How do you feel about BARF??????????

Question

so i've been researching different dog foods and looking into the Bones And Raw Food diet (BARF) and it seems kind of expensive and gross like it makes me want to barf! chicken necks and spines and bones and fish and nastiness the vegetable aspect doesn't seem to bad but my dog won't eat vegetables. what dog foods are the best out there right now preferably reasonably priced. currently feeding nutro natural choice large breed adult.

Answer 1

Feeding a raw diet to dogs is no different than handling raw food to feed a family, only difference is it isn't cooked. I have 2 small dogs so the raw feeding isn't prohibitively expensive. People who have several large dogs shop sales, belong to food co-ops, and manage to feed their dogs for as much as, if not less, than buying kibble.

Answer 2

Hi There

Well I don't know BARF well enough to make a real comment but this is what I think. I know that dogs weren't meant to eat "cooked" stuff in the wild. But it is also true that in our world nowadays there are more and more diseases due to the processing of raw meat ie salmonella, ecoli, campylobacter which can be lethal to your dog.

Well I have studied heaps of different brand on Internet and I finally came to the conclusion that

1) I didn't want to feed my dog any grain anymore

2) I wanted her to have a high protein diet as she would in the wild

3) I was prepared to spend as much money as I could afford for the right product

I found Orijen which has 70% protein and 30% fruit and vegetables (my dog loves fruit so I figured that it could only do her good). First time I opened it, it actually smelled of something that I would want to eat myself (ie fish) and not some dodgy disgusting smell. When you get to the bottom of the bag, there is practically no dust or deposit left which is also very unusual. But the bottom line is that since I've started feeding my dog Orijen the following happened

1) her coat is super soft (used to have dry/brittle hair)

2) her skin is very supple and she hasn't had any itching anymore

3) she used to have eye infections all the time (they're gone)

4) she used to be a lethargic 7 year old dog and is now an 8 year old dog full of energy who runs around like a puppy at the beach.

So all I can think of is that this food is truly great and I can't recommend it enough.

Answer 3

Can't comment on kibble but I'll ask you this which is grosser a big heaping pile or S***e or a small well formed pile? That being said I started studying BARF originally and then moved on to Prey Model when the light went off that dogs don't need fruits and veggies.

Raw diets of either choice are as expensive as you make it. If you are out buying free range organic etc meat then yes you will spend more compared to someone buying standard products. No to mention those of us who have managed to find a hunter/farmer or wild game butcher willing to give their throw away, tripe, leftover culls etc at little to no cost.

The only gross part in my opinion are the organ and tripe and thats just IMPO because of the smell.

Answer 4

~ Nutro for one is a horrible food and the ingredients and company make me want to barf.

I feed my dogs grain free Orijen and 2-3 times a week feed raw.  My dogs love turkey/chicken organs, necks, feet, legs, thighs, tripe, london broil, salmon, and pork.  You never want to feed kibble and raw food together.  I would definitely go with a different food if you are going to stay with kibble, Nutro is very low on the quality list of foods.