailey is 70 pounds, and we are fairly active in the summer, but right now we are stuck in the house all the time because it is freezing out. So right now he is getting a little more than 1% of his body weight (around 1 pound of meat/bone total) But in the summer, he eats 1.5 to 2lbs. Ive been feeding BARF for long enough that I dont weigh anything anymore, I just know by looking at it if it is the right size for him. And it doesnt have to be 100% the same every day, they can have a little more one day, then a little less the next day without a problem. I was so worried about feeding too much/not enough when I first started feeding BARF too, but it gets easier after a while.

Some people say pork is bad, not sure why. Bailey gets pork all the time and has never gotten sick from it.
Pork feet are OK, but I wouldnt give them too often, or as a meal, they dont have much meat on them and are mostly skin and bone/cartilage.

You should give organ once a week. I use mainly beef liver, beef kidney and chicken livers. And remember, heart isnt an organ, its a muscle, so dont count that as an organ if you feed it.

Ive bought fish for Bailey before, and he didnt like it. I dont bother buying fish for him anymore, I just give him salmon oil in his food every few days instead.

Cooked bones are NOT ok for dogs. Cooked bones splinter, so even if she is just chewing the meat off its still not a good idea. If they are leftovers that you want her to have just cut the meat off, or put the cooked bones into a crock pot for a day, until they are really mushy (you will be able to cut the bone with a spoon, then you know its done) and then give them to her.

As for how many chicken legs, I cant help you without knowing her weight. But, to give you an idea, Bailey is 70 pounds and will eat 2 chicken legs (the drumstick part) for a meal, or a large thigh.

For me, feeding raw is much cheaper than feeding a high quality kibble. But, it depends on your area. At the store I go to I can get a ton of chicken legs for about 70 cents per pound. Look at the price per pound, depending on your area, in a lot of places its cheaper to buy whole chickens then to buy legs/breasts/wings by themselves.
Buy in bulk if you can, look for sales, and talk to butchers to see if they will give you deals on leftover bones or meats.

Good luck Big Smile hope this helped

BEVOLASVEGAS

Posted : 1/12/2010 9:25:41 PM

If you haven't already, try to find a raw feeding email group in your area. There's tons of good info there, along with the fact that the members live close, so they can help you find good deals on meat. I found a grocery distributer who will sell to individuals through my email group, & it's great. I pay, on average, $0.67 per pound, which is an awesome price, especially since I feed 5 1/2 of our dogs raw.

Along with ordering from a distributor, I also hit the sales counters at our local grocery stores early in the morning. They tend to put out clearance meats early, & it tends to be gone by later on in the day.

As far as how much to feed, the general rule of thumb is to feed 2-3% of your dogs body weight. Four of our dogs hold true to that, & eat 2.5% of their weight daily. One of them eats a little over 6.5% a day, & the puppy, who eats only one raw meal a day, gets 5% a day. A kitchen scale is great to know how much to feed. Personally, I recommend an "old school" scale as opposed to a digital scale. I've had two different digitals, & they both cut off way to quickly. It sucks to have to try to turn it back on & get it zero-ed out when you have stuff on your hands!

For My Dog Zoe

Posted : 1/12/2010 10:08:19 PM

Thank you for the responses thus far. :) Much appreciated for the info.

I just checked her medical records and it says she's 47lbs back in July. She's very active on most days as I take her for long walks and a couple days let her run loose in the fenced in soccer field where she'll run in circles at full speed for an hour or so.. This girl sure LOVES to run. Couple days, not so active.. those days are when it's raining or snowing although she does get some exercise. So, is a lb per day about right? 2%? and increase to 3% when she'll be very active every day when the snowing stops.

Here's a photo of her. She has two different colored eyes.

BEVOLASVEGAS

Posted : 1/12/2010 10:23:26 PM

I would start at a pound a day, & adjust as needed.

Zoe is a cutie!!!