Thinking about BARFing

[MichelleB]

Hi all....

I have been weighing several different possiblities for our future Dane puppies diet. I do think that as a pup I will feed kibble just to be sure he gets the correct protien/fat ratio but once he gets older I am thinking about a BARF diet. Upon reading a page dedicated to the BARF diet for Danes, I have a couple of questions...

1: I don't see much reference to beef bones, mostly chicken, pork, and turkey due to the meat/bone ratio. Is there a good meaty beef bone to feed or should I not waste my time?

2: there is an Ostrich farm near me in the phone book that lists itself as a meat retailer. Has anybody ever fed ostrich to thier dogs?

Any suggestions about getting started would be appreciated....I have been reading up on this and it sounds pretty simple, but actually *doing* it seems a bit daunting. For years I have relied on kibble to meet all of my dog's nutritional needs and the thought of being totally in control of that is intimidating. What if I don't give him enough of something? What if the combo isn't right?

Thanks!
Michelle B.

[MichelleB]

another question

Forgot to ask..... what about fresh fish? We have a great lake for fishing close to us and my boyfriend loves to fish. Can dogs eat whole, fresh fish or should they be filleted and just the meat given? Fish bones can be awfully sharp...!

[Carol]

RE: another question

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Mar-26-01 AT 02:34PM (PST)[/font][p]Yes, dogs can eat fish. They love them. I buy them whole when I can find them and cut them in half if they are large and just give them to the dogs. In fact, I just got thru giving them whiting fish that I bought frozen. I give soup bones that are cut thin. They can chew on them awhile then break them up and swallow them. You can give beef neck bones. I also give pork neck bones, pig's feet at times, beef rib bones. I don't give really large fish raw just because the bones are so big. I like smelt because they are small and whiting fish because they aren't too big for the dog's to handle. You don't balance a BARF diet every day. It balances out over a 2 to 3 week period just like our diet does. Variety in what you give is the key. Don't give the same things every day. My danes eat absolutely everything at one time or another. It's really easy once you get used to it. Yes, you can use ostrich meat. I envy you being able to get it. It's lean and good for a BARF diet.

[DawnC]

RE: another question

There is a book by an Australian vet, Ian Billinghurst, called Give your Dog a Bone. If you don't have it yet, I would suggest getting it. It explains things about Barf in a way that is very easy to understand. There is also a website called BARFDanes and another one called Wholedane that you probably find very helpful.
DawnC

[MichelleB]

RE: another question

As a matter of fact, I was looking at the BARFdanes website and that is what brought about these questions. It's a very informative site....I plan on picking up the books mentioned, but only after I am sure it is what I want to do.

Thanks!!