Raw Recipes

[Diego]

Hiya,

Logan's been on the BARF diet for about 5 months now and is starting to get real finicky (sp?) about we feed him. He hasn't wanted to his chicken backs so we started giving him ground beef with veggie slop, egg shells, and a tablespoon of yogurt to add some calcium since he's not eating the bones. But after 1 week of this diet he's sick of it too. He won't even eat tuna or sardines. He shows that he's hungry but he'll smell the food and then back away. Anyon have recipes for Raw meals? Should I just let him eat when he feels like it? Could there be something wrong with his system? (He did vomit foamy, bile colored stuff this morning and last night, we thought it was because of not having food in his system)

Thanks in advance,

Diego

[Storri]

Any luck with Logan eating better?

[Diego]

We did have some progress but then he regressed once more. He ate the backs fine for about a week and now we're back to the same thing. No vomiting tho. We're adding baby food (veal and veal broth, lamb and lamb broth, etc) for flavor. Is this OK? Also, he won't eat his veggie slop, any recipes for making it more appetizing? Can we add baby food veggies? Would he still get the same nutrients from the baby food that he would get from the veggie slop? I would think that he would since it is made for human babies, but then again I could be wrong.

Thanks in advance,

Diego

[Storri]

Hummmm.........

I have no idea about the baby food. How many different veggies are in his mush meal? You may want to simplify it by just having maybe two in there. He may not like one of the veggies and is turning his nose up to that. In Joe's veggie meal I have celery, snow peas and broccoli. About twice a week I put his offal in there. Have you tried adding brown rice to his veggie meal? Joe eats his better when he has something in it. I also add a sweet potato about 2x/week. In the morning you can give him oatmeal and buckwheat with veggies, an egg (shell included) and maybe some banana (I use about 1/2 of one). You can also add some blackstrap molasses (1-2 tsp), ACV, yogurt, safflower oil (1-2 tsp) and then your supplements (mainly vit C and a B-complex and maybe some vit E). How much does he weigh and I can give you specific measurements. Now as far as the c-backs goes...not sure why he is not eating them. Have you tried lightly searing them or pouring boiling water over them first? Sometimes the smallest things will make a huge difference Also in regards to adding calcium & protein you can feed tofu (organic) and cottage cheese. That may make his veggie meal more appealing too. Have you tried other protein sources instead of chicken? He may just not like chicken and refuse to eat it I use duck (do you hunt......get out your gun ) and I also just got a goose...I will see how that one goes over! If you can get your hands on some venison that would be great too. Try a variety along with his backs and wings and maybe he will be happier. Turkey necks are also good to feed....just watch him carefully so he does not choke if he is a gulper.

Let me know if I can help with anythign else.

Good Luck!

PS.....I have found Wendy Volhards "Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog...Second Edition" an amazing resource. If you do not already have it, you may want to pick it up. It was about $17 at Barnes and Noble. She has recipies and measurements and tons of other great information that is extremely helpful.

[WAT]

What veggies are we supposed to avoid? I've heard to avoid onions, garlic, white potatoes, is there any that are very bad for your dog?

[Diego]

Hi Storri,

Thanks for the reply. Logan weighs 62 lbs (9.5 months) and is eating his c-backs as of late but reluctantly. I'll try your suggestions and some others I found on the BARF list at yahoo groups.

At first I was overloading his veggie mix but cut it down to just red leaf lettuce, baby carrots, whole egg (shell too), 1 table spoon yogurt, 1 table spoon pumpkin, and 1 teaspoon kelp or alfalfa powder. I'm going to try cooked c-liver with his backs to see if he likes. If he does, I'll try with the veggie slop (lettuce, celery, baby carrots, and whole egg only). I'll also look harder for other types of meat....hard when the suppliers are not within public transportation coverage. But heck, I gotta make the effort.

Thanks for all the advice and I'll keep you posted as to his progress.

++++++

WAT,

From what I've read, onions and chocolate (I know, not a veggie unless you consider the cocoa bean a veggie ) are toxic to dogs. Don't know of any others.

Hope this helps and that someone give a more detailed list of veggies to be wary of.

[Storri]

Onions are a big no no! Garlic is actually good in small quantities (like one clove 2-3 days per week). Here is an quote from Wendy Volhard's book :Holistic Guide to a Healthy Dog":

Winter to Early Spring:

Use root veggies such as carrots, parsnips, leeks and beets, as well as celery and cucumbers; green leafy veggies (not spinach or beet tops too often, because they leach out calcium from the body), escarole or endive, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, garlic and a variety of squash and asparagus when it is in season. Broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage can be use once per week, but are more difficult to digest for some dogs and frequently cause gas. Lettuces, radishes and garlic can be used year round.

Late Spring, Summer and Early Fall:

Use green leafy veggies such as collard greens, kale, mustard greens and any variety of squashes, green or yellow beans, garlic and radishes. Avoid peas, collard, mustard and turnip greens if your dog is on thyroid medication. (Okay I just learned something new....my dog is on thyroid meds...no more snow peas!).

Hope this helps some

[Diego]

Hi guys,

I'm getting a bit frustrated....Logan won't eat. He's hungry but he doesn't like anything we put down for him. I've tried the melted buttered and the cooked chicken liver with no effect. I've tried crumbling his freeze dried liver treats and that has worked for two meals. Now he doesn't want that either. I've bought him veal (for stew and ground) and nothing. I've tried ground beef, nothing.

I've ordered green tripe, emu, some flavored doggy bbq sauces, and will buy parmesan cheese today to see if that works. I'm also going to try to get my hands on venison, rabbit, and duck to see if he likes any of those. I'm also going to try cooked beef liver. Will also buy molasses and give it a shot as well. Are there any spices that we use that can be given to a dog?

If anyone has anymore suggestions please let me know cause I'm going nuts seeing my poor baby asking for food but not eating what is in front of him.

Thanks for listening to me rant,

Diego

[Storri]

Will he eat anything at all....say like if you gave him a hamburger from a fast food restaurant? Have you tried going back to a high quality kibble......will he eat that? Maybe he just does not like raw food an refuses to eat it. If he will eat other types of food that would be my guess, but if he won't eat anything at all, then I would have him checked by a vet and see if there is a medical reason behind his refusal to eat.

I am so sorry you are having this kind of trouble.

(If you end up giving a high quality kibble a try, say like California Natural or Solid Gold, they have sample packets that you don't have to pay for and you could give that a try instead of wasting money on a bag of food he may not eat. I know you want him fed BARF, but I don't know what else to suggest you try. Also you may want to actually visit the BARF forum and post your question there so others that feed BARF and may have had this problem can help you out.)

[susan fulcher]

Has he been sick, or is he just picky and eats alittle. If he's not sick try fasting him. after fasting a day my picky eater will eat. Feed a light non meat meal before the fasting day and finish the fast with a light non meat meal.

I feed necks 3 times a week and 1-2 x a week whole ground chicken( bone, organs meat all ground together). My guys meal have veggie or geains mixed with it. I feed different protein every day example A.M. raw beef chunks, steamed sweet potatoes, raw dandelion.and P.M raw chicken chunks, broccoli,( sometime lightly steamed) steamed turnips. pearl barley. I add a calcium supplement to the no bone foods.