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Barnyard Buddies:  Raw food diets for dogs.........  |
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ArmyWifey
True Blue Farmgirl
712 Posts
Holly
Abilene
KS
712 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 21 2007 : 8:43:21 PM
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Anybody else interested in this or doing it? I am seriously considering starting our dogs this way as it is cheaper and has none of the side effects of tainted food.
Can't remember if this was discussed or not.
Thanks!
Holly
ps-- by raw I mean raw meat, bones and organs no veggies or grains.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!
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MariaAZ
True Blue Farmgirl
203 Posts
Phoenix
AZ
203 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2007 : 9:05:36 PM
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I've fed our dogs home-prepared foods on and off for the last 10+ years. I've gone through times where I've fed them the BARF diet (Bones And Raw Foods, which DOES include a small amount of raw veggie matter) and also cooked foods including veggies and grains as well as extended times where they eat commercial kibble. They've done well on anything I've prepared at home and definitely prefer it to any kibble I've ever fed.
For me, I find cooking a lot easier than strict raw diet. It takes less storage space and is more convenient for me than the BARF plan. It is important to make sure the raw meat is balanced with the correct proportion of edible bone in order to assure the dog gets enough calcium. I fed a lot of chicken backs, purchased from a poultry processor who, coincidentally, sells a HUGE amount of backs and necks to dog owner who feed raw. Getting the quantity of backs needed for my crew meant buying 40 lb boxes that had to be broken down into meal-sized portions prior to feeding. Those backs took up an awful lot of freezer space. Also, the processor is a good 15 mile drive away and they don't always have backs when I can get out that way. And, despite years of feeding the raw chicken backs, I always had this little niggling worry in the back of my mind that one of my "gulpers" would snarf the food a bit too quick and choke.
Nowadays I'm back to the diet I started with when I decided so many years ago to get my dogs off commercial dog food. I got the recipes out of Dr. Pitcairn's "Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats". I also feed big raw meaty beef bones every week or so, making sure the bones are too big for the dogs to eat as they are more for entertainment and dental exercise then they are for consumption.
Visit my blog at www.craftyfool.net |
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Horseyrider
True Blue Farmgirl
1045 Posts
Mary Ann
Illinois
1045 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2007 : 07:41:51 AM
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I've thought about doing the BARF diet in the past, and have discussed it with my holistic veterinarian. He also has an agility dog, and they make up a large part of his practice. Here's the rub.
Dogs can easily digest raw meats. Their digestive system is set up to deal with stuff we can't, like salmonella. But they can also become reservoirs for salmonella. They won't get sick, but they can make you sick. Over and over again. This is a real concern if you have small children or elderly around. Until they can figure a way to deal with this, I'll stick with either carefully prepared commercial dog food, or homemade that's cooked. |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2007 : 09:57:00 AM
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Several of the vets I have talked to do not think the BARF diet is a good one. They say it is too hard for the average person to make sure that their pets are getting adequate nutrition. Dogs are not just carnivors, but naturally eat fruits and veggies too. If you do your research it can be a great way to go- but you have to spend quite a bit of time preparing meals. If you want to avoid the pet food scares like earlier this year, I think it is a good idea to find a reputable Natural based dog food company. The nutrition value is regulated in commercial pet foods.
I have seen people who are trying to feed their pets "naturally" at home who just don't know enough to keep their pets and themselves healthy. I have seen people bring in cats who are blind or going blind because of poor nutrition and dogs in liver and kidney failure.
Of course, just like anything else, if you really work on educating yourself, and devote the time to preperation, then you can be sucessful at the BARF diet.
So whatever you choose- good luck to you and good health to your pet! :)
Alee
The amazing one handed typist! One hand for tying, one hand to hold Nora! |
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goneriding
True Blue Farmgirl
1599 Posts
Winona
Central Oregon
USA
1599 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2007 : 11:04:00 AM
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I read somewhere that rice, hamburger and green beans make a great natural dog food but it seems inadequate to me.
I feed Purina One and my doggies looks fantabulous and I'll stick with that.
Winona :-)
Don't sweat the small stuff...
http://goneridingagain.bravehost.com
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mikesgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
3659 Posts
Sherri
Elma
WA
USA
3659 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2007 : 2:25:42 PM
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| My vet recommends feeding green beans also. Doxies will eat until they explode and if you feed them all commercial dogfood, even high quality, they will gain too much weight. The green beans supposedly (?) fill them up without all the calories. |
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goneriding
True Blue Farmgirl
1599 Posts
Winona
Central Oregon
USA
1599 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2007 : 5:44:19 PM
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Hmmmm...Doxies will eat till they explode?? I keep food out all the time and it's free choice. I thought they were getting too tubby but a friend of mine who rescues Doxies says mine look in great flesh.
http://www.nonprofitnw.org/drnw/id47.html
This is the site she gave me to judge by in the future. But mine are still puppies.
