What Do You Feed?

[jai]

Hey.. I see you changed your name is it Alex for short... Mine is just jai.. (short for Janine)

[vicente]

I got it from a breeder in Portugal called Ghosts of Pinamar (http://www.ghostofpinamar.com) and he was born on the 28 of September 06. The father is Almamater el Inca and the mother is Cobi...i´ll try and post a picture of him..

[jai]

Yes. wow. Introduce yourself and your weim in the Introductions section.. there you can see pics of other dogs get to find out some info about the other people on the board etc.. You can see pics of Falko in this section.. under Falko...or something close to that. Falko was born 19 Sept, in Poland and his breeder I met from this web forum. I joined this in the summer when I was looking for a pup.. Will you show him?

[vicente]

show as in dog shows and contests?Alex is ok!i´ll put some pictures of him in the introduction..see ya and thanks

[sieglinde]

Shortly after Louis arrived here in Spain I discovered a German organic dried food called Lupo San - www.luposan.de/

I was thrilled that the main distributor lived 2 villages away and tried Louis on that. He loved it and has always been doing really well on it. It is available in a number of European countries, but not yet in the UK. The ingredients are good - a little bit along the lines of Burns. I add into the afternoon feed 1/2 small tin of tuna.

[greyghost]

Food can be a minefield can't it. I did one of the click throughs this morning and it was higlighting the perils of commercial food and preservatives and the damage it can do to the kidneys.

Sieglinde, I would seriously look into the tuna because it can have high mercury levels depending on your supplier. The last report my kinesiologist told me about it suggested that humans should only eat tuna once a year because of the high levels. Bit extreme maybe but I worry because Alister likes it in his sandwiches for work.

Holly loves tinned sardines and mackerel and she gets the odd bit of BARF by way of heart, chicken wings and other raw meat, fruit and veg.

[kags]

I feed Eric 100% raw diet. I am afraid that I do not feed veg as he does not like it, I do not, however, feel that I am doing him an injustice in this. I have tried many combinations of veg - not liked so he eats meat. The bulk of his diet is whole chickens, he aslo has Sardines and pasta, yoghurt, eggs, cheese, tripe, buffalo meat, lambs ribs, turkey necks, lambs hearts and liver, chicken livers and gizzards, brains, fed lambs balls once but hubby was horrified ;D

I do not supplement either. Eric is a very fit dog, his teeth are white, he has nice smelling breath, his coat smells nice and feels nice has no greasy residue that some dogs have. A friend commented the other day that unless she knew I had a dog when she came to the house she would never have known as there wasn't that distinct dog smell.

Is my dog's diet balanced, he is fit and well and I have not had the vet out to him in over a year (for an ear infection) bar having his boosters. He manages to cope with exercising in the heat here, running at times. I think he is doing ok I certainly won't go back to commercial foods and that is not slating anyone who feeds this way I just think that my dogs have been so much healthier and smell so much better when fed raw.

[kags]

In terms of the bones, when they are raw they are more supple and bendy. Once you cook them they become brittle and hard and splinter. I only ever give Eric raw bones.

He also has camel thighs as a recreational bone maybe once a fortnight or weekly if I can come by them.

[jai]

Hi I couln't resist adding to this seeing how I just finished feeding Falko his lunch.. 175 grams kibble and a tim of sardines with some chicken. Anyways, I try not to supplement for Falko, he does his own supplementing. ;D As in after finished his lunch, he had some tea from my cup, finished some red kooliad from a cup and my carpet, had small bites from the plastic cup. :Phe also eats toilet paper, feathers from my pillows when he thinks he can do it slyly, he particularly enjoys stuffed animals, my shoes and anythign that is not nailed down or above 5'10. (When he is on his hind legs he stands that talll!!) He does all this to get my attention, which it does and it makes him very happy to play chase as he jumps from my lether furniture! Glad it is bouncy!!
So with this I shall be signing off shortly so he can digest and we can have a right game outside!
jai

[amanda]

I feed a bit of a mixture!

Breakfast is two cups of Burns with some sardines.

Dinner is raw chicken wings - usually 4...with some veg. Pheeb is on a diet at the moment - I just want to slowly get a couple of pounds off (nothing major) so she is restricted to one bonio before bed.

Any diet tips appreciated...she is 32kg but extremely deep chested and muscly so she looks good, but I think a few pounds would make a great difference to her overall look. I will try and post some photos...

