# How to balance barf diet



## curt3007 (May 28, 2011)

Just got a bargain bag of 1kg chicken necks from Lincs pet foods. George is being a bit fussy at the moment and wont eat NI. He will eat chicken wings, lamb ribs and has just devoured the chicken neck. Bit concerned about how I should balance his diet up, any suggestions


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## Sezra (May 20, 2011)

I am not an expert on this and I must admit I tend to bumble along a bit but I have been told that you do not need to worry about balancing the food on a daily basis but over a three week period. I tend not to worry too much about Daisy..sometimes she has carcasses/wings and other times minces. She wont eat veg so I think I am going to have to disguise it like I did for the kids when they were little! I am sure Julia or Helen will be along with some more precise advice than I can give you!


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## curt3007 (May 28, 2011)

Sezra said:


> I am not an expert on this and I must admit I tend to bumble along a bit but I have been told that you do not need to worry about balancing the food on a daily basis but over a three week period. I tend not to worry too much about Daisy..sometimes she has carcasses/wings and other times minces. She wont eat veg so I think I am going to have to disguise it like I did for the kids when they were little! I am sure Julia or Helen will be along with some more precise advice than I can give you!


thanks Sarah, i think George is pushing me into a diy barf diet. I had hoped to go with NI but he's having none of it at moment and James Wellbeloved kibble makes him pong. Where do you get your minces from


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## curt3007 (May 28, 2011)

saw you post on other thread 'raw to go' thanks


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## Sezra (May 20, 2011)

I get mine form www.rawtogo.co.uk

http://rawtogo.co.uk/ProductsandPrices.aspx

I have had great customer service from them and Daisy likes all of their minces so far apart from choice chunks which is really BLEUGH!  I share delivery with a fellow Cockapoo owner who lives near me but even if she hadn't wanted some as well I still calculated it to be cheaper than NI. Have a look, they have a nice selection. I add chopped liver and veg (which she leaves) so I will now be pureeing it and mixing it in. If you can stand the smell of tripe the tripe mince and chicken/tripe mix is a big hit with Daisy but makes my kids avoid her after she has eaten it!


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## curt3007 (May 28, 2011)

lol George once had a tripe stick, geee the pong was unbearable, just really worried that I could be doing something wrong, so much info on barf diets and I had thought that just feeding the raw meat was not enough and it needed supplementing with veg. Will give raw to go a try, really do not want him to just eat dry kibble all his life


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## Sezra (May 20, 2011)

Some raw feeders don't feed veg and don't see it as a necessary part of a dog's diet. At the moment Daisy is not getting any but like I said....trying to work on it!  x


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## M&M's mummy (Jul 12, 2011)

Jayne I am fairly new to RAW myself but have been getting excellent tips from another forum I use and some experienced members.

Some feed veg and some don't.

Ok I thought I will try and help you with a simple overview and ideas on what to feed 

The ratio used for raw is 80:10:10 this is a guide so is not rigid. Go by how you dog looks, his weight and his poos!!!

80% protein/muscle meat 10% bones and 10% offal.

With the offal they normally suggest to make 5% of that liver and the rest other offal like kidney or heart.

Do not overfeed liver as it contains vitamin A which affects them.


PROTEIN:

Ideally start with one protein source like chicken and if George copes well with that then you can add more. I strongly recommend that you don't rush and take you time introducing new foods. if George has a problem i.e being sick go back a step to what you are using and then try again later. Using smaller chunks and quantities help when trying new foods ( I learnt the hard way on that one!!!)

Try using:

Chicken
Turkey
Duck
Rabbit
White fish
Oily Fish 
Raw egg

Some use pork although with pork they say to freeze first as it kills off the parasites.

if money is no problem you can add in Venison- Ostrich and Buffalo 


Bones:
Chicken wings, necks and backs and chicken feet
Turkey necks
Lamb ribs, necks and shanks
Ducks feet
Some people feed pork ribs
Ox tails

Offal:
Kidney
Liver
heart ( this is a muscle meat but is still offal.)
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You might also find other stuff like chicken gizzards and pig skin.
Tripe is another they love and comes minced or chunky. Green tripe is the best. ( unprocessed)

Liver is rich and not all dogs take to it. You can flash fry or use it in liver cakes and find that George prefers it this way.


