Feeding Barf

Feeding the BARF (Bones And Raw Food) diet is very simple. There are several books out, 3 written by veterinarian, Dr. Ian Billinghurst, DVM. Two of his books can be purchased online from us with an E-mail requesting them. We sell them for less than you can purchase them online. We sell "Give Your Dog a Bone" & his latest book, "The Barf Diet."

You can get a lot of information from Dr. Billinghurst's website, www.barfworld.com. Juliet Levy, Tom Lonsdale, Wendy Volhard & others also promote the more natural methods of feeding to enhance the health of your pets; dogs or cats, young or old.

You can also purchase pre-made raw meals at www.barfworld.com. There are many pet stores which carry pre-made ground meals. Those are frozen & are ready to feed. I highly suggest you add a good multi vitamin and some green algae's, (I use Berte's Green Blend) and a good source of oils. I rotate with organic coconut, avocado, sesame & fish oils.

I have now progressed to a "prey model" method of feeding promoted by Tom Lonsdale. This method more closely parallels the diet of the wild candids, the coyote & wolf. This method is explained in his book,"Raw Meaty Bones Promote Health" which is available online at his website, www.rawmeatybones.com , as well as at www.Amazon.com. Tom Lonsdale also puts out a wonderful informative newsletter! I suggest everyone signs up for that!

There are also many E-mail lists that have wonderful information. Checkout www.yahoogroups.com. I suggest the following lists: K-9 Nutrition,Just Say No To Vaccines, and The Truth About Vaccines, for a start.

You can also get a list of Natural Rearing Breeders online. The object of feeding an all natural diet is to improve the overall health & the immune system of your beloved pet. Here is some literal "food for thought": commercial dog foods, no matter how good the ingredients are to start out with, they are baked at such very high temperatures, that most of nutrition is literally baked out of it. That is another reason we have elected to make our own dog food. WE control what it is made of & what goes in it. Once you get one of the many good books that are available, just follow the simple directions, you will see how very easy it really is. I believe that once you get started feeding your pet this healthy way, you will never go back to any other method of feeding. You will literally WATCH your pet's health improve before your eyes! This diet can go with you on trips, as you can get their food daily at any grocery store as you travel. Dogs of all ages can be weaned onto this diet.

More "food for thought": How did dogs eat before it came in a bag? Another "Perk": This diet can be customized for each individual animal's health issues.

Overview of the BARF Diet

BARF stands for either Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods or, Bones And Raw Foods. I prefer to just say that I feed a 100% raw diet or that I am a natural rearing breeder. This diet IS catching on, but because this diet is not still the "norm", as it does not come in a bag, & is not processed or made from foods you cannot decipher on the label, some folks don't think they can feed it. Nothing could be further from the truth!   I highly suggest that you purchase one of the many reference books available to refer to with your questions.   If your dogs love fruit & veggies...lucky you! Our dogs hate them so I changed to feeding the prey model method.   Dr. Billinghurst's method includes 20% fruits & veggies which does require more preparation as the veggies must be broken down with a juicer (feed pulp & juice), food processor or blender. With the prey model method, there is little preparation.  You can feed one meal a day, but I feed our dogs twice a day. Because you are not feeding 2 cups of kibble, you must work with the amounts to feed in the beginning by watching your dog's weight. I cut back on the boneless meal to reduce weight & if that isn't enough, I remove fat & or skin from the bone meal of the chicken backs.

BONELESS MEAL

This consists of a rotation or blending of organ and or muscle meats. Those include rotating any or a combination of any the following: heart, liver, gizzards (beef, pork, chicken, deer, rabbit, emu, etc), Ground meat can include beef, chicken, turkey, deer, whatever you would eat. My 110 lb Rottie eats about 2 cups of this. My 85 # girls eat 1 cup of meat to which I add:

1 tbs or 1000 mg. or more of fish oil . I alternate with organic fish (salmon or krill), avocado, sesame or
        coconut oils. Variety is my "style".
1 tsp Berte's Green Blend: contains dried kelp, dehydrated alfalfa meal, algae meal, Iris moss,
        fenugreek seed, anethol-fennel, lemon peel, garlic, & duse. B-Naturals also puts out a
        wonderfully informative monthly newsletter. There you will find their "free ship day" !!
1/2 to 2 oz of XanGO™ : high antioxidants, cancer prevention, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor & more.
1/2 tsp. Greens & Things: condensed veggies the dogs don't like. Available at your health food store.
A good multivitamin with mineral supplement: I use Nutritional Yeast Plus which your can get at Whole
        Foods or your local Health Food Store. Refrigerate after opening. Visioplex is a good capsulated
        vitamin you can get online. Shop around as the prices vary greatly.
1 tbs. whole milk yogurt
1 clove minced garlic: I use the pre-minced at Costco.
Mix & serve.

