I also add yogurt to their veggie mush and I supplement with fish oil caps and sea kelp. Dakota also gets burdock root for her arthritis.

I have a question...what is the BARF diet???

Bones And Raw Food

Koda wrote:

Bones And Raw Food

And also known as Biologically Appropriate Raw Food to some.

What is the ideal barf diet???

The member who was avidly for BARF no longer posts, and I don't feed BARF currently, so my advice is going to be limited. If I had access to cheaper, good-quality meat (like a butcher) I would be more than likely feeding BARF. I think that kibbles tend to lack a bit, although we did find one that we like and are happy with. However, since I have no experience feeding BARF, PLEASE do your research. When you take your dog's nutrition in your own hands, you need to make sure that you are qualified to do so! READ READ READ and RESEARCH first! Here's a few places to get you started.

Original BARF Diet founder:
http://www.barfworld.com/html/barf_diet/barfdiet.shtml

Here's a bit from a thread on an old forum that is now dead. Some of us on here used to be a part of it until the Admin went AWOL. We lost a lot of good members to the cyber world, but here's an example of a BARF diet:

Quote :

As some of you know i have been feeding barf for many years so thought i would start this topic off with my recommendations for people looking to start this diet.
Please note that i am not a vet nor am i the barf god nad this is not the BARFERS bible
These are just my experiences with barf.

So you want to start the barf diet ??
This diet is a lot easier to master than people might think....its not about taking hours to measure the food amounts and preperations.
First i recommend you do plenty of research on the diet so you at least have an idea on what the diet is about.
These are the sort of things i give to my dogs
Everything raw of course

Chicken wings
chicken carcass/backs/necks
Turkey drumsticks/necks
Lamb breast....this looks like a rack of lamb ribs ( quite fattening so i dont give this as often as the other meats )
Beef flat rib
Fruit and veg.......to your dogs taste of course ( can be juiced and given as a frozen treat in summer )
Offal....again to your dogs taste
Fish.....canned or fresh sardine, pilchards, mackeral , tuna
Raw egg

FOR ADULT DOGS
This is on a daily basis and its one of the selcetion spread through the day either in one meal or split between two

6 - 8 chicken wings
3-4 chicken carcass / backs
1 Turkey drumstick
1 Turkey neck
Lamb breast with approx 5 ribs on it
1 large can of fish
1 third of beef flat rib
I also give a raw egg daily on top of this
Once every 2 weeks i will mix a bowl of fresh fruit and veg and free feed this.
Some dogs wont eat fruit and veg so mulching it is great for those.

FOR PUPPIES......6 weeks-4 months
I tend to stick with mainly chicken as a meat source for young puppies as the bones are easier for tiny teeth to manage
ALWAYS HOLD RAW MEATY BONES WHILST PUPPIES ARE EATING THEM ....this is so they dont swallow them whole as puppies will

1-2 chicken wings 3 x a day
1 chicken carcass/back 3 x a day
Fruit and veg
offal

FOR WEANING PUPPIES 2 - 4 weeks old
Ask your butcher to mince the meat along with bones
Take the mince and mix it to a paste
Do the same with fruit and veg
Once the pup reaches 4 weeks old start to give chicken wings as they are at a rate of 1 wing 3 / 4 x daily

As i said this is not a bible so add or remove stuff as you see fit.
Dont worry about feeding too much as in my experience these dogs wont over eat for the sake of it
Dont be worried if your dog misses a day on this diet as this is normal and happens to almost all barfers that i talk to

Some websites i recommend
http://www.barfworld.com/
This is Dr ian billinghursts own website and i find it a fountain of information.
http://www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm#started
This is a great website as its written in layman terms and so easy to understand without being baffled by science.

BOOKS
Give your dog a bone.....Dr Ian Billinghurst
Grow your pups with bones....Dr Ian Billinghurst
The BARF diet..............Dr Ian Billinghurst.
Raw Meaty Bones........Tom Lonsdale
There are many other books on the subject out there but these are the ones i have found most useful

I hope my guidelines help
Other barfers Add you recommendations also please
If you have ANY questions feel free to ask here and one of us will be happy to answer as best we can

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I just want to expand on balancing the diet, because as a newbie, I know how easy it is to become totally freaked out about possibly depriving your dog of needed nutrients. No matter how hard you try unless you're feeding special mince or premade raw there's no way you will get a perfect balance everyday. And, that is not bad. Raw diets strive for balance over time. When you're first starting use the nutrient balance and weights as a guideline, but break it down by week or even month or you will drive yourself mad trying to feed only a specific amount per day.

In addition to the foods huskylove listed I feed:
lamb shank
turkey neck
turkey back
beef brisket
beef gullet
whole fryer chickens with organs still inside
cheap cuts of steak/stew meat
ground meat/offal mix of veal, pork, lamb, beef, turkey, chicken
Salmon
Tilapia
Mahi Mahi
Haddock
and some weird things...
smaller pigs feet
chicken feet

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As usual, huskylove is right on the money with her excellent advice. She has been feeding BARF for a long time and her dogs are healthy and beautiful. My dogs are not huge eaters, though, and will only eat about 4 chicken legs (thigh and drumstick), or the equivalent, each for dinner, along with some ribs and canned or fresh fish. Every week I make "veggie mush" in my food processor and put it into individual containers for use throughout the week. I give them each about a cup every morning and mix in some yogurt, an egg, sometimes a little chopped meat, and minced offal (since they hate the taste of it on its own).

Quoted from: http://huskylove.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=barf&action=display&thread=1299&page=1