[cassy1]

Anyone read how long this ACTUALLY has been going on? I'm guessing for awhile, and we probably won't know the exact dates, ever. What is it going to take, human lives before the govt does anything?

[jlvs2run]

Thanks to all for the great thread and responses.

My first dog was 1/2 black lab, rhodesian ridgeback, looked just like a lab except for his hair going the other direction in the middle of his back and very slightly in the bridge of his nose. Great dog. I fed him regular dog food from the store, plus lots of carrots and veggies. He was very healthy (I thought) and ran 3 or 4 miles with me a few times a week. People thought he was 3 or 4 years old.

At 11 years I took him to the vet for the required rabies vaccination, and the vet "highly" recommended the full range of vaccines "just to make sure". A few months later I went out one morning and my dog wasn't getting up off his hind legs. I carried him to the car and in to the vet to find out what was happening. The vet said his bones were wearing out from old age and tried to get 50 bucks from me for a little bottle of calcium tablets. My dog was eating less and less. I gave him fresh carrot and veggie juices to drink but then he stopped eating completely and died 2 weeks later. He never did get back up on his legs. I buried him in the back yard and was very upset. In fact I am still very upset that he died.

I didn't even think of another dog for two years, then on the spur of the moment called the animal shelter and asked if they had any short hair border collies. The fellow said they had two. I went in and one of them was so quiet and peaceful that I brought him home with me. He was very scraggly with thin legs and body and thin hair. He smelled bad. They said he was maybe 18 months to 3 years, walked him around and he was afraid of cats. I said that's fine, as long as he doesn't like them (neighbor's cats were destroying my garden). Anyway he wasn't really a border collie, but more like a whippet/dalmation mix, very peaceful and calm, his tail curling up over his back at times, black and white. This was 5 years ago.

I looked up everything possible on the net, joined some yahoo groups, and started feeding the BARF diet to him. He started filling out immediately, getting stronger, his hair filled out, and 6 months later stayed out all winter on his own. I'd gotten a dog house for him and he only went inside it maybe 3 times all winter. He sometimes stayed under a "lean to" that I'd made by the fence but most of the time preferred being right out in the open.

Sorry for all the details. Anyway, the diet I give him is 1 chicken leg quarter every three days. At first it was every day for awhile, he was getting a bit too bit so then every two days, and now every three days. I give him an egg once every three days, the other times carrots twice a day, and various other veggies, corn, peas, green beans, broccoli and califlower. In the summer he loves watermelon rinds and nothing is left of them but the skin. All of this is raw and not cooked.

The first time I handed a raw chicken leg quarter to him, he took it gently from my hand and I wondered what would happen as it was as big as his head. He started chewing and then I heard "crunchhh, crunchhh, crunchhh" and had to laugh, he had no problem with that at all, I was just glad to get my fingers out of the way first! The really interesting thing is he is filled out, looks at least 5 pounds heavier and has some muscles on him now, but he's still the same 35 pounds as the first week that I got him.

In the process of finding out about BARF, I discovered how terrible all of the commercial pet foods really are, and that they, plus the vaccinations, are what shortened the life and killed my first dog. From now on I always feed my dog BARF, and stay away from any vaccinations not required.

By the way, I had eaten plenty of grains every day for many years but stopped eating them completely last fall. Instead, I am eating many more veggies. I was concerned about finding enough to eat but am very happy with the change and am feeling much better with it. The reason I changed was a friend was having a problem with incontinence. I had looked on the net and found some pet owners who said eliminating grains got rid of that problem in their pets - so I thought maybe it would work for my friend and it did. I wasn't having any problems but like to be healthy so I made the same change for myself - and I am very glad that I did.

[vpcats]

I don't understand about giving chicken legs to dogs. I ALWAYS thought that one of the easiest things that a dog could choke on was a chicken bone.

[jlvs2run]

Raw bones are soft, easy to chew, digest, and are readily available.

Dogs have the same physiology as wolves and coyotes, who regularly chew up raw bones in the wild.

I consider raw bones to be the #1 part of the diet for my dog.

Never give cooked bones to a dog. Cooked bones are brittle, could stick in the dog's throat and cause choking.

[vpcats]

OHHHHHHH. Thanks for that info. So then not even a bone from a pig's thigh or from a chunk of red meat if it's cooked????

[jlvs2run]

Originally Posted by vpcats

OHHHHHHH. Thanks for that info. So then not even a bone from a pig's thigh or from a chunk of red meat if it's cooked????

You're welcome.

Raw bones from a pig or cow are fine, depending on the size of the dog.

I don't give anything cooked to my dog.

You could mix up some meat and veggies in a blender with a little water, but as long as the dog can chew there is no reason to do that. It's better for the dog's teeth to chew if it is able to do this, and also for digestion. Small dogs can be given raw necks and wings as the raw bones are smaller and easier for them to chew. Large raw cow leg bones would be good for larger dogs to chew on for their teeth. Too high a percentage of meat in the diet would be too rich, so it's good to have the balance with raw bones, meat, and veggies.

[cleosmom]

Originally Posted by vpcats

OHHHHHHH. Thanks for that info. So then not even a bone from a pig's thigh or from a chunk of red meat if it's cooked????

Pork can be a cause of pancreatitis, you might want to discuss that with your vet first.

[vpcats]

Originally Posted by cleosmom

Pork can be a cause of pancreatitis, you might want to discuss that with your vet first.

Even for the bone? I meant just the leg bone not the meat per se.

[cleosmom]

Originally Posted by vpcats

Even for the bone? I meant just the leg bone not the meat per se.

That I'm uncertain of, somehow I was thinking you were going to use a pig leg, my bad been one long day

[BlueWillowPlate]

I was wondering when someone was going to post about the BARF diet.
The breeder of my Elwood does this with her mastiffs.
We don't do BARF, we just feed Canidae (and until the recall, a couple other high end foods.) I have no doubt that the BARF diet can be beneficial, it's just not for our household.

I've had (and observed) some interesting experiences with bones, both raw and cooked.
When I fed raw soup bones (I think they were the knuckle?) my dogs actually consumed the *entire* bone, then got diahrrea.
There is a dog down the street from us who gets cooked chicken bones almost every single day. I kid you not. Maybe some day his number will come up, and that will be the end of him. His owners are elderly and they obviously are treating him in what they think is the proper way to have a dog--chained to a tree all day, fed outside. I am sure they would laugh in my face if I told them otherwise. Anyway, we stop by and offer him a pet and my dog looks enviously at the bowlfull of chicken.