Winona ;-)
Don't sweat the small stuff...
http://goneridingagain.bravehost.com
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mikesgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
3659 Posts
Sherri
Elma
WA
USA
3659 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2007 : 5:51:26 PM
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| Mine do and the vet told me that's typical for the breed. I WISH I could leave the dog food out, but mine literally would eat until they exploded! |
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MariaAZ
True Blue Farmgirl
203 Posts
Phoenix
AZ
203 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2007 : 10:25:27 PM
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Our dachshund mix was named GeeDee, short for Garbage Disposal, for very good reason. That dog would (and could) eat everything. I've never had a dog so voracious as GeeDee!
Visit my blog at www.craftyfool.net |
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mikesgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
3659 Posts
Sherri
Elma
WA
USA
3659 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2007 : 10:49:50 PM
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| I'm glad to hear that Maria - I thought for a minute that ours were the only ones with the "eating disorder"!! |
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ArmyWifey
True Blue Farmgirl
712 Posts
Holly
Abilene
KS
712 Posts |
Posted - Jun 24 2007 : 07:47:14 AM
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Ok -- most dogs do NOT eat fruits and veggies. If you look at what coyotes and wolves eat they will only eat garins, veggies and fruit if there is NOTHING else available. Hence my interest in raw feeding - also the fact my friend does and her dogs are beautiful with shiny teeth and coats, muscular and healthy.
I wasn't talking about the BARF diet but simply raw meats and bones (chicken is ok when it isn't cooked - it's not brittle), some organs and eggs once in a while.
There are several meat locker's about which I will probably check with.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Jun 24 2007 : 2:47:23 PM
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Holly-
I am sure you will do what is best for your household and your pets!
Alee
The amazing one handed typist! One hand for tying, one hand to hold Nora! |
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LJRphoto
True Blue Farmgirl
760 Posts
Laura
Hickory Corners
MI
USA
760 Posts |
Posted - Jun 28 2007 : 3:29:25 PM
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If I could afford to feed my dogs raw, I would. Everyone I have talked to says it is more expensive than feeding a high quality kibble. Have you done the math and figured out something different, Holly? My dogs eat Canidae at about $35 for 40 lbs which lasts my three dogs about a month. They do get treats of omega oils, raw eggs, some occasional green beans or rice.
I know of a lot of people who's vets are very supportive of a raw feeding plan and I would check the reception area of any vet preaching against it for a Science Diet display, but that's just my jaded opinion ;)
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority." -E. B. White
http://www.betweenthecities.com/blog/ljr/
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Anastasia
True Blue Farmgirl
56 Posts
Anastasia
Telkwa
BC
Canada
56 Posts |
Posted - Jun 28 2007 : 6:40:06 PM
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I feed my dogs (3 large breeds) and cats (3 adults, 1 kitten) Nutro Nature's Choice prepared food and they all love it. The dogs alternate between regular large breed adult and lamb and rice large breed adult. I also occasionally give raw chicken necks, big meaty beef bones, and the odd chunk of cooked meat that I can't justify saving. They are all in amazing health and it seems that compared to animals fed a cheaper brand of food, they have way fewer trips to the vet or internal problems (if any!). I wanted to try making their food up myself as I have a friend who did it for years (cooked veggies and organic meats) but I just don't have the time or freezer space. The dog food is about $50 CDN for a 40 pound bag and that lasts me about 3 weeks. The cat food is about $45 CDN for 20 pounds and that lasts for ages!
"Speciality is for insects." -Robert Heinlen |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Jun 28 2007 : 7:41:51 PM
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I buy food for my dog in 28lb bags and it lasts for about 2-3 months.
Alee
The amazing one handed typist! One hand for tying, one hand to hold Nora! |
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willowtreecreek
True Blue Farmgirl
4813 Posts
Julie
Russell
AR
USA
4813 Posts |
Posted - Jun 28 2007 : 10:26:12 PM
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My mastiffs go through 50 pounds a week! I'd go broke if I bought the expensive stuff! One of our dogs LOVES tomatoes and will eat them right of the plant in the garden!
Jewelry, art, baskets, etc.
www.willowartist.etsy.com
www.willowtreecreek.com |
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KYgurlsrbest
True Blue Farmgirl
4853 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4853 Posts |
Posted - Jun 29 2007 : 07:30:36 AM
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My four dogs aren't really interested in food that much, frankly, so I can't justify giving the cost of a raw diet--I found it to be more expensive, really. I own the BARF diet book, and still, after all, I feed high quality kibble (1 cup), along with leftovers from what we eat. Always vegetables (our Elie LOVES green beans, carrots and broccoli), sometimes pan/meat gravies. They often get plain pasta, or eggs with their kibble, and our vet says each and everytime he comes out to the house, he wishes more dogs looked like ours. Healthy coats, bright eyes, pretty teeth, and all within their healthy weight range. To each is own, though, and the raw diet just isn't for our house. I spoke with my vet about it when I was first interested and bought the book, and my vet didn't seem too jazzed. He told me (again) that whatever I was doing was absolutely perfect for my pet family. That was enough for me to stick to what I do.
