Hi guys/gals,
I'm sure there are many BARF recipes that can be found online, but I was wondering if those of you feeding a BARF diet wouldn't mind sharing your own personal recipes. It's always nice to learn new things from a more familiar source. I'm considering switching to this myself, and am trying to get an idea of price, time required to prepare, and how long the food will keep in the fridge/freezer.
Thanks,
Kaz
BARF recipes
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BARF recipes
by kazuo » Mon Dec 22, 2003 9:12 pm
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kazuo - Site Admin
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by HugABull1 » Tue Dec 23, 2003 1:48 am
I've been BARFing since August and my dogs are doing great. Here's what I feed:
60% of their diet is raw chicken backs and necks (I feed twice a day, so this makes up the evening meal). Usually one night per week or so, I skip this and give some other raw meaty bone, usually pork or turkey necks, although they also get beef, and have had moose - I'm trying to score some buffallo.
20% is muscle meat (I use ground beef b/c it's cheap)
20% is veggie mash (I feed it mixed with the hamburger in the am)
One or two days a month I'll feed offal (usually liver or tripe), and one or two days I'll feed fish (raw smelt or canned pink salmon)
Veggie mash I just mix up 3-4 different veggies (I vary them) with some plain yogurt, kelp, cayenne pepper, ginger, and apple cider vinegar.
Veggies I've used include: carrots, turnips, butternut squash, zuchinni, yam, cabbage, wax beans, peas, raddichio, bean sprouts, alphalpha sprouts, japanese eggplant, watercress, spinach, parsley, beets, apples, oranges, canteloupe, and, just today, taro root.
make sure not to use to many of the fruits and sugary things, and brush teeth after feeding them. Also, beets make the pee pink, so don't panic. And taro root, which I just tried today (they LOVED it - I fed it by itself as just a veggie meal) has to be cooked first, as some varieties are toxic raw. I just peeled it, than baked it at 300 for an hour, and it was fine. I'm also going to try Kale and radishes this week.
I also add halibut oil capsules to their food everyday.
Basically, in your mash, you want a veggie for bulk (like turnip or squash), and you want some dark leafy greens in there too (like spinach). Try to stay away from anything too watery, no onions, and I heard tomatoes were bad? (I feed them anyway sometimes in the summer). Avacado is very fatty, so don't feed too much of that.
The key is variety. And remembering your bone/meat/veggie ratio. You can tell by their poop whether or not you've got it right.
Poops should be greyish and firm, and dry to a white chalky, gritty stink free powder.
brown = not enough bone,
loose = not enough bone or not enough veggies,
white and hard = too much bone, not enough meat,
brown and hard = too much veggies, not enough meat or bone
It doesn't take me that long to make their food. Once or twice a week I spend 5 minutes throwing stuff into the food processor to make a mash, then I store it in the fridge. Feeding them takes under five minutes, I just dish it up (I've memorized what the proper amounts look like). Meat is good in the fridge for about five days. Veggies last up to a week (the apple cider vinegar helps preserve them).
You'll need a deep freeze, some extra room in your fridge (I keep the meat in the crisper in case it leaks), tons of ziplocks (or you end up with the mess that's in my freezer right now - don't ask
), and two scales, one for the food (a small kitchen scale) and one for your dog (need to closely monitor their weight, especially if it's a puppy!).
As for costs, depends how much you're paying for the necks & backs. I have a smokin' hot deal, but it's a pain in the arse. Definitely don't go through your regular grocery store, find a butcher or a poultry wholesaler.
If you have any other questions, feel free to pm me!!!
Hope that helps!
60% of their diet is raw chicken backs and necks (I feed twice a day, so this makes up the evening meal). Usually one night per week or so, I skip this and give some other raw meaty bone, usually pork or turkey necks, although they also get beef, and have had moose - I'm trying to score some buffallo.
20% is muscle meat (I use ground beef b/c it's cheap)
20% is veggie mash (I feed it mixed with the hamburger in the am)
One or two days a month I'll feed offal (usually liver or tripe), and one or two days I'll feed fish (raw smelt or canned pink salmon)
Veggie mash I just mix up 3-4 different veggies (I vary them) with some plain yogurt, kelp, cayenne pepper, ginger, and apple cider vinegar.