[kags]

Amanda, seaweed can help to speed up metabolism. You can buy it in powder form and sprinkle it on her food.

[kags]

Give them what they need to live a happy, successful, and comfortable life. Kelp Health will benefit your dog by:

Restoring their natural pigmentation

Brining out the vibrancy in their coat color

Reducing excessive shedding

Alleviating excruciating arthritis pain and reducing joint inflammation

Boosting its immune system to fight off nasty diseases

Aiding with digestion and increasing metabolism
Maintaining their thyroid to keep them at a healthy weight

Replenishing moisture in their skin to prevent flaking

Increasing their stamina and endurance

Helping them to fight allergies

www.dogvoice.com/shop/?shop=1&cart=15842&cat=8&

[Speeds]

Zola and Belle are "whatever" fed. They are on mince, tripe, turkey necks, lamb ribs, chick wings/carcasses.

They do have all types of food that happen to be in the fridge. They both love veggies although most are probably not digested.

They are both fit and have nice coats - Zola being the silkier of the two.

[Locco]

Hi guys!
I've read everything that you have written in this thread very thoroughly and I'm really eager to start giving my Blaster raw food. I've read about raw food diet (I think you call it BARF?) and as some of the people from this forum I have some apprehensions about it. First of all my Blaster is naw 2,5 and I'm worried that because he has never eaten anything raw it's too late to try raw food diet on him. In addition I remember that one time when I visited my aunt (she's the owner of Tatra Shepherd Dog) her bitch was just eating a raw pork bone. My dog has only tried to lick a liitle bit of it (as he simply physically couldn't eat it- as if he didn't know what to use his teeth for or how to gnaw it) and later he had some purging (very loose stool). Maybe simply because he was not used to eating anything raw, but then can he ever get used to it? I'm also afraid of giving him any raw meat because of all the bacteria that some people say are in raw meat. In addition I'm worried about raw chicken as we all know that recently there's been a lot of talking about the bird-flue (I don't know the English name for it- but I hope you know what I mean) so I'm afraid that my dog can get infected with it. On the other hand I would really like to try this natural diet. I've also read that dogs don't digest pork and that it's too fat for dogs. My Blaster has got a very sensitive stomach- anything new in his diet makes his stomach upset (even a change in his dry food- it has to be changed very carefully as he doesn't tolerate some types of kibbles). Sometimes I think it's because I give him only dry food (Eukanuba) and very few additions in very small amounts, such as: pickled cucumber or sauerkraut or natural yoghurt and I don't diversify his food a lot as I thought it's better for dogs to have one, similar and stable diet without any big diversifications. However I do add some boiled vegetables like carrot, celeriac and parsley-root. He really likes them! I've noticed that his stools are better (more consistent) when he gets some boiled vegetables added to his dry food. I also add to his kibble cooked chicken meat and sometimes if we are away from home I add some canned meat for dogs. I also add olive oil to each meal. Despite the fact I clean his teeth once a week very regularly his breath is not fresh (it's fresh for only one day after the cleaning and after 2 or 3 days his breath smells as if he has eaten some carrion?). One of my friend has told me that it's because I add some meat to his kibble and as meat contains proteins when it decays it cauases the bed smell. He has also a problem with tartar. We have very hard and really awful water and despite I boil it and use some filters I think it contributes a lot to creating tartar on Blaster's teeth. I really pay very much attention to his mouth higiene and instead of giving him raw bones I give him special "bones" made of dried tendons. I don't give him cooked bones as then they're too soft and instead of gnawing it he simply swallows bigger bits of it as it comes apart itself and if it's not so much cooked he has problems with gnawing it because his gums start bleeding and I can see that gnawing it causes him a little bit of pain as it's too hard. Do you think that changing his diet on the raw one would help me with his bed smell and tartar problems? I am also a liitle bit apprehensive towards giving him chicken wings or other chicken parts with bones as other people have been always saying to me that dogs can't eat chicken bones as they are very dangerous becuse they come apart into very sharp, long and thin bits which may hurt his stomach or throat or even cause him to choke. On the other hand I have read here on this forum that if they're raw thay're much more flexible and bendy than when boiled. So maybe this is the solution to this problem? Do you think that in order to avoid getting him infected with the bird flue or in order to get rid of some bacteria present in raw meat it would be enough to pour some hot, freshly boiled water on it or put it into boiling water for a moment? I've also tried to give him veal bones but they also seemed to be tough for him to gnaw them (he only managed to eat them when well boiled and very soft but I have already mentioned that then he swallows big bits of it and it almost always causes him to vomit them and have serious stomach problems ). Do you ever give your dogs any raw vegetables? Do they have any problems with digesting them? If you read my post you may get an impression that I'm too worried about so many things connected with this raw food diet that I should stay with the Eukanuba but I would really like to try BARF as I believe that it would be great for my dog if only introduced properly and gradually. I have also noticed that (one of you have already mentioned that) his poos are exactly the same big as the amounts of the dry food he eats and I get an impression that nothing (I mean no nutrients from the kibble) stay in his body. As soon as he eats it, it gets out if him (almost immediately). That's why I'm asking you guys for help. Could you please try to answer at least some of my questions? I'm very anxious about trying this new diet. I'm looking forward to your opinions about my fears and doubts. I would be very grateful. Thanks a lot in advance!

