Why not Beef & Bones?

[candi&champagne]

I am just starting with this Barf diet reasearch...and I am curious why it is always chix parts? Is there something wropng with feeding beef? Does a dog become wild at all eating raw meat? It kinda scares me and makes me think she would bite a person for meat...any input any one?:confused: :confused: :confused:

 

[Jeanne]

Chicken backs and necks have the proper meat to bone ratio for a balanced diet and are easily chewed up by the dogs. Most beef bones aren't easily chewed up by dogs and it's harder to balance the diet. I have also found that it's more common for allergies to pop up with beef than other meats. Cost is also a factor, as chicken (and turkey) parts are cheaper. I also feed lamb neck when I find it marked down in the store, and the dogs love it. As far as becoming aggressive on the diet, I sure haven't seen it. What I have seen is dogs that were picky eaters become food ahoics

 

[myrocky]

If you are looking for RMBs then yes chic is always far cheaper. However my dog gets beef once a week for his muscle meat meal and he also gets soup bones 2-3times a week which are beef as well.

 

[None-removed]

My boy gets beef daily, 12-14 ounces of raw steak with the bone finely ground and 1 or 2 raw beef knuckle bones a week for recreational chewing. He hasn't turned wild yet - turning wild would mean turning off Animal Planet and getting off the couch...and I just don't see that happening. :D

 

[Tam319]

I was wondering this myself too as I have a free cow for BARF and want to feed free beef instead of cheap chicken. Why not? I understand the meat:bone ratio isn't the same for beef, plus the bones are harder to chew. Any other reason? By the sounds of it Cubby has a way around it by feeding ground bone in addition to beef. How do you determine how much bone to add?

Is there any other reason why I shouldn't be feeding beef?

Tam & The 3 Rowdy Boo Boos

 

[Jan]

I guess you would weigh the ground bone and add an equivalent amount of meat.

As far as I know there is no reason not to feed beef. It's just too expensive for most people. :(

 

[JennaP]

Tam,

My girl has poultry allergies and I had to feed beef, lamb and pork exclusively. I buy big chewer bones from my butcher so she still is ripping the meat and cleaning her teeth and I found a relatively inexpensive calcium suppliment from www.animalessentials.com . Buying bone dust from your butcher would probably work too. The animal essential product gives you the recommended dosage of course 1tsp per pound of food. I personally see no reason at all NOT to feed beef. My girl does just fine on it.


as for the dog going wild because you feed it raw, that is a myth. our dogs are domesticated animals. that did not happen overnight, are you going back to swinging on trees because you eat bananas a lot??? When you really consider it, it is ridiculous. :rolleyes: Raw is simply a healthier natural diet for your domesticated wolf. Think of it this way, when you pour kibble into your dog's bowl it's like feeding yourself a vitamin suppliment daily but only eating twinkies at meal times. eventually, you are not going to be healthy because all your needs are not being met. we need balance, as do our animals.

Best of luck in your research, be sure to do a search on this website for recommended reading material.

This other website has a nice list of books worth reading and ones to skip, http://freespace.virgin.net/maralyn.olsen/books.html


Jenna

 

[susan fulcher]

Some holistic vets treat allergies by selecting meats that are cooling. beef is considered a cool meat. Chicken is a very hot meat. During the summer days I feed more beef, buffalo, lamb and very little chicken.

 

[None-removed]

Be very, very careful giving ANY cooked bones - especially bones with sharp edges and shards like porterhouse or T-bone. Cooked bones become very brittle, and are easily broken and become a big choking and perforation hazard for the dog. I give my boy T-bones that I buy in bulk, and frankly, I don't even like the sharp edges raw, which is why I grind the bones for him. If you decide to give him cooked bones, let him have them only under close supervision.

 

[susan fulcher]

be very careful. We just had a customer whose husband doesn't believe in feeding raw but thought it was okay to give his golden the bone from a T- bone steak he ate at a resturant. Well guess who ate the bone and had a $2000.00 surgery because the sharp T-bone went down and punctured his lungs and did some other damages. his golden retriever was very lucky to have survived.