Re: [pyrnet] Barf diet?

[Steelmoment@aol.com]

In a message dated 1/21/2002 8:56:47 PM Eastern Standard Time, ambailey@mediaone.net writes:


> How do you go about preparing this diet?  Do you purchase chicken and
> vegetables in large quantities and chop it up for the dogs or does someone
> prepackage it?  Do you grind up the bones?  I've always heard that chicken
> bones especially were dangerous to eat because they splinter.  Obviously my
> imagination is not running in the right tracks tonight.


Personally I buy the chicken necks and backs in bulk (40lb boxes).  It is very very inexpensive this way.   It takes me about an 1 hour to bag (zipploc) about 120 lbs of Chicken.   I also buy larger amounts of veggies as well - these are organic so I purchase them at the Supermarket.   It takes about 1 hour to prepare and freeze the veggie mush (as it is called).

Once you have packaged everything (above signifies about 2 months worth of food for four dogs) feeding is very easy.   So it does take some work but for my dogs my work is well worth it.   They are doing better than they ever had on any other food - it works for them.   They never leave an empty bowl and clean up's are relatively non existent.

Regarding chicken bones - yes they will splinter if COOKED.   Raw necks and backs are extremly flexible and I have tried like all hell to cut myself and never have been able to.   I do not advocate larger bones such as weight bearing bones.   Chicken wings and lamb shanks along with Fish are given in with the mix every now and then.
They also get ground turkey breast, calves liver, chicken liver, gizzards, hearts in their mix with veggies and organic yohgurt for it's probiotic elements.   

I do not grind the bones - they do the grinding.   When I got my second female, Chatty, she was almost 3 months old - she went on the Barf Diet 2 weeks after she came here to live.   She had no problems chewing - she ate the bones like she had always eating them.....like a pro!

Hope this fills your curiosity?   It's an interesting diet - but I will say if what you feed your dog works for your dog - Don't change it!   As they say "don't fix it if it ain't broken"

Take care,
Dianne Migas
Steel Moment Great Pyrenees