In the case of a pet with severe allergies or stomach sensitivities, I can understand it, like the dog I grew up with (schnauzer's have stomach issues). At that time, the vet put her on a diet of chicken and rice (not a raw diet, per se), and mom cooked a whole chicken and brown rice for her every week. She lived to be 17, but I think it was just because she was too mean to die 
"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." Margaret Atwood
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Love-in-a-Mist
True Blue Farmgirl
367 Posts
Shannon
Independence
Oregon
USA
367 Posts |
Posted - Jun 29 2007 : 11:46:39 AM
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My dh just shot a coyote lurking around our yard. Do you know what was in her stomach?
A vole and about 50 cherries from a tree that we ourselves had just picked and ate cherries from!
Don't ask me how I know, unless you want to be throughly grossed out.
http://diaryofafarmerswife.blogspot.com/ |
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MariaAZ
True Blue Farmgirl
203 Posts
Phoenix
AZ
203 Posts |
Posted - Jun 29 2007 : 6:19:13 PM
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Shannon, that doesn't surprise me. Our dogs freely browse on fruits and veggies when given the chance. They love oranges and would eat themselves silly on the windfalls from our tree if we didn't keep them picked up.
We have a jujube tree in the dog run. This tree bears cherry-sized fruits that have the consistency of apples when green, and leathery when dry (they dry on the tree.) Our dogs absolutely adore these little morsels, and will jump up to snag them off the lower branches. Two of them will actually jump against the trunk of the tree to knock fruits down! It gets so bad during fruit fall that I have to go out first to pick up the jujubes before the dogs get them, or we have fights breaking out. I keep the windfalls in a bowl and give them to the dogs as treats.
Visit my blog at www.craftyfool.net |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Jun 29 2007 : 6:37:47 PM
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That is hillarious! Sky-dog loves carrot and bananas and any cooked veggies.
Alee
The amazing one handed typist! One hand for tying, one hand to hold Nora! |
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Ashpea
Farmgirl at Heart
4 Posts
Ashley
NH
USA
4 Posts |
Posted - Jul 02 2007 : 12:53:55 PM
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Here's a price comparison to show that raw food is actually CHEAPER than a bagged dog food diet. http://sojos.com/price_comparison.gif or http://sojos.com/worththepricearticle.html Also, in the wild, it's true that coyotes and wolves etc. wouldn't be eating vegetables and fruits. However, they would be eating say, a rabbit. And they would eat the entire rabbit, including the stomach. Inside a rabbits stomach would be all sorts of greens, vegetables and fruits. Same with the deer they eat. So it is very important to include greens, dogs do need them along with the raw meaty bones. My dog loves the sojo's mix. She also gets cheap hot-dogs (in those big packs) as well as all the cheap weird stuff walmart sells, hearts kidneys, chicken necks and backs etc. Good luck! It's tough to get started with it and get used to it at first, but it's defintley worth it!!
Ashley |
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nut4fabric
True Blue Farmgirl
885 Posts
Kathy
Morgan Hill
CA
USA
885 Posts |
Posted - Jul 02 2007 : 7:46:08 PM
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Our Labs have allergy issues, wheat mostly, so they are on a kibble of duck and potato and to help keep their wieght down they get about 2 cups a day of vegtables which they love. Carrots, peas, green beans, lima beans, celery, apples, watermelon, pumpkin they will eat it all. Do be careful of onions however, our Vet advised that they can cause blindness.
Hugs, Kathy |
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MariaAZ
True Blue Farmgirl
203 Posts
Phoenix
AZ
203 Posts |
Posted - Jul 02 2007 : 9:30:30 PM
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Ashley, that chart was quite interesting. However, I noticed the prices for the feed are based on the small bags. I've noticed quite a savings buying 40lb bags. Actually, a 5 lb bag wouldn't last long around here anyways :) Nutromax at our local Petsmart costs somewhere around $35/40 lbs.
Another cost of raw feeding is storage. When we fed chicken backs, a 40 lb box would last a little over a week. We were lucky to have been given a large freezer, which we needed to store the food. Although I never actually figured out precise costs, I DO know our electric bill went up with the larger freezer.
I think it is a YMMV (your miles may vary) situation, but I've found in my experience the raw and kibble diets run real close in price.
Visit my blog at www.craftyfool.net |
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Barnyard Buddies: Raw food diets for dogs......... |
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Raw food diets for dogs.........
