Schlagwortarchiv für: barf Katze

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The successful conversion to BARF feeding

Don't worry. You do not need a calculator and also no study, in order to convert your dog to a BARF feeding. For ourselves, we do not weigh every day whether we take enough calcium, iron, fat or protein to us!

It is important that the food is varied and fresh! This is true for the dog, as well as for ourselves!

In our previous blog posts, you will find detailed information on which vegetables/fruits and meats are suitable for feeding, what composition of muscle meat, fat, offal, bones, vegetables/fruits and oils the rations should have, and many other useful tips.

Ready to go?
To prepare, all you need to do is create some space in the freezer, get yourself a sharp knife with which you can easily cut meat and have a way to grate vegetables and fruit or chop them with a food processor, for example. A blender and a kitchen scale are also good helpers!

You can easily make the switch from one day to the next for a healthy dog. Do not mix dry food and fresh meat in any case!

It is important not to overload the digestive tract during the changeover. The stomach, pancreas and intestines must first adjust to the new food and nutrient composition. Introduce different types of meat gradually and also start initially without bones, offal and with only one type of vegetable.

Get started.
For the first week, start with an easily digestible muscle meat like turkey or chicken. You should also choose only one type of vegetable at first. Carrots or zucchini are best for this.

Natural food tip: Mix the best directly the sufficient amount for a whole week together! Then simply portion, freeze and defrost as needed!

As a source of fat add to the lean meat a little goose fat, lard, butter fat or coconut fat.

Ready for the next step?
If meat and vegetables are well tolerated, you can now add chicken necks or wings as a supplementary bone portion. If you do not want to or cannot feed bones, algae lime, deer horn meal or eggshell powder should be added as a calcium source. Offal such as chicken liver can now also be added to the feed bowl.

Give your dog 1-2 weeks until you introduce the next protein source, e.g. beef. If this is well tolerated, now also feed animal by-products such as rumen, leaf stomach, cartilage, etc. to.

Observe your dog's digestion and always take the next step only when there are certainly no digestive problems. Otherwise, take a step back and wait until everything has normalized.

What you can do to support your dog during the transition?
Diarrhea or even vomiting may occur during the first few days. However, these symptoms should subside after 2-3 days at the latest. You can support your dog by giving him intestinal bacteria (probiotics such as Probiotic or Basis-Damaufbau) to build up the intestinal flora. To calm the stomach, flaxseed mucilage can be given about 15 minutes before feeding in case of vomiting and occasional spitting.

After the conversion
It is sufficient to feed about 3 different types of meat (protein sources) in alternation after the successful conversion. For fruits, vegetables and herbs, alternate as you see fit based on season and availability. The more varied the vitamin sources, the better.

You will see the positive effect of the change of feed:

  • the amount of stool becomes smaller
  • the chair becomes firmer
  • the dog drinks less
  • Better defined muscles
  • Shiny coat
  • more pleasure from eating

 

Food refusal?
If your dog refuses the new food, try one of the following tricks:

  • Pour warm broth over meat and vegetables
  • Lightly fry meat in coconut fat
  • Sauté the vegetables, puree and mix into the meat

Some dogs are spoiled due to the flavor enhancers in the ready-made foods and must first learn to classify and accept the new food as "edible"! The dog can do without food for 2 days as long as there is always enough fresh water available. So stay consistent 🙂 You will see! Once tried, the industrial food is quickly forgotten.

If you have any questions or problems, feel free to contact us!

If the effort is too great or you are unsure, ready-mixed Barf menus are also excellent. These already have a good mix ratio of marbled muscle meat, offal, minced bones, vegetables / fruit and oil.

Get started! It's never too late to eat healthy!

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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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