You can give your pets any thing you eat but not too many of the nightshade foods like tomatoes. Cottage cheese, raw eggs (throw in the shells for an excellent source of calcium), canned mackerel (great if you are traveling), all hard & soft cheeses. Our dogs love Ricotta & I give it daily to the puppies as it also has extra calcium, goat milk, and basically anything in your refrigerator! Note: I do not feed canned mackerel that often due to the high salt content in most canned foods.

You can grind the hearts, gizzard, etc, but I don't . The dogs get the chewing action they need for their teeth by eating the bigger cuts of meat. I also feed GREEN TRIPE. NEVER EVER feed the white tripe in the grocery store meat case. It is not good for the dogs due to the chemicals in it that make it white. I don't think people should eat it either for the same reasons! dog.

RAW MEATY BONE MEAL

This is their second meal (either for breakfast or dinner, whichever time you have the most of). This can consist of any of the following. Amounts are based on the weights of our dogs:
lamb neck (1 as they are very rich & fatty, considered to be a "hot" food, & I don't feed them often)
chicken breast cages: 6-8
pork brisket bones: 3-5
deer legs: 1 -2 whole
chicken feet: 1/2 # - 1#
pork neck bones: 1 sm - 1 lg if it is the entire neck portion
Pig feet <not the pickled ones> : 1-3
chicken backs: big ones: 2-4 small: 3-6
chicken wings: 6-12

I personally never feed turkey necks. I have heard too many stories of dogs whom have literally choked to death on them when they got stuck in the throat. I will grind them & feed that way, but I am not willing to take that chance. I have so many other foods to feed our dogs.

Snack: (also for puppies who are learning to be crate trained; it gives them something to "do" while
        in their crate when they are not playing or sleeping.
Cut up pork neck bones (1-2) you can find in the grocer's meat case.
1 beef rib bone (due to the thickness of the bone, and the fact that one of my dogs ended up with
    a slab fracture of her upper incisor, I let the dogs chew the meat off the bone & then discard it
    after the second day. As time goes by, the bone gets harder & harder.)
1/2 of a pig foot

Our dogs are aggressive chewers so I no longer feed femur bones as I have experienced cracked teeth with them. You can give them for a day. Be wary that the marrow from an entire large bone can cause loose stools, as it is very rich.

NEVER EVER FEED ANY COOKED BONES. Cooking changes the constitution of the BONE, hardening it & thus making it very dangerous to eat. IF you see that your pet is getting fat, cut back on the amount, and also cut of meat (ie: pork brisket bones). I only feed chicken leg quarters in a pinch if I run out of food; they don't have the correct meat to bone ratio that chicken wings, & chicken breast cages have.

The reason to rotate the types of meats is the different nutritional values contained in each type of food. I feed kidney & liver on a limited basis due to them being cleansing organs. (ie: 1-2 x weekly)

Thank you for taking time to read about how I feed a raw diet. It is so refreshing to see this "trend" is growing.

I believe in planting "seeds of thought" into everyone I meet. Sometimes the seeds of suggestion grow on their own, sometimes and sometimes it takes their pet having a health problem for the seeds to sprout. We hope you will seriously consider this method of feeding not only for the healthier nature of it, but to make your pet very happy and to IMPROVE THEIR HEALTH!!

If your presently feeding your dog any kibble, you will have the pleasure of watching them get HEALTHY! Going through DETOX, purging out the bad "stuff", doesn't take very long, and the results are AMAZING! It is like a watching moth turning into a beautiful butterfly, with sparkling white teeth, healthy gums, healthy shiny coats, clear bright eyes, & more energy than your dog has probably had in quite some time.

IF YOUR DOG HAS PRE EXISTING HEALTH ISSUES, PLEASE MAKE ANY DIET CHANGES UNDER THE CARE AND GUIDANCE OF YOUR HOLISTIC VET!

DISCLAIMER PLEASE READ: The previous information is not intended as a substitute for the advise of a health care professional. Nor is this information intended as a substitute for the reader's independent judgment & personal responsibility. Health issues are far too important to delegate to anyone else. It is HIGHLY recommended that you seek as much information & counsel from as wide a variety of sources as possible, for in the end, it is YOU who makes the final decisions for your pet.

Try something new: THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX OF LIFE! You won't regret it,
and you will probably wish you had done it sooner!