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Festive roast for dog and cat?

Christmas is just around the corner and one or the other of us is looking forward to the holiday roast or Christmas goose! And of course we also want our dogs and cats to get a special treat for Christmas!

Unfortunately, this often backfires. Because some dogs and cats react rather with vomiting or diarrhea to the unfamiliar food. And a well-intentioned feeding of the strongly spiced sauce or the leftover bones of our tasty Christmas dinner, ends in the worst case for our dog in the veterinary hospital.

Rather surprise your four-legged friend with a tasty chew item such as dried beef or rabbit ears or delicious dried or fresh chicken necks. Chicken necks are also a great Christmas snack for cats.

So that it can be a merry Christmas for all, here again an overview of the types of meat that you can basically feed and what to consider when feeding bones! Even if Christmas is beautifully long gone!

 

The animal portion of the ration should be about 70% for the dog and about 95% for the cat! No matter whether you feed barfen, dry food or wet food.

To keep your pet healthy, it is important to bring variety into the bowl. The variety ensures that he or she regularly gets all the necessary vitamins, minerals, trace elements and vital substances! However, 2-3 different protein sources in alternation are completely sufficient!
It applies: in principle, all types of meat can be fed!

Attention. The following list applies to healthy animals that do not have to do without certain foods due to illness!

 

Beef, sheep, goat, lamb:

  • Muscle meat such as head meat, cheek meat, diaphragm meat (crown meat), stab meat (neck), mouth meat, tongue meat, leg meat, tail meat, heart, etc.
  • Offal like liver, kidney, rumen (green), lung
  • Hooves, teeth, ears, horns to gnaw and chew on

 

Poultry: ducks, chickens, turkeys, pheasants

  • whole, minced or in cuts
  • Meat, cartilage, bones (only raw!!!), offal, necks.
  • WARNING! Goose necks are very fat
  • Day-old chicks represent a complete prey animal

 

Game: excellent source of meat if you have a good source of game meat

 

Horse: all parts as for cattle

  • is often used in case of allergies, as far as the animal has never been given this protein source before

 

Pig:

  • only from organic farmers, or from a reliable source, since pork can contain the Aujeszky virus, which is dangerous and usually fatal for dogs and cats.

 

Fish: Bones can be fed with raw fish without any problems

  • Fish can be fed as a whole or as a fillet
  • Saltwater fish: redfish, herring, tuna, cod, salmon, mackerel, dorade
  • Freshwater fish: catfish, pike-perch, trout, carp, pike...
  • because of the heavy metal pollution in the sea please pay attention to the origin or switch to freshwater fish
  • No Pacific salmon due to rickettsiae contamination -> 4-6 weeks freezing at -18°C renders the pathogens harmless
  • ATTENTION: when feeding whole fish in front of fishhook

 

Bones: always feedraw

  • Feed raw meaty bones (RFK) with a meat content of 50%.
  • Do not leave especially inexperienced dogs unattended in the process
  • for small, young or old dogs are suitable softer RFK such as chicken necks, chicken carcasses, rabbit carcasses, or the like (be careful with bones from old chickens! These bones can be brittle and break off sharp parts).
  • experienced and larger dogs can also get harder bones like: Turkey necks, duck necks, lamb ribs, venison ribs, veal breast bone or beef breast bone.
  • Bones can be replaced by adding eggshells (powder), deer horn meal or algal lime.

 

Offal: 

  • Liver, kidney, spleen, lung, heart ( heart strictly speaking counts as muscle meat).
  • Offal can alternatively be replaced by the addition of brewer's yeast, cod liver oil and egg yolk

 

Fat: To supplement the fat content of the ration, fats such as lamb fat, lard, goose fat or coconut fat can be added. This is also recommended for Barf menus whose raw fat content is less than 10%.

 

We wish you happy holidays! 

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BARF basic rules for dogs

In our consultations, we always find that BARF still scares off many dog and cat owners! Many fear it is too complicated or are afraid to make mistakes. And that is certainly not entirely unjustified!

