Is the BARF Diet Better For Your Dog?

It used to be simple to feed your dog. You would buy some kind of dry dog chow and throw in some table scraps. As veterinary science became more advanced, veterinarians began to study nutrition. The...

It used to be simple to feed your dog. You would buy some kind of dry dog chow and throw in some table scraps. As veterinary science became more advanced, veterinarians began to study nutrition. They realized that, just as for people, diet has a big impact on overall health. It became clear that grain based, processed dog food was not adequate to support a dogs health. There are now many high quality, meat based dog foods available with no artificial colors or fillers.

Now, another type of diet is becoming more popular. It is the BARF diet. This refers to bones and raw foods, or biologically appropriate raw food. The person behind this trend is Dr. Ian Billinghurst. Proponents of the BARF diet believe that, as dogs are descendants of the wolf, dogs will benefit from eating the way wolves eat in the wild. They believe that wild animals thrive because they do not eat processed food.

The BARF diet consists of 60% raw, meaty bones, 25% meat from organs, such as kidney, liver, tripe and brains. They also include fish and chicken carcasses. 15% of the diet is made up of vegetables and grains. In order to make sure the dogs get all the nutrients they need, proponents of the BARF diet supplement this raw food with oils, such as cod liver and flax seed oil, as well as vitamins, kelp powder and yogurt. I do not quite understand why, if this diet is so superior to high quality, commercial dog foods, there should be a need to add supplements. I doubt the healthy wolves in the wild supplement their diet.

Pet owners and breeders, and even veterinarians that feed their dogs BARF, claim the diet is what dogs were designed to eat, long before they became domesticated. Feeding this diet is believed to improve digestion, stop chronic diarrhea, improve coat and skin and strengthen the immune system. This feeding plan is a lot of work and is also expensive, which makes it impractical for many of us.

It should be noted that there are no scientific studies that show the BARF diet is better for dogs. There is always a chance of the dog getting sick from bacteria, like E. Coli and salmonella. Another problem is the risk of a shard of bone perforating the intestine. This can be fatal.

Fortunately, their are now many dog food brands that provide quality, meat based foods that include the vegetables, grains and all the other nutrients required for a healthy dog. If you choose one of these commercially prepared dog foods, that contain no artificial colors or fillers, and add a human grade, all natural pet vitamin, your dog will enjoy all the benefits of the BARF diet with less work, expense, and risk.

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