minimu - can I ask you some barf questions please.

[Slubberdegullion]

I hope you don't mind. You've been so helpful on all the clicker training Qs, can I pick your brain about a few barf things?

So I've decided to go for it, but I'm easing myself in slowly like an old lady into a swimming pool. I've found this company which although not cheap (understatement) will be perfect for when the dog goes to my mother's and also for when we go on weekend camps.

So far I'm giving the puppy one meal a day of the chicken and bones (had to spend some time with the calculator working out weights and percentages) and so far so good.

When we get back from half term I want to crack on and get puppy onto full barf.

So, chicken wings. Do I just give her a chicken wing, stand back and let her get on with it? (for some reason this is my major concern - visions of dog with bone protruding from neck).

Should I just go with chicken to start, and then move her gradually onto tripe/offal etc, or do you have a menu plan and just get on with it? (I have a few menu plans from the internet already).

When should I start her on big bones - and which big bones should I go for? the natural instinct people sell lamb neck bones.

Do you cook your liver?

Can I ask why you don't add any veg. Do you add any other supplements like seaweed or omega oils?

Still no joy with the yahoo group, should I try barf man again?

omg that is an essay of questions

sorry about that.

just reread my OP. Puppy is getting her two other meals as kibble. I still have a tonne of the stuff left so I'd prefer to keep her on one to two meals a day of that until it is used up.

A very good idea to introduce the BARF slowly and as she is a pup if you give kibble for a few meals she will be getting the correct nutrients until you work all the BARF out.

Start with one meat - chicken is good. I would start her off on the minced chicken eg frozen chicken mince

She how she gets on with that.

How you introduce the chicken wings is up to you but do take care. I tend to hold the end of the wing and then the dog has to chew up the wing before they swallow it.

Some dogs find this hard and just want the food out of your hands so don't do this for them. Some dogs really quickly get the idea of crunching the bones and if so you have
no problem. Generally what happens if they do not chew it is that a few minutes later it reappears on your floor (nice).

I would offer one wing to start with and see how she gets on. Then you can add more gradually.

I would not introduce a new meat until at least a week or 10 days on each meat. Again once you have done the chicken mince you could try the chicken and liver mince etc.

I do not cook the liver but I do dry it for training treats ( I find it easier to handle than raw liver in my pocket - that is too much even for me!!!!!)

Introduce the big bones when she is used to crunching the chicken wings. Any bone is ok as long as it is not a weight bearing bone of a big animal.

I don't add veg as I give my dogs the green tripe and that gives them all they need - some people do add veg but you have to pulp or blend it first.

I don't add supplements but I have had years of experience with BARF and know which food gives which ingredients. I do feed fish and eggs as well and that with the other ingredients covers most bases.

I would try the BARF man again. He is great as he can baffle (well he does me) with science and percentages etc but that does put your mind at rest.

One thing to be really really careful of is not overloading the dog with too much bone to start with. This can cause severe constipation and a lot of pain for the dog. So again get poo watching - if it starts to go white and crumbly or does not appear at all cut out the bone. In my case I would give liver to help things along but this would be hard for the dog in the beginning.

Thank you so much minimu, that is all really helpful. Out of all of it the only thing that worries me is bones getting stuck.

Puppy is an absolute pig (typical lab) and just hoovers everything up so I'm going to go very carefully as you have suggested.

That link is great. Do some people just do barf with raw mince and tinned fish, eggs etc and miss out the whole crunching on bones business

wrt green tripe, did you find a butcher who would supply it or did you have to go further back up the chain of meat processing/butchering to get it before it had been washed? I'm going on a butchers info gathering mission tomorrow and don't want to look a right plonker if I ask for green tripe.

I have become deeply fascinated in my dog's poo. It is Poo Watch here, but without Bill Oddie and a spycam.

Loads of people Barf by using minces- most minces, not all of them have the bone minced in too so you get the best of both worlds.

You may need to give a recreational bone to get the lovely clean teeth.

I do get green tripe from a local farmer who is also a butcher. He has his own farmers butcher shop. Some do have it but be prepared for funny looks at some butchers!

Labs do tend to gulp down the bones so do go carefully at first but saying that my best barfer is a 15 year old lab who shows the puppies how to do it.

more minces

and even more

ooooh it's a mince carnival

Thanks again minimu