I usually feed my dogs what amounts to no more than 1/2 cup of veggies - but this varies. Pups get at least 80% meaty bones, and the rest is veggies, other raw meat, eggs or whatever. The adults about 60%. I don't remember if I saw that in the book or not (probably) but that works well for them. When I first started I wasn't sure how much to feed my adult dog so I started at 3.5% of his bodyweight which was 60 pounds.

Sometimes I supplement, but I don't do it regularly - except for vitamin C. If you're feeding a balanced diet there's no need to.

You can relax about the diet - just watch your dogs and you'll learn what works for them.

So about 3 pounds of food per day for an 80 pound dog, and 1 pound of food for a 30 pound dog? If I'm still feeding dry kibble once per day, then I'd cut both the kibble and the barf portions in half?
60% of the food should be meat (including raw meaty bones) and the other 40% should be the veggies and other ingredients?

Okay, this is why I never started the BARF diet...math was never my strong suit and I go nuts trying to figure out what percent of what!!!! I know it would be better for them and I would get the hang of it but I get so intimadated!! :rolleyes:

I don't do percentages either. I started with Kymythy Schultzes book (ED sells it here), and she actually has recipes listed.
She states that a dog of 75 pounds should get 1 1/2 to 2 cups of muscle meat w/offal, 2 tablespoons veggies and meaty bone.

For my dog (65 pounds, trying to fatten him up), 2 1/2 cups of hamburger with 2 tablespoons of veggies. 3 Chicken backs.

Now I add oates, wheat germ, molasses, eggs and kelp powder to the hamburger, which I got from a recipe on the Dog Nutrition List. The kelp powder is rich in minerals and this is to help prevent mineral deficiency. I don't add the vitamin C, I do add a Omega 3 & 6 fatty acid supplement though. It's a liquid and I add about 3 tablespoons. I don't add dairy products, as I don't feel in the wild this is something they would get anyway but some do. I think everyone modifies these diets to some degree to fit their own personal preference of what's yummy for their dogs.

JParker,

I'm not sure how you should split that - I only feed my dogs once a day. You could try cutting the raw food to 1.5 pounds and adjust as needed.

I don't use exact percentages, but over time my dogs' diet is a little over half meaty bones - necks, backs, wings. The rest is other meat (ground or chunk), offal, veggies, eggs, etc.

I was nervous about it at first but after I started I got in a routine and it was much easier than I expected.

Pets4me,

If you are nervous about it you can find some sample diets on the web. I think you'll find it to be much easier than you expected.

WEll, I did use a calculator to figure the percentages! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Only 2 tablespoons of veggies? Man, I've been feeding way too many veggies if that's the case....I figure for a 4 pound batch (that's 3lb for the big dog and 1lb for the little dog), I'd use 2.4lb of meat and 1.6lb of veggies/other ingredients.

I would think the amounts and ratios would be pretty important for optimal nutrition. That's why I'm being so careful about it, I suppose. Am I really being to *anal* (pardon the expression) about this? Don't we need to worry about too many eggs resulting in high cholesterol or anything? Not enough meat resulting in poor muscle tone? Too much or not enough calcium, things like that?

BTW, the yogurt is partly for calcium, and I figure the live acidophilus cultures will help promote healthy digestion and decrease flatulence. I simply cannot have flatulent dogs. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Have you read Give Your Dog a Bone or The Ultimate Diet for Cats and Dogs? That may make you a bit more comfortable. When I started I had the same concerns you do.

I don't worry too much about ratios - more about balance over time. Each meal doesn't need to be balanced.

You can check this page out for some commonly asked questions. At the bottom there's a few more links. I hope it helps.
http://www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm

Thanks for the tips. I remember that site from when I was doing some research several months ago, but couldn't find it again! I've bookmarked it this time!

Again, it depends on whose recipe you use. Kymythy Schultze has fed her Newfs this way for 20 years, and she only uses 2 tablespoons veggies. Many proponents claim that canine in the wild only get veggies from the stomachs of the prey animals they consume, and that amount is small.
I don't measure exact either. I agree with the statement of not balancing every meal, but achieving balance over time. Some meals they might average more veggies, others less. As far as eggs go, according to the latest medical articles even humans consuming one egg per day, is now no longer considered bad for you. Of course as that goes, next year, they will probably be bad again..... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

For those who have never done barf, it is a definite must to have the books to undertand the whole theory behind it, plus it gives you recipes and tells you what not to feed. Kymythy recommends 2 veggies at a time, one from above the ground, one below the ground, and then rotate the 2 out every week but keep the concept of above/below ground. She says that way you will not create a deficiency of any one particular vitamin. Does that make sense?

The nice thing about feeding green tripe is that you don't have to worry so much about veggies.

But I also feed ground meat with pureed veggies (trimmings and wilted veggies from a friendly local organic market). I use about two cups puree to five pounds meat.

Incidentally, my green tripe supplier (greentripe.com) is just starting to offer a new product: green tripe with ground up trachea and gullet in it. She got the idea when she found that cattle tracheae and gullets are the main industrial source from which chondroitin sulfate is derived!