TTL, is it very expensive? Right now, I feed my dog Iams. He doesn't eat a lot, so an 8lb bag lasts me almost 2 months. I've been reading about the BARF diet ever since I got him when he was a puppy, but I've been worried about him getting the right amount of nutrients and the cost. I'd love to say expense is no concern, but in reality, it is. I'm careful not to buy kibble that lists the first ingreadient as corn or any other grain. When the whole recall was going on, I was especially vigilent in evaluating my purchases. I also don't have much storage space, so I'd be limited in the amount of veggies and meat parts I could purchase at a time, which (I would think) would increase the cost and food safety.

 

Not at all. Wrigley eats the 10 lb leg quarters from Wal-Mart, which I think is about $6. That will last him a couple of weeks. We also buy the cheapest ground beef and make "bricks" with veggies, an egg, some garlic, and freeze them in muffin containers. You just need some freezer space, and that is mostly for your convenience. I don't buy any of the premade stuff, which would be so much easier, simply because it costs too much and I have to feed my 5 human children before my furry one! Food safety is not a big deal because dog's have bacteria in their digestive tract that fight off the bad stuff that makes human's sick. This is kind of gross, but dogs actually prefer it when the chicken is a little "off." This diet is probably costs more than Iams, but when you research what all is put in Iams, you would never use it again. This is coming from someone who fed all my prior dogs Iams and Eukanuba, without knowing any better. If Lucky doesn't eat very much, you could cut the leg quarters in half, or better yet, buy chicken wings. Wrigley has to eat about 8 wings to fill up, so that doesn't work well for me. You could feed him one wing, and a cup of green beans, and he would be good to go.

Another thing--my vet thought I was nuts when I first started. Then he saw Wrigley's teeth and skin and is now a total believer. I let him borrow my book that I told 3w about and he said it made complete sense. Wrigley's teeth are gorgeous at almost 4 years old--not a drop of plaque. And he has never had to have his anal glands cleaned--I know that is gross but my groomer says he is the only dog she has that doesn't get blocked. The veggies (especially green beans) helps to keep everything working correctly. This diet is also good at helping stave off the hip dysplasia that haunts so many bigger breeds.

Humans have spent decades domesticating dogs, so they would become well behaved pets. Part of this domestication was changing their natural diet. If this BARF diet becomes widespread and people continue using it for years, is there any concern that it may revert the domestication process?

 

Complete off-the-wall thinking here, but figured I'd bring it up.

Not at all. Wrigley eats the 10 lb leg quarters from Wal-Mart, which I think is about $6. That will last him a couple of weeks. We also buy the cheapest ground beef and make "bricks" with veggies, an egg, some garlic, and freeze them in muffin containers. You just need some freezer space, and that is mostly for your convenience. I don't buy any of the premade stuff, which would be so much easier, simply because it costs too much and I have to feed my 5 human children before my furry one! Food safety is not a big deal because dog's have bacteria in their digestive tract that fight off the bad stuff that makes human's sick. This is kind of gross, but dogs actually prefer it when the chicken is a little "off." This diet is probably costs more than Iams, but when you research what all is put in Iams, you would never use it again. This is coming from someone who fed all my prior dogs Iams and Eukanuba, without knowing any better. If Lucky doesn't eat very much, you could cut the leg quarters in half, or better yet, buy chicken wings. Wrigley has to eat about 8 wings to fill up, so that doesn't work well for me. You could feed him one wing, and a cup of green beans, and he would be good to go.

 

 

Thanks for the info. I'll seriously consider it. Considering Lucky only eats about a cup of food a day, I might be able to do this. He loves table food, and I've been good about making sure he gets plenty. I would think it wouldn't be a huge issue to switch, in his mind. I'm always surprised at how little he eats, considering his energy level. He's a crazy-active dog. Yet, he'll go 2 or 3 days without eating anything. Before I read up on the BARF diet, I worried about this, but they explained that it was normal for a dog to "fast".

Rockmom, while TTL definatley has us on the right track here with lots of good information, I just want to add if you decide to test your dog with the BARF, please FAST them first. Raw does not sit well with Kibble that is poisonous to dogs. I believe 24 hours for an adult dog in standard time to fast and 12 hours for a puppy.

 

TTL, I love the name Wrigley by the way. GO CUBS! Anyway, I know that cooked bones are dangerous and the raw ones are not since they are soft, but has this been true in all cases of meat that you've fed. I just feel so nervous about giving my dog a bone from a whole mackeral, I mean all those bones inside just freaks me out.

 

It was suggested to me that if I do this diet, I buy a small freezer for my garage to store the meat. I plan on trying butcher shops nearby first, as I feel a Dane will go through about 5 lbs a day of meat.

Unsweetened yogurt is really good for them, too. Wrigley usually gets a couple of cups a week of yogurt. Just make sure if you go raw, then you don't mix kibble and raw foods. They digest at different rates and it can cause tummy upset.

Rockmom, while TTL definatley has us on the right track here with lots of good information, I just want to add if you decide to test your dog with the BARF, please FAST them first. Raw does not sit well with Kibble that is poisonous to dogs. I believe 24 hours for an adult dog in standard time to fast and 12 hours for a puppy.