Veggies I've used include: carrots, turnips, butternut squash, zuchinni, yam, cabbage, wax beans, peas, raddichio, bean sprouts, alphalpha sprouts, japanese eggplant, watercress, spinach, parsley, beets, apples, oranges, canteloupe, and, just today, taro root.
make sure not to use to many of the fruits and sugary things, and brush teeth after feeding them. Also, beets make the pee pink, so don't panic. And taro root, which I just tried today (they LOVED it - I fed it by itself as just a veggie meal) has to be cooked first, as some varieties are toxic raw. I just peeled it, than baked it at 300 for an hour, and it was fine. I'm also going to try Kale and radishes this week.
I also add halibut oil capsules to their food everyday.
Basically, in your mash, you want a veggie for bulk (like turnip or squash), and you want some dark leafy greens in there too (like spinach). Try to stay away from anything too watery, no onions, and I heard tomatoes were bad? (I feed them anyway sometimes in the summer). Avacado is very fatty, so don't feed too much of that.
The key is variety. And remembering your bone/meat/veggie ratio. You can tell by their poop whether or not you've got it right.
Poops should be greyish and firm, and dry to a white chalky, gritty stink free powder.
brown = not enough bone,
loose = not enough bone or not enough veggies,
white and hard = too much bone, not enough meat,
brown and hard = too much veggies, not enough meat or bone
It doesn't take me that long to make their food. Once or twice a week I spend 5 minutes throwing stuff into the food processor to make a mash, then I store it in the fridge. Feeding them takes under five minutes, I just dish it up (I've memorized what the proper amounts look like). Meat is good in the fridge for about five days. Veggies last up to a week (the apple cider vinegar helps preserve them).
You'll need a deep freeze, some extra room in your fridge (I keep the meat in the crisper in case it leaks), tons of ziplocks (or you end up with the mess that's in my freezer right now - don't ask
), and two scales, one for the food (a small kitchen scale) and one for your dog (need to closely monitor their weight, especially if it's a puppy!).
As for costs, depends how much you're paying for the necks & backs. I have a smokin' hot deal, but it's a pain in the arse. Definitely don't go through your regular grocery store, find a butcher or a poultry wholesaler.
If you have any other questions, feel free to pm me!!!
Hope that helps!
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HugABull1 - www.HugABull.com
- Posts: 1500
- Joined: Fri Nov 07, 2003 3:21 am
- Location: Chilliwack, BC, Canada
by Reese » Tue Dec 23, 2003 9:20 am
That was some GREAT info Chilli! I just started barfing last night so they have had two meals so far and I am a nervous wreck! Reese got 3/4lb of turkey neck ( I couldnt get chicken necks so I hope this is an ok substitute) and Princess (my bichon) got 2 chicken wings. I was a nervous wreck thinking the whole time someone was going to choke on a bone or something, but everything went fine. In fact Princess actually "got it" before Reese did, he just kept shaking the neck while Princess chowed down on her chicken wings! My next concern is if they are getting enough to eat during this transition or detox period I feel like just the turkey/chicken isnt enough. How can I tell if they are eating enough?
- Reese
by HugABull1 » Tue Dec 23, 2003 12:54 pm
An adult dog (on average) needs to eat 2% of it's body weight per day (a pup eats up to 10%). So Reese, if he weighed 50lbs, would eat 1lb of food per day. While your doing the detox phase (on average lasts a week), this can be straight chicken/turkey backs & necks. I personally jumped in giving them veggies and everything right away, but they were pretty itchy and smelly the first week.
Turkey necks are fine! Also, if you're worried about weight, just closely monitor your dogs. Feel their ribs, you should be able to feel them all the time (like feeling the back of your hand) and should be able to see them when the dog breathes in. You'll find on this diet their weight fluctuates quickly in response to how much you feed - just adjust amounts accordingly.
Good luck!!!
Turkey necks are fine! Also, if you're worried about weight, just closely monitor your dogs. Feel their ribs, you should be able to feel them all the time (like feeling the back of your hand) and should be able to see them when the dog breathes in. You'll find on this diet their weight fluctuates quickly in response to how much you feed - just adjust amounts accordingly.
Good luck!!!
-
HugABull1 - www.HugABull.com
- Posts: 1500
- Joined: Fri Nov 07, 2003 3:21 am
- Location: Chilliwack, BC, Canada
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