Jump to content

Adding carb to BARF - very lean lurcher


Recommended Posts

Saluki / Collie / Greyhound lurcher 3 years, very light build 26" height around 20kg weight. I've always had her on lamb/ chicken/ beef/ tripe/ eggs/ tinned fish, as much as I can get her to eat - around 1lb / day summer, closer to 1 1/2lb / day winter. I've noticed she is keen on grazing (not normally to bring up bile)  the lush patches of grass, tips of goose grass in the spring and is often to be found in the cattle feed picking out the molasses. I was wondering about trying making BARF mince with veg and cooked rice, pasta or potatoes mixed in to try and get a little more weight on her. I think there's a big hobart mincer kicking around here somewhere. Bar a few injuries her health has been fine, so I could be worrying about nothing, but she does look a bit borderline neglect case, especially with that manky look they get to their coat in the summer and I'm getting sick of concerned dog ladies asking me if I'm feeding her properly.

Anyone successfully supplemented meat and bone? She's a fussy fecker and tends to refuse things like kitchen scraps mixed with pilchards or minced tripe. Here's a photo for judgement :laugh:

DSC00696.thumb.JPG.1eb750afbbe2397a16202668775832af.JPG

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

A side picture would be better but for her breeding she doesn't look overly thin to me ... loads of ways of getting weight on fatty beef goats milk eggs fish a slice of brown bread a day ... take out the pasta and potatoes and add more meat ... I've had lurchers that needed 2lbs of meat to keep them at a sensible weight .....

  • Like 5
Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks Socks, so you reckon to stick with meat and animal products? I remember reading the idea that saluki types sometimes do well with some rice / pasta carbohydrate in their diets. Now autumn is coming, I'm going to shift feeding time to later in the evening so there's more time to get out and try to get her to eat a small meal in the morning. I'm giving her as much as she'll eat and quickly taking up anything not eaten (only dog). Here's a better photo, her ribs are a bit more obvious when moving around.crop1.thumb.JPG.ddb5d572814c9e393641bc954d2f521f.JPG

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Looks fine to me also CM. I'd keep on keeping on with what she's on.

Some dogs are just lean, raw boned types, got one here the same, though mine eats like a horse and leaves his bowl spinning!

So many variables that can have him going from a show stopper to a rescue case, harder graft, not enough graft, longer runs, colder weather (when out), knocks and cuts, diet changes, wormers and medicin etc etc... And over the years i've tried to combat his weight/condition through diet alone but come to realise all those different things are just the norm and these days i keep to a good diet and know he will never stay in top nick throughout the year but thats ok because he lives a full active, working life....

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 11 months later...

You don't need to add carbs you need to add more kcals, easiest from fat. 

Crack an egg over the meals your already feeding.

Add a spoon of oil, add a tin of fish, add some beef dripping or goose fat. 

Add salmon oil.

Just feed a larger quantity of what your already feeding. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Strangely a year after that photo was taken, now at four years old, the dog was weighed on the electronic vet scales for anaesthetic > xray and she has put on 2kg or 10%. I suspect a good part of that is increased muscle. Don't know where that came from as I never could get her to eat much more and exercise has remained the same.

Got a few more weeks lead walk only, but all good because that day I was expecting an operation and possibly not great recovery from injury.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...