BARF Diet For Dogs - Not As Gross As It Sounds!Written by Tara Pearce
Are you just starting to research BARF diet for dogs – also known as “bones and raw food” or RAW diet? It can be confusing – I remember asking TONS of questions when I first started. How do you know how much to feed? WHAT do you feed? Can you mix BARF diet with processed food? How long does it take to prepare raw food? How much does it cost to buy all BARF products necessary? Should you feed raw meat and vegetables? Well, on last question, only you can decide what’s right for your dog, but I’ll answer rest of your questions as best I can.How do you know how much to feed? It really depends on weight of your dog. Most people recommend 2-5% of their body weight. Just make sure you know your dog’s weight before starting, and then watch their weight and adjust depending if they gain/lose/maintain. WHAT do you feed? Raw meaty bones, like chicken necks and backs for example. Muscle meat which has no bones. Organ meat, like lungs, liver, kidneys, etc. Some people also include raw vegetables. Can you mix BARF diet with processed food? It’s not recommended as processed food, or kibble, is digested in about 10-12 hours, and raw food in about 4-6. This can lead to serious health problems. That being said, some people do it quite successfully – but I wouldn’t.
| | My Tips to Take Care of a New DogWritten by Tara Pearce
So you’re bringing home that cute little puppy from best breeder after doing all that research, or you found most adorable “mutt” at pound, where you were just going to look, you swore. And now you realize that you weren’t as prepared as you thought. Maybe you’re planning in advance for new bundle of joy. Either way, we’ll give you some valuable tips we’ve learned over years of bringing home little bundles of terror – I mean joy :) Learn as much as possible about potty training, and expect none of it to matter, especially when you step in their deposits at 3 a.m. in pitch black – it WILL happen! Buy smallest bag of puppy chow you can find. Your dog will hate first one, and second one and third one. Buying small will help you overcome horror of money you’ve just spent on 7th brand of dog food in 2 weeks. Strip naked or at very least to a swimsuit before bathing your dog. You WILL BE WET. No way to avoid it, even in a 2 foot deep sunken bathtub. Personal experience talking here. Prepare yourself for fact that toy you thought was SO COOL in store, will be sniffed and promptly ignored until end of time. Your dog will only like toys that will drive you most crazy. One of favorites in our house (NOT purchased by us) is a big skunk with a plastic bottle inside. Inside said plastic bottle is a marble. Aaaaaargh. ‘Nuff said.
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