 

TTL, I love the name Wrigley by the way. GO CUBS! Anyway, I know that cooked bones are dangerous and the raw ones are not since they are soft, but has this been true in all cases of meat that you've fed. I just feel so nervous about giving my dog a bone from a whole mackeral, I mean all those bones inside just freaks me out.

 

It was suggested to me that if I do this diet, I buy a small freezer for my garage to store the meat. I plan on trying butcher shops nearby first, as I feel a Dane will go through about 5 lbs a day of meat.

 

 

I'd probably wait for his own self-imposed fasting. Every couple of weeks, he'll go about 3 days without eating anything at all, on his own. It used to totally freak me out! At this point, I'm just worried about making sure he gets all his nutrients, and I'm definitely not too hip on buying a bunch of supplements. But, as my mom says, dogs lived for thousands of years before dog food was invented, and were primarily carnivirous, so I'm sure I'm "humanizing" his needs.

Rockmom, while TTL definatley has us on the right track here with lots of good information, I just want to add if you decide to test your dog with the BARF, please FAST them first. Raw does not sit well with Kibble that is poisonous to dogs. I believe 24 hours for an adult dog in standard time to fast and 12 hours for a puppy.

 

TTL, I love the name Wrigley by the way. GO CUBS! Anyway, I know that cooked bones are dangerous and the raw ones are not since they are soft, but has this been true in all cases of meat that you've fed. I just feel so nervous about giving my dog a bone from a whole mackeral, I mean all those bones inside just freaks me out.

 

It was suggested to me that if I do this diet, I buy a small freezer for my garage to store the meat. I plan on trying butcher shops nearby first, as I feel a Dane will go through about 5 lbs a day of meat.

 

Thanks!

 

The first time I heard Wrigley crunch a bone, I almost died. It was the grossest sound and I just knew he was going to choke to death. Well, 4 years later I've heard him crunch up all kinds of raw bones and he's fine--knock wood we've never had a scare with choking. He's had beef bones, lamb, deer, chicken, fish, pork--pretty much everything. But just make sure THE BONES ARE RAW! It is true, if you give them a cooked bone it can splinter and kill the dog.

 

RM, 3wishes is dead on about the fast first. You do not want to mix kibble and the raw diet. Also, since Lucky is a smaller dog, you could take a chicken wing and smash it a little with a mallet. Breeders that use the raw diet often do this for young puppies. Since Lucky is used to eating relatively soft dry food, it may take him a couple of tries to get the hang of it. If I give Wrigley a wing, he pretty much swallows it whole!:scared:

Humans have spent decades domesticating dogs, so they would become well behaved pets. Part of this domestication was changing their natural diet. If this BARF diet becomes widespread and people continue using it for years, is there any concern that it may revert the domestication process?

 

Complete off-the-wall thinking here, but figured I'd bring it up.

 

Dogs were domesticated before the dog food companies ever began making their products. Wrigley gets blood in his meats daily and he is the furthest thing in the world from "blood thirsty." This has been a common argument from those against the BARF diet, but I personally don't give it much consideration. I guess because I've seen the benefits firsthand.

Dogs were domesticated before the dog food companies ever began making their products. Wrigley gets blood in his meats daily and he is the furthest thing in the world from "blood thirsty." This has been a common argument from those against the BARF diet, but I personally don't give it much consideration. I guess because I've seen the benefits firsthand.

 

 

I personally am not worried about my dog becoming blood thirsty. :lol: Frankly, the only thing he hunts are cicadas and flie. :lol:

Just for visualation purposes what kind of dog do you have RM and TTL?

Just for visualation purposes what kind of dog do you have RM and TTL?

 

 

Lucky is 1/2 Jack Russell, 1/2 Beagle. Walks with Lucky are an adventure. He's not sure whether we're hunting or on a serious mission to get somewhere fast. :lol: Somehow he combines both. He's EXTREMELY intelligent, yet totally capable of forgetting everything he knows when people are around. I say he has doggie ADD. :lol: He wouldn't be a good pet choice for most people. He requires an insane amount of excercise, and a ton of attention. He barks a lot, and I mean A LOT! But, he keeps me on my toes and is a constant source of amusement. He's the perfect size. His weight fluctuates between 25 and 30 lbs, and he's about knee height on me... maybe 2 feet tall? But he thinks he's a great dane :lol:. He has more personality than many people I know. :lol:

Here is Wrigley. He is a 75 lb Australian Labradoodle.

Dogs were domesticated before the dog food companies ever began making their products. Wrigley gets blood in his meats daily and he is the furthest thing in the world from "blood thirsty." This has been a common argument from those against the BARF diet, but I personally don't give it much consideration. I guess because I've seen the benefits firsthand.

 

Like I said, total off the wall thinking from things I've always heard. And I wasn't meaning that your dog would become 'blood thirsty', just generations down the line.

here are some more...

Your dogs are great. I love the one of him holding the basketball in his mouth, and the fact that they own the couch lol. Our Golden owned the couch.