But a biologically species-appropriateraw feedingcan be quite simple, if you follow a few basic rules!

  • BARF does not simply mean feeding pure muscle meat!
  • For dogs, the BARF meal should consist of about 70% animal ingredients and about 30% vegetable ingredients.
  • animal components: Important for the supply of all nutrients is a mixture of approx. 50% marbled muscle meat (with fatcontent), 15% offal such as liver, kidney, lung or similar, 15% rumen or leafy stomach and approx. 20% bones (minced or raw).
  • vegetable components: Vegetables, herbs and fruit can be fed grated raw or steamed and pureed. The proportion of vegetables should predominate and fruit should only make up about 1/4.
  • In addition, carbohydrates in the form of pseudocereals (swollen millet, buckwheat, quinoa, amaranth) can be incorporated into the 30% vegetable portion. Cooked potatoes or sweet potatoes are also possible.
  • In addition, the addition of fats/oils is important for the utilization of fat-soluble vitamins and for the supply of omega 3,6 and 9 fatty acids. Salmon oil or linseed oil are particularly suitable. As a fat supplement to a lean meal, lamb fat, goose fat or coconut oil are suitable.
  • It is not necessary to always cover all components in every meal. What is important is a regular supply of everything throughout the week.

Play it safe with BARF menus, which already have the right mixing ratio of all important animal ingredients and you no longer have to put together anything yourself. Please pay attention to a sufficient fat content. If this is below 8-10%, you should add coconut fat, goose fat, lamb fat or butter fat.

  • For the Feeding amount is always based on the target weight of the dog.
    • Young dogs: 4-5% of body weight in g
    • adult dogs: approx. 2-3% of the body weight depending on the activity level
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What vegetables and fruits to feed barf?

As already mentioned in "BARF basic rules for dogs", a BARF meal should consist of approx. 70-80% animal components and approx. 20-30% plant components.
In nature, the dog, like its relatives the wolf and the wild dog, would eat the digestive tract of its prey, filled with plant fiber, to meet its need for plant food components.
Dietary fiber helps cleanse the intestines, supports intestinal peristalsis and also supplies important digestive enzymes.

The proportion of vegetables should be approx. 2/3 and the proportion of fruit 1/3. This corresponds to a crude fiber content of approx. 0.4%. Larger amounts have a negative effect on digestibility and also increase the amount of feces.

But which fruits and vegetables are most suitable and which should not be fed under any circumstances?
The following information is designed for feeding healthy dogs. For sick animals, individual varieties or the type of preparation may differ for therapeutic reasons.

Fruits and vegetables can be fed raw grated or lightly steamed and then mashed. There are specialties such as potatoes that should NEVER be fed RAW.

Suitable vegetables:

  • Carrots
  • Zucchini
  • Pumpkin
  • Lamb's lettuce, arugula and other green salads
  • Chinese cabbage (does not bloat and is easily digestible)
  • Parsnips
  • Potatoes (boil!)
  • Sweet potatoes (boil!)
  • Spinach, chard, beet in moderation because of the high content of nitrate and oxalic acid.
  • Celery and fennel in moderation because of the essential oils (1x per week)
  • red bell bell pepper (ALL green parts MUST be removed)
  • very ripe tomatoes

Gemüse- und Obstsorten bei Naturfutter im Angebot:

Nitrate: Nitrate is converted to nitrite in the body and is the precursor of carcinogenic nitrosamines.

Oxalic acid: Vegetables containing oxalic acid bind calcium in the body and are therefore not suitable, especially for growing dogs. In addition, it can lead to calcium oxalate stones (bladder/urinary stones).

DO NOT feed:

  • raw beans
  • raw legumes
  • raw potatoes
  • Onion plants (the toxic amount for the dog is 5g per kg body weight).
  • green and yellow peppers
  • unripe tomatoes

Garlic is quite healthy for the dog when fed in small quantities and helps with parasite defense. The toxic amount is, as with onions, 5g per kg body weight! A clove weighs in about 3g!