Best regards
Magda&Blaster ;D

[greyghost]

Hi Magda, oh what a big decision for you.

Here is a site that will answer at least 50 of your questions:

www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm#top
and another
www.barfworld.com/html/barf_diet/barfdiet_specific.shtml

Just some points:

A lot of people freeze their meat to stop some bacterias. Best thing is to have a reliable source of food.

The gums may be bleeding because of lack of chewing i.e. gums are weak not used to it. Edited to say that I have noticed that if Holly has not had a chewy for a while her gums bleed when she starts to chew again for the first time.

I brought back a couple of chewies from Holland that Mar recommended, wish I could find them here, they break into little bits so no huge chunks get stuck in their mouths. They are great and will bring back loads next time. ;D

My first Weim, Abbie, used to have a dodgy tummy and had to be changed over very gradually. This was mainly because I had fed her on one thing only. The wider variety of foods you feed to your dog he more enzymes they get and are able to cope with digesting different foods. Even raw food will need to be introduced gradually. I believe they can actually detox on a raw diet at first a bit like us humans. (not sure ).

Holly is no good with raw bones as she gets lumps off and is then sick. Chicken wings are a good source of food as they contain the right amount of bone ratio to meat and also omega 3. Holly loves chicken wings but when I first introduced them to her she sicked them up. I found that holding the skinny end and making sure she bit it properly, I actually say to her 'bite it' as she is doing it so she learns the command. If your dog will not take to raw food at first it is possible to just 'flash' fry it to make it more appealing and start to bring out the juices of the meat.

If you feed vegetables raw they need to be 'pulsed' in a machine to break them down. Alternatively you can freeze them raw which helps to break them down or slightly cook. I actually cooked up a load of veg the other day for Holly and then blended it and froze in portions. The problem with cooking veg is that is looses some vitamins.

To help with plaque I use Plaque off : www.foxypets.co.uk/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=15

and also Fragaria: www.foxypets.co.uk/store/index.php?searchStr=fragaria&act=viewCat

Obviously these links are just for info and you will find a local stockist.

I have just got a new food in called Orijen: www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/orijen/

I changed Holly over to it 'cold turkey' (do you have that saying - means I changed her straight away not introducing gradually) and she has tolerated it really well. I feed her half wet food and half dry food most days but bring in lambs heart, tripe, chicken wings, rabbit, mince beef. If you feed meat this way you need to make sure they get enough bone ratio. I get my meats in a packet which contains the bones too.

Mar uses a fantastic barf produce in Holland. I wonder if they stock it in Poland.

[marjolein]

Unfortunately they don't stock abroad.

[Locco]

Hi, guys!
Thank you for your help- especially to greyghost. :DYou've been very helpful for me. And the links that you've posted containing loads of information about BARF are really priceless for me. I'm just getting started reading it and now I'm sure that I'll change my dog's diet into this one. I have just bought some chicken wings in the nearby shop- but before I'll give them to him I'll read everything on the websites you've suggested me. Of course I'll let you know how my Blaster is doing on this diet but I'm positive he'll be great! I'm really excited about the results!

