# Puppy BARF Feeding?



## bize13 (Aug 16, 2012)

I am having trouble grasping what to give my pup on the BARF diet, in my fridge right now I have chicken meat, liver, and gizzards/hearts. Is this good? and how much of each?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I'd add some chicken necks to the balance. For my pup, I would feed 3 meals a day until about 16 weeks...for a total of 2# a day.
So about 2 necks, a half a liver, maybe a couple gizzard/hearts and then a 1/3# of ground. When your pup is able to eat bigger bones(my pup was at 8 weeks) a leg or thigh can be replaced by the necks. I also gave fresh(frozen) green tripe daily, and mixed some raw or hard boiled egg into the meal every other day. My dogs like them hard boiled more than raw.
IMO, a 1# leg 1/4 is about the perfect balance for a meal if the back is attached~there is usually some organ meat in the back, but not always.
It was hard to portion the 3 meals to not overfeed. When we cut out the mid day meal it was much easier. At about 3 months I added in fish oil(1000mg) and natural vitamin C(500mg) Don't give EsterC to a young pup, it has too much calcium. Have you looked at the  site? There is good info with a puppy spreadsheet.


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## bize13 (Aug 16, 2012)

i have read that site, but cant find a spread sheet at all. That is kind of what I am looking for. This monday I am going to get a hold of my local butcher and make some deals. I gave her some left over uncooked hamburger last week and she loved it


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I went to the site, and didn't find it either...site is a bit hard to navigate. 
Read the raw threads here, there are plenty of them! 

You need to be sure you are doing it right, for a growing pup it is important to have a good balance of meat/bone/organ.

Green tripe is great, w/natural digestive enzymes Here is a site with some good articles on raw feeding, you can purchase from them too. A Place for Paws - Columbiana, Ohio - Reference Articles

I buy my tripe from My Pet Carnivore | Raw dog, cat, and pet food including: tripe, beef, bones, chicken, duck, rabbit, turkey so I don't have to pay shipping. Many of us go in together on an order and split the $10 delivery fee(they come once a month to our area) 
If you have a meat processor, you may get better deals than a butcher. Many times they have a dog food grind available.


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## bize13 (Aug 16, 2012)

Thank you, I know need to understand the feeding method 100 percent before I switch to BARF completely, but it seems like everyone kinda has there own way of doing it. Some offer a lot more organs than others etc etc. Plus my puppy is picky about her food so that is another obstacle. Today she just looked at the chicken/liver/heart mix


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

You'll know from her poop if she's getting too much organ(runny) or bone(dry/chalky/or constipation) My balance ratio is 5% organ 50% muscle meat 45% rmb, but I'm not a perfectionist by any means! I just eyeball it and try to keep a balance every meal so there is consistency in digestion. 

How many times a day are you feeding her? Maybe searing her food quickly will bring out the aroma so she'll be more tempted to eat. I've never had a picky dog, especially a puppy.


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## bize13 (Aug 16, 2012)

I feed her at 7 am, around noon, 6 pm, and some evenings she is hungry at like 10PM so I give her some food because she just got over a case of hookworm. So I am trying to get her weight up to where it should be. Tuesday, at the vet, she weighed 15 pounds even at 10 weeks old.


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## bize13 (Aug 16, 2012)

the breeder had her on Diamond Naturals Lamb and Rice for large breed puppies, she slowed her eating habit about two weeks ago. I suspected worms and she ate less and less until I wormed her at the vet. Since the deworming she is eating more than before but still has much interest in the raw meat yet. other than the hamburger i gave her


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Are you giving her treats(training or otherwise?) Some dogs just aren't into raw. My mom has a small mix breed and he eats it when he wants, but will leave it often(or go try to bury it somewhere in the house) My stepdad found a raw chicken wing under his pillow! My mom fed him in his crate after that, but sometimes Chewy doesn't want to eat, will just let it sit until she pulls it. He will eat kibble but the same thing, he'd rather free feed than ~ set it down/gobble it up


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## bize13 (Aug 16, 2012)

yes she does get small treats for sitting, coming, laying down and such, but as I type this she is downing the mixture that I made earlier (meat, heart, and liver) I heated it out to bring out the aroma and she is loving it. Also gave her a lil pumpkin to help her stomach recover from the worms


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Yay! 
Some dogs won't eat the slime of liver, I tend to feed fish and liver a bit frozen due to the texture. 
One other thing that kick starts the appetite is cooked scrambled eggs with a bit of cheese....even sick dogs will usually eat it/ and it is fairly easy on the gut.


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## bize13 (Aug 16, 2012)

She has quite the weird eating habit, for a puppy at least. I think my plan is to grind up chicken and beef for her with some bones in there. I have a commercial grinder at my hunting camp that should be able to crush up the chicken bones pretty well. Until she gets used to the new feeding. 

You should see this she has 4 places where she has put meat right around her bowl.....so strange but ya gotta love her


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