Suitable fruit varieties:

  • Apples
  • Pears
  • Blueberries
  • Blackberries
  • Raspberries
  • Strawberries
  • Bananas, mango, kiwi and other very sweet fruits only in moderation because of the high sugar content

Forbidden fruits:

  • Grapes and raisins are toxic to some dogs. Some tolerate them very well. The exact cause is unclear, possibly sprays are the trigger. Always remove seeds because of the prussic acid content!
  • Elderberries
  • Cape gooseberries
  • Star Fear
  • Quince

If your dog refuses fruits and vegetables, there are 2 tricks you can try:

  • Mix well pureed fruit/vegetables into the meat
  • pour over fish oil, yogurt or broth (not instant broth)

Herbs:

Wild and garden herbs should be a regular part of your dog's diet. They provide important secondary plant compounds and omega 3 fatty acids.

  • Parsley, basil, dill, bordet, chervil, lovage, nettle, dandelion, tarragon, alfalfa, goutweed, yarrow, sorrel, field horsetail, rosemary, peppermint, sage

Medicinal herbs such as devil's claw, St. John's wort, raspberry leaf, comfrey, cat's claw, and many others should only be fed for therapeutic measures.

Just use seasonally the fruits, vegetables and herbs that you also buy for your kitchen and give your dog some of it! Dried Barf fruit or flakes only conditionally replace the vitamin diversity of fresh vegetables and fruits, but are still a good alternative.

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BARF basic rules for cats

Free-rangers eat up to 12 meals a day in the form of mice, birds, etc.! So they take their food periodically in smaller quantities. Unlike the dog, whose digestion is designed to take very large amounts of food at one time and then sometimes nothing for a long time.

From their prey, cats eat mainly meat and bones, heart and brain. Unlike dogs, cats usually leave the digestive tract of their prey lying around. They apparently do not need the plant nutrients it contains. Cats also cannot utilize carbohydrates for lack of the carbohydrate-splitting enzyme needed for digestion. They are pure carnivores!

What does this mean for the feeding of domestic cats? After all, their nutritional needs are the same as those of their free-roaming friends?
The best food you can offer your cat is a meal consisting of 95% fresh raw meat, fat, cartilage and bone and 5% fiber.

BARF for cats

  • The meat content may well include 25-30% whole or ground bones in addition to marbled muscle meat, liver, heart meat.
  • If the cat refuses them or you can not feed them, calcium must be added in the form of eggshell powder.
  • You can feed fiber in the form of coconut flakes, rice flakes, spelt flakes or sesame flakes. These fibers replace the fur of the prey animal and they stimulate intestinal activity.
  • Suitable herbs are parsley, catnip or cat grass.
  • Ideally, like the outdoor cats, your house cat will have the opportunity to eat its meals in several portions throughout the day.

Additives

  • Salmon oil is an important source of omega 3 fatty acids and arachidonic acid
  • the amino acid taurine, which is essential for the cat, should be supplemented daily e.g. by green-lipped mussel powder if the requirement is not covered by feeding e.g. chicken hearts (heart meat in general), lamb, fish (cod, fresh tuna) or shrimps/seafood with the meal.

The feeding quantity is always based on the target weight of the cat.

  • 2 - 6 months: 4 -5% of body weight in g
  • from 6 months: 3 to 3.5% of body weight in g
  • Seniors: 2 - 2.5% of body weight in g

There are now also BARF menus for cats with an optimal, ready mix. As an alternative, cold-filled wet foods are available. Since they are not heated to high temperatures, heat-labile nutrients such as taurine are also preserved and no synthetic vitamins or other nutrients need to be added again afterwards.

 

Fluid requirements
Cats cover their fluid needs in nature by the blood of prey animals and drink otherwise quite little. Therefore, feeding dry food is strongly discouraged, as cats will not automatically drink more. Lack of fluids and highly concentrated urine stresses the kidneys and can lead to urinary stones.

 

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