P.S. We don't have this kind of saying "cold turkey" here in Poland but I like it very much- it sounds funny!
Best wishes for both of you!
Magda&Blaster

[Alkemist]

Hi Magda

Let me tell you what I feed Anya. For 1 meal a day she has a very good quality dried meal, sometimes we add sardines, or vegetable scraps and peelings, herb oil, anything we think she will eat EXCEPT onions, and raisins/sultanas/grapes (because these foods can be harmful to dogs). For the other meal (usually morning meal) she has frozen chicken wings. Yes, still frozen, but never cooked, that is what causes the bone to splinter. She loves these. She will also eat raw rabbit, hearts, pigs feet, peanut butter (sugar free), eggs, and many other meats. Not too much liver though, it can upset them. I feed her this way because she looks fantastic on it, and her teeth, never an issue. She does not have doggy breath. Her stools are very small too, even though one of her meals is a dry kibble. I feed this, so that if ever I have to go on holiday, or my supplies of meat run out, she is able to have a dried food. Even though the dried food is good quality, she never looks as good on that alone. I would not feed her this at all, but I think it is impractical to feed what she has when away from home. In fact, she does not eat when away, unless she has to - I think she is telling me that she likes her home meals .

When Anya first had her chicken wings, she was a little sick at first, but we gently persevered, and her gut got used to the meat. She is very happy on it now.

I hope that helps you to at least try Blaster with something different. It is very scary at first, but if you take little steps, it should be easier for you to try.

bye for now,
Nina
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[Locco]

Hi Nina,
Thank you very much for an example of Anya's menu. I'm surprised that Anya likes chicken wings still frozen! ughhh Isn't it too cold then and without any smell or taste? I thought that it might be unpleasant to lick or eat something that cold? But as I can see I was wrong ;D I have tried some raw chicken wings today on Blaster and I must admit I thought he would eat them more eagerly. At the first beginning he actually didn't know what to do with them. He only sniffed them. But as I continued to encourage him to at least lick it (as I was holding them in my hands to make sure that he will gnaw them properly) he finally tried to bite a bit- but still he wasn't very enthusiastic about them. I think he was hoping to get his kibble with some meat and olive oil in it plus some cooked vegetables, hihi I also got an impression that he didn't know what to do with his teeth and the bones at first as he's not used to eating anything hard, like real bones. But he ate them finally and I think he was quite happy with it. And just one moment ago, I gave another chicken wing- this time he knew better what to do with it, hehe. No stomach problems so far and a very nice, consistent poo! And no problems with choking with the chicken bones as I was afraid! He ate everything so nicely! Now I'm going to preapare some raw carrot- I'll put in in a blender. Do you give Anya any plums, strawberries and citrus fruit? And could you please tell me what kibble do you give her? I agree with you that it would be a problem if you had to go away and your dog would eat only raw food. Then he/she might not want to come back to dry food if not used to eat it any more. I often go away with Blaster that's why I have to remember about that, too. Do you freeze chicken wings to get rid of the bacteria present in the raw meat? What do you do to protect Anya from getting infected by the plague (I mean the bird flue)?

Best regards
Magda&Blaster

[Alkemist]

Magda, I decided to give Anya her meat frozen, as she seemed to take a little more time eating it, rather than swallowing it all, as she likes it so much. Also I feel that there are less bacteria there. I have given fresh meat, but very very fresh, like the rabbits she catches...... and some people say that dogs can take old meat. I worry about bird flu, yes I do, but it is in the air too, so she would breathe it in eventually anyway. During bird flu scares, the chicken wing supplies are not good, another reason for feeding a mixed diet.

As for fruits, if the dog likes fruits, I would give it to them. Anya likes apple cores, chopped, and she also eats pear cores, chopped, but she prefers her vegetables, which we chop into small pieces. Just be careful Magda of anything that has a stone inside - like plums, peaches etc. , Blaster must not get that stone.

Anyas dry food is UK made, it's called Wafcol, but it is a good quality food, made for dogs like weimaraners that can suffer on poor quality foods. www.wafcol.co.uk/frames/wafcol.html this is it, you can see it but I am sure you cannot buy it in Poland. I can send you the ingredients and analysis if it helps, to compare to the brands you already have.

I think feeding like this is something you can only do when you feel comfortable and happy with it. I can tell you what I do, and someone else can tell you what they do, and they will rarely be the same. It also varies for each dog, what they will and won't eat. Personally I have never been brave enough to completely feed barf, but lots of others do so. I know of someone who raises their litters on BARF, grinding the meat for puppies until they are able to eat it properly. If it works for you, do it, if not, do what makes you feel happiest .

Nina
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