B.A.R.F. 101

[willyg44]

This may not work for others, but thought I'd share. Leo didn't want much to do with kidneys when I tried to introduce them. Maybe the texture. I got some kelp powder which he loves, all over the kidney (just a couple small pieces of kidney) and he gobbled them up. I usually give kelp powder still, but he doesn't seem to mind the kidneys now when I don't put any powder on them. Also sometimes I'll put a tiny bit of garlic powder on top of it, that's always a hit.

[starrlamia]

This may not work for others, but thought I'd share. Leo didn't want much to do with kidneys when I tried to introduce them. Maybe the texture. I got some kelp powder which he loves, all over the kidney (just a couple small pieces of kidney) and he gobbled them up. I usually give kelp powder still, but he doesn't seem to mind the kidneys now when I don't put any powder on them. Also sometimes I'll put a tiny bit of garlic powder on top of it, that's always a hit.

good ideas! i just froze mine and he gobbled them right up

[willyg44]

I have a question about raw marrow bones. We have been giving them to Leo often, and he has been licking all the marrow out, and then chewing on the bone nicely until he gets bored. However, the last few bones I gave him, he's been "shaving" little pieces off the bone with his teeth and has been going at them a bit more it seems.

Now, I read that it can be harmful if they actually CHIP pieces off the bone, but what about those tiny pieces he grinds off and gets? They are pretty small, I can't imagine they would do any damage, but I want to be sure. The pieces don't get bigger than the size of a pea, if that. Is that ok? Or is there a way to discourage the behavior if it isn't ok?

This batch was also a little oddly shaped, not perfectly round, so maybe it leads him to think he should chew the edges off I dunno heh.

Thanks again people

[bea4mr]

So when you say you get liver, chicken necks, all that good stuff, do you cook it before giving it the dog? Or just have straight up raw chicken nd that stuff given to them? Nd you let the dogs eat the chicken bones? I'm new to all this btwww.

[kaytenmags]

So when you say you get liver, chicken necks, all that good stuff, do you cook it before giving it the dog? Or just have straight up raw chicken nd that stuff given to them? Nd you let the dogs eat the chicken bones? I'm new to all this btwww.

it's a raw diet, so yes the chicken is raw, and yes they eat all the raw chicken bones.
if you're interested in feeding a raw diet, I would suggest reading this thread from page 1

[bea4mr]

I was reading nd I just thought the dog would get sick eating it like that. Nd the dog never chokes on the chicken bones?? Nd I feed my dog primal frozen foods? idk if there's a thread on it or what you guys think of it but my dog loves it. Its raw food just frozen tho. My aunt got me into it nd she said if you add brown rice nd yogurt to it, its better for them. Is this trueee?

[kaytenmags]

I was reading nd I just thought the dog would get sick eating it like that. Nd the dog never chokes on the chicken bones??

No, my dog is always supervised while she's eating and she has never choked while eating bone-in chicken. She used to choke on kibble, and she will choke on anything she can swallow in one gulp without chewing.

[Kahlie]

I have a question to the raw gurus...

This has been bugging me for some time... I was recently argued against the general prey-model diet, by someone who dispenses raw diet advice for a living...
It was suggested that dogs require far greater bone-to-meat ratio than cats. Being that dogs are not carnivores, but omnivores. That, additionally, it was to maintain the right phosphorus/calcium ratio.

Has anyone ever heard of that line of logic? More bone than meat? How's that nutritious?

[kaytenmags]

More bone than meat? How's that nutritious?

IMO, it's not.

[El_EmDubya]

Has anyone ever heard of that line of logic? More bone than meat? How's that nutritious?

NEVER heard of it. I'm guessing this was a misunderstanding of a specific condition and a solution ??? Or this person is talking volume vs weight, where the ratio might differ from traditional 80/10/10 Meat/Bone/Organ.

LMW

[mommy2kane]

Has anyone ever heard of that line of logic? More bone than meat? How's that nutritious?

Could you possibly have misunderstood? Honest question. I'm on a raw group that discusses cats and dogs. I remember reading that cats don't need as MUCH bone as dogs. So maybe they were trying to say that dogs need more bone -- not more bone than meat, just more bone than a cat would require?

[Kahlie]

Has anyone ever heard of that line of logic? More bone than meat? How's that nutritious?

Could you possibly have misunderstood? Honest question. I'm on a raw group that discusses cats and dogs. I remember reading that cats don't need as MUCH bone as dogs. So maybe they were trying to say that dogs need more bone -- not more bone than meat, just more bone than a cat would require?

Fair question, but no. I don't want to go too deep into who/where this is, in case they come on here, and I don't want to seem as though I'm doing what I am in fact doing (talking behind her back), but that said, this has been bugging me.

It's been outright asserted that dogs require more bone than meat in their diet. Period. I wager that the instruction of more bone than cats, was lost in translation to the person who I was discussing with. And then just ... continued further.

We argued the point of how, "in the wild", no carnivore (or opportunistic omnivore) would eat a frame of an animal on a regular basis. Though she said if a pack took down an animal, they would. (?)

My primary problem is that this isn't a private conversation between people. It's actually at a place that makes, and sells raw food.

[pitbullgirlbc]

OK I need some major help. My dog was on RAW for the longest time but the brand we fed apparently changed the formula and made him sick and all itchy so we switched back to kibble. However I noticed he doesn't do as well on kibble as he did on RAW so I would like to switch him again. However he will not eat it and I am at a loss as to what to do. I am trying to do the pre-made stuff in patties which he used to love since it is convenient for me to do since I have school etc but he won't touch it.

Are there any alternatives? For those who do BARF type thing do you grind it up or just cut it up how is it done? How do I go about switching him back to RAW so that he will eat it.

I am at a loss

[FBODGRL]

I have done a LOT of reading and I am having so big issues right now that I may post about today, so I may not be the best source of advice....that said. What I have read is that you can try quickly searing the meat on both sides to entice them to want to eat. Obviously don't cook a lot and no microwave.

[kaytenmags]

or sprinkle parmesan cheese on it