Here are a few good Internet sites for good information on feeding naturally:
 | Tiffani Marie Beckman has written an Introduction to Feeding Naturally |
| Bree Prive has written The Top 50 Most Frequently Asked BARF Questions Newcomers Ask! |
This article first appeared in Let's Live Magazine, May 1992, it was written by Dr Belfield, who is the co-author of The Very Healthy Cat Book and How to Have a Healthier Dog.
| Food Not Fit For A Pet |
In my desire to learn more about proper natural canine nutrition, I have read each of the books listed below. If you too want to know pretty much everything there is to know about BARF then buy, borrow or try to check all of them out at your local library. If you know you want to feed BARF but just need some basic how-to information then get the Kymythy Schultze and Carina Beth MacDonald books. Get both, read them, they are wonderful, easy reading and packed full of information. For the most detail from a veterinarians perspective, I recommend Tom Lonsdale over Ian Billinghurst, although it is really dry reading in places. Buy it, read it, give it to your vet.
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Give Your Dog A Bone by Ian Billinghurst |
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Grow Your Pups with Bones by Ian Billinghurst |
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The Barf Diet by Ian Billinghurst |
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Raw Meaty Bones by Tom Lonsdale |
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Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats by Kymythy R Schultze (1st printing of Ultimate Diet) |
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Ultimate Diet: Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats by Kymythy Schultze |
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Raw Dog Food: Make It Easy for You and Your Dog by Carina Beth MacDonald |
What I Currently Feed
I feed two times per day. A typical meal consists of a course ground beef product that contains beef heart, kidney, tripe and muscle meat along with one or more chicken backs. Another would be chicken backs and vegetables. For variety I replace the chicken backs in with turkey necks, pork neck bones, or canned Mackerel. I try for one of each, each week for variety. Very, very occasionally I throw in a pigs foot or some rabbit. If I can find a reasonable source (or a hunter), I also feed mutton, venison scraps, goat, etc..
I used to purchase and process my own vegetables but I now feed Sojourner Farm's Sojos Europa. This dehydrated vegetable mix is so easy to use and my Danes just love it. It looks a bit pricey but each cup of dehydrated vegetables makes three and I extend the whole mix a bit with canned green beans (use the juice as your liquid to hydrate the vegetables).
If you want a supplement use Wholistic Pets, Canine Complete. It has everything you could want to give them. Do not give more than one level tablespoon per day (no matter what the instructions say) as a little goes a long way.
I am always happy to talk about raw feeding so feel free to contact me if you have any questions