If you want to add some veg such as: carrots, green beans, peas, swede they could be give now and then. Or fruit like apples and bananas. 

Try and vary what you give and if the poos are too hard and dog is struggling then feed less bones and if poos a bit sloppy up your bones.

Apparently being a RAW feeder is all about the poo 

To start off I would feed George chicken wings and raw2 go minces and then after a couple of weeks try some fish like white fish fillets e.g pollock or sardines/sprats/pilchards.


Sample Weeks Menu when George can eat a variety:

Mon : Chicken Wing / Tripe

Tues: Diced pigs heart / Sprats

Wed: Tripe / Minced rabbit 

Thurs: Chicken necks / Mackerel

Fri : White fish fillets / Minced chicken

Sat : Tripe / Minced chicken and liver

Sun : Lamb ribs / Minced Rabbit



Hope that helps


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## Sezra (May 20, 2011)

I should have said....Shirley will be along soon with better information!


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## curt3007 (May 28, 2011)

wow thanks Shirley, he has had a lamb rib , chicken neck and a chicken wing today, all of which he wolfed down is that too much do you think? Not been sick and poos is medium firm lol


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## curt3007 (May 28, 2011)

thanks sarah lol


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## curt3007 (May 28, 2011)

have been worried that I should be feeding more of a balance ie some veg


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## M&M's mummy (Jul 12, 2011)

curt3007 said:


> wow thanks Shirley, he has had a lamb rib , chicken neck and a chicken wing today, all of which he wolfed down is that too much do you think? Not been sick and poos is medium firm lol


That's fine but tomorrow try and give him a meal without bone.

Too much bone and he may get constipated, so make sure he has meals that doesn't contain it too.

Try him on some fish. The easiest to start is to buy the cheap frozen white fillets from the supermarket and defrost and serve.

I give mine fruit and veg as treats- so you could do this with George.

They normally get half a chunky carrot most days or half an apple chopped ( no pips) or half a banana. Though they didn't like banana at first!!

They also get swede, the cabbage stumps- again caution here too many and you will get stinky farts or bum explosions!!!

Mine also love green peppers and peas.


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## M&M's mummy (Jul 12, 2011)

curt3007 said:


> have been worried that I should be feeding more of a balance ie some veg


Not everyone agrees with feeding dogs veg but I like to give mine some so if you want to go ahead.

However if you are worried about balance take a look at these sites:

http://www.thewholedog.org/balance.html


http://rawfed.com/myths/balance.html


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## curt3007 (May 28, 2011)

Many thanks Shirley


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## Daisyd (Nov 29, 2014)

Hi guys 

My Poo Daisy is on a raw diet but i am struggling to get her to touch tripe minced from Landywoods any suggestions? and she picks out the tiniest morsals of liver as well so give that to her in cakes


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## Cat 53 (Aug 26, 2012)

Dogs naturally is an online magazine that gives lots of information on feeding raw, including herbs that are beneficial. The thing about veg is that dogs do not produce an enzyme that breaks down cellulose, which means raw veg goes in and passes straight through without benefitting the dog. Mine like carrot sticks, but I give it to them as a treat not as a food. I tend to stick with tripe...Phoebe tends to have dirty ears unless she gets regular tripe and daily ear cleaning. I also give mine a daily spoonful of crushed egg shell, and half a teaspoon of coconut oil. A raw egg is great two or three times a week too. Bone broth is excellant too. Don't stress because raw gives our dogs all the trace elements, vitamins and minerals they need without the need for fruit and veg.


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## Lexi&Beemer (May 5, 2013)

I usually mix the juices of something I know they will like with something they don't. Also what type of liver are you feeding? Has Daisy tried liver from different animals? Also my two love beef tripe. They also tried lamb tripe but does not agree with them. That lamb tripe is nasty to smell but maybe enticing enough for Daisy. You can also feed freeze dried liver as treats. Maybe that is how she can get her liver needs met. The key is to variety for my two.


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## wilfiboy (Sep 18, 2010)

Would she eat the tripe if you mix it with a different protein source. Mable wouldn't eat liver to start with , I think it's the texture. She would just drop it back out of her mouth. I just cut it up into tiny pieces and mixed it in, she's fine now x


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## Daisyd (Nov 29, 2014)

Thanks for the replies i am slowly getting her used to the tripe and the liver by doing what you guys stated and addding it slowly and chopped fine.


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