B.A.R.F. Diets: Biologically Appropriate Raw Food For Your Dog

I’m sure you’ve been hearing a lot about BARF diets lately. What
exactly is a BARF diet? Well, as the title of this article
states, it is Biologically Appropriate Raw Food. Basically, it
means feeding your dog raw bones, meat and vegetables.

Many health conscious veterinarians are now beginning to support
this type of diet over commercially prepared dog foods. Why?
Because most manufactured dog foods contain a tremendous amount
of grain products (which dogs have a hard time digesting), are
lacking in vitamins and minerals, plus contain added ingredients
such as food coloring, cancer-causing preservatives, and
artificial flavors, just to name a few unsavory ingredients.

What Are The Benefits Of A BARF Diet?

The truth is there are a lot of healthy advantages to switching
your dog over to a raw food diet. Aside from the nasty
ingredients listed above, this diet is much easier for your dog
to digest and provides a multitude of vitamins and minerals that
he/she would not normally get.

Owners of dogs that have switched have found that problems such
as skin irritations, food allergies, weight problems and a host
of various diseases have been significantly improved through
this diet. I can attest to this fact myself. My dog has stopped
vomiting her food up after eating, no longer sheds enough to
make 10 sweaters in a day, has not had any episodes of stiffness
with her arthritis in over 2 years, and her teeth are sparkling
clean with…get this… no bad breath! Another benefit is that
she no longer has that “doggy smell,” even after coming in from
the rain.

However, the overall benefit of the BARF diet is the improved
health and vitality of your dog. You will also find that your
dog will produce fewer stools that are smaller and not as
smelly, making clean up easier.

What Are The Disadvantages Of A Raw Food Diet?

Like with everything else, there are good points and there are
bad points. The two biggest problems with this diet are:

1) It takes longer to prepare. Obviously, you aren’t just
scooping out a bunch of kibble and tossing it into a bowl. A
BARF diet requires you to measure and weigh the correct amount
of meat, bones and vegetables according to your dog’s weight. A
rule of thumb is to serve your dog 2% to 3% of their body
weight. My dog weighs 75 pounds; therefore I give her 1 1/2 to 2
pounds of food per day (divided up with a meal in the morning
and one at suppertime). Most owners buy their meat in bulk then
repackage it into daily servings and freeze. Vegetables should
be chopped up fine. At least 50% of the meal should contain meat
and bones.

2) It can be slightly more expensive than commercial dog food
(unless you’re currently using a premium brand – in which case
this raw diet will probably be cheaper). If you keep your eyes
open and watch for sales, you can get a good amount of meat on
sale for a greatly reduced cost. It pays to invest in a deep
freeze for those times when you can buy a large bulk of meat at
a great price and stock up the freezer with pre-packaged meals.

What About Parasites and Choking On Bones?

A dog’s stomach has a much shorter digestive tract than humans
and it is very acidic. Therefore it quickly kills bacteria and
most parasites. The only recommendation that I would make is not
to feed your dog raw pork. Some raw dog food advocates state
that pork is okay for dogs, however pork carries some parasites
that will attach themselves to the intestinal walls. Even
cooking pork may not eliminate these larvae. I prefer to be safe
rather than sorry, so I tend to stick with beef and chicken.

As for bones, on occasion a dog may have a problem with bones.
However this rarely occurs. Most problems with bones occur if
they are cooked as then they can splinter and the sharp edges
will lodge and pierce the esophagus, stomach lining or
intestines. I take the time to carefully check over the raw
bones my dog gets, such as when I buy those packages of chicken
legs and thighs (attached together). I find there is a ribbing
of bones along the thigh that I cut off as some of the bones are
very sharp. Mainly, just do a quick check and cut off any small,
sharp bones that you find. Bones are important because they
provide calcium and help to clean your dog’s teeth as they
crunch them.

Before switching your dog over to a raw food diet, you should
take the time to research more about this approach. Talk to your
veterinarian, as well as talking to others who already have
their dogs on this diet. There are many forums online that you
can visit and post questions to. There are also several books
regarding this subject that will help you with your decision.
Feeding a BARF diet is definitely a way to improve the overall
health of your dog, and more importantly, you know exactly what
your dog is eating.