Food Pets Prey For!

To get started:

We recommend that you read the books listed below. Do this before your pup comes home, in order to be well prepared.

We have a suggested beginners menu. From this menu, you can experiment with the help of raw food veterans and the occasional veterinarian on one of the many e-lists available. The books get you started, the e-lists make it work!

Download the entire Dog Raw-Diet "Beginner's Guide & Menu" in Acrobat PDF format here.

If your dog already has health problems, there is an e-list for them also. You'll find many testimonials on how these people have controlled their dogs' illness with a raw diet. There are precautions: talk to a veterinarian who is educated about BARF and join an e-list group before starting your dog with health problems/issues, on a raw diet.

Suggestions: Here are a few means of providing a natural, raw diet for your pet. It would be a good idea to have a freezer, the ability to pulverize vegetables and grind muscle meat (see side bar).

  1. Purchase everything on your own This may require that you "get in good" with a butcher in your area. At first they may look at you like you are crazy, but they are beginning to understand. Try looking in your yellow pages under "butchers" or "meat suppliers". Find local suppliers and co-ops by joining CarnivoreFeed-supplier@yahoogroups.com or go to International Purveyor Index to find a list of suppliers in your area. Many feel that grass fed is the best (me included). Go to eatwild.com for a grass fed list by state!
  2. Have raw food socials This is where several people purchase supplies in bulk and get together to package up the goods for freezing. This can be economical because in some instances, buying large quantities can be less expensive. It is also more fun than doing it alone!
  3. Buy prepackaged meals from a local co-op Co-ops are popping up everywhere since BARFing seems to be getting quite popular. If you are lucky enough to have a co-op in your area, and don't mind the extra cost, this is a good way to go. Be sure they use human grade foods/supplements and list exact ingredients (not just "chicken byproducts" or "chicken meal", for example.)
  4. Buy prepackaged meals via Internet and receive by mail Same as in #3 plus add the cost of shipping. Here's a great web site listing many prepackaged raw meals.
  5. Start your own co-op In our future: Let us help you start your own Pure4m™ Pet Nutrition co-op.

A difference to consider between #3 and 4 is that a local co-op will most likely have fresh products where, obviously, mail order will be frozen. Fresh is best, but frozen is not far behind.

Recommended reads (best if read in order):

& Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats*-The Ultimate Diet by Kymythy Schultze

A very easy to read book with a good startup menu.

& Give your Dog a Bone* by Dr. Ian Billinghurst

Very informative book by a pioneering vet in Australia. He started it all!

& Grow your Pup with Bones* by Dr. Ian Billinghurst

A must read for puppy owners and breeders. This book talks in depth about puppyhood illnesses and preventing adulthood diseases. Very helpful with feeding a pregnant/lactating bitch. In order to understand this book, you must read "Give Your Dog a Bone" first.

About both Billinghurst books: I recommend that you take notes as you read. These books are not indexed.

About Billinghurst: He no longer recommends grains in our pet's diet. The following book talks about his new findings:

& The BARF Diet: Raw Feeding for Dogs & Cats Using Evolutionary Principles by Dr. Ian Billinghurst

The newest book by Dr. B.

& Switching to Raw by Susan K. Johnson

I am only going by what I have heard about this book. It sounds like a good one!

& Raw Meaty Bones by Tom Lonsdale

The new kid on the block. I have heard raves about this book, but have not read it myself yet.

& Herbal Handbook for the Dog and Cat by Juliette de Bairacli Levy

The old kid (sorry!) on the block. Levy has been warning us about what we put into our pets for a long time!

& HERBS FOR PETS by Mary Wulff-Tilford & Gregory Tilford

A highly recommended book. Here's a quote from Dogwise: "This is a great addition to the library of anyone who is interested in natural health!" And they really mean it!

& Plenty of Vitamin C information can be found in "How to Have A Healthier Dog" by Wendell Belfield & Martin Zucker

 

For optimal pet life

Our own testimonial on switching our pup over to a raw diet:

We wanted the best for our new puppy, Roxy. So we did a lot of research on what to feed her. What we found was very interesting. What we tried, was noticed by us and other dog owners in our dog exercise group. Roxy is very muscular, has a wonderfully soft coat, white-white teeth and energy to boot. Remember the saying "you are what you eat"? It is obvious Roxy eats right.

If in no way you will feed a raw diet, you may want to consider a home cooked diet for your pet. While not as beneficial as raw foods, cooked is still better than commercial kibble!

& HOME-PREPARED DOG & CAT DIETS by Donald Strombeck Dogwise description: Diets of wholesome ingredients, customized to physical needs and individual preferences of your cat or dog! 210 food formulas made from readily available foods for human consumption, easily prepared and fed; fundamentals of nutrition and nutrition-related processes and problems; proof that human food is beneficial to pets. Diets cover both normal maintenance and treatment of specific problems, formulated by computer to ensure complete balanced nutrition, supply all necessary nutrient information (protein content, fat content, and calories). Author: Donald R. Strombeck, DVM, PhD.

 

You will need:

Freezer space:

Many BARF products are sold in bulk. Besides, it is just easier to prepackage individual meals to be thawed out when needed.

The ability to pulverize vegetables:

Canine digestive systems are unable to utilize whole raw vegetables. Pulverizing breaks the cell walls so the nutrients are released in a form that they can use. A juicer works best, a food processor is good, blenders can work in a pinch.

And also the ability to grind muscle meat:

Ground meat is necessary when making "mush" for pups and it is just easier to mix the veggies and supplements in with the ground muscle meat. Some dogs are very good at separating out what they like and don't like, so mixing helps to "hide" the things they aren't fond of but need in their diet.

A coffee grinder: For powdering dry egg shells (to help balance the cal/phos content of muscle meats). Avoid breathing any that has become airborne! And grinding raw pumpkin seeds, which may help with worm prevention.

A scale: An inexpensive one will do. A scale is needed to ensure correct proportions. It is easy to over/under feed without one.

Suggestions from my experiences: Divide the RMB's into single meals and freeze in zipper type freezer bags (quart size).

Pulverize the veggies and freeze in an ice cube tray. Remove when frozen and place 1 days worth in each freezer bag (pint size) for further freezing.

For offal, cut up or grind and place 1 meals worth in yogurt containers (I keep all my used commercial containers) for freezing.

Muscle meat can be dealt with the same as offal.

Keep everything separate, or mix together, by meal, before freezing. Whichever is easiest for you!