Sharda's Article about BARF

[Sarah]

Hello and welcome everyone!

This is Sharda with an all natural dog food newsletter!

I’m sure you’ve heard the term BARF diet a couple of times, right? I also believe that some readers of mine use this certain all natural dog food diet for their dogs.

But have you really tried to sit down and understand what the BARF diet really is?

Well don’t worry because we will be talking about his certain type of all natural dog food diet today.

Let’s start shall we?


ALL NATURAL DOG FOOD - THE BARF DIET

One really important thing to know about BARF diet (besides what the letters stand for) is to know that if you do choose to feed this all natural dog food diet, DO NOT FEED COOKED BONES.

They will splinter and can cause fatal internal damage to your dog. And now – what does BARF stand for?

Seems you can say it stands for a couple of things, but the most often cited explanation is Bones And Raw Food. The other one floating around on the Internet is Biologically Appropriate Raw Food, which is attributed to Dr. Ian Billinghurst, one of the original Barfers.

Whatever the case, the best way to understand the most popular BARF foods is to look at the ingredients themselves. For this we went to the original BARF World (home of Dr. Ian Billinghurst) and looked at the ingredients of his fresh frozen patties.

You'll find the ingredients quite interesting and note the ABSENCE of grains.

* Chicken BARF patties ingredients

Chicken, Finely Ground Chicken Bones, Chicken Liver, Egg, Cultured Kefir, Broccoli, Celery, Spinach, Carrot, Ground Flax Seed, Bok Choy, Dried Alfalfa Meal, Apple, Pear, Grapefruit, Orange, Dried Kelp Powder, Cod Liver Oil, Garlic, Capsicum, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Oxide, Manganous Oxide.
* Beef BARF patties ingredients

Beef, Finely Ground Beef Bones, Beef Liver, Egg, Cultured Kefir, Broccoli, Celery, Spinach, Carrot, Ground Flax Seed, Bok Choy, Dried Alfalfa Meal, Beef Kidney, Unbleached Beef Tripe, Apple, Pear, Grapefruit, Orange, Dried Kelp Powder, Cod Liver Oil, Garlic, Capsicum, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Oxide, Manganous Oxide.
* Lamb BARF patties ingredients

Lamb, Finely Ground Lamb Bones, Lamb Liver, Egg, Cultured Kefir, Broccoli, Celery, Spinach, Carrot, Ground Flax Seed, Bok Choy, Dried Alfalfa Meal, Lamb Kidney, Unbleached Lamb Tripe, Apple, Pear, Grapefruit, Orange, Dried Kelp Powder, Cod Liver Oil, Garlic, Capsicum, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Oxide, Manganous Oxide.
* Combination BARF patties ingredients

Beef, Lamb, Chicken, Pork, Finely Ground Beef Bones, Beef Liver, Egg, Cultured Kefir, Broccoli, Celery, Spinach, Carrot, Ground Flax Seed, Bok Choy,Dried Alfalfa Meal, Beef Kidney, Unbleached Beef Tripe, Apple, Pear, Grapefruit, Orange, Dried Kelp Powder, Cod Liver Oil, Garlic Capsicum, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Oxide, Manganous Oxide.


Bottom line, BARF diet is about feeding dogs (and cats) properly with all natural dog food. That would mean properly according to BARF proponents who say that you need to feed a dog the diet it was evolved to eat, bone and raw foods, NOT grains etc.

You can add supplements, but other than that, Mother Nature's best is what supposedly works well for our canine companion’s dog nutrition – who evolved from WOLVES.

Wolves and their evolutionary descendents rely on bones as a major part of their diet for things like teeth cleaning, etc. Trouble is, over time we have taken our dogs away from their roots and started feeding them grains and other things they would not typically eat in the wild.

You won't find zoo animals being fed an artificial grain-based diet. Pet food companies certainly don't hold with the BARF theory, and in fact, a good many Veterinarians do not either.


BARF diet is about feeding a biologically appropriate all natural dog food that is made up of raw whole foods like those eaten by their ancestors. This would include muscle meat, bone, fat, organ meat and vegetable materials and any other foods that mimic what the wild ancestors ate.

BARF diet isn't about duplicating what wolves ate in case you are wondering; it is about getting as close as possible to what they ate – in other words mimicking their diet.

What BARF diet aims for is to provide our dogs with a diet combined with an environment that maximizes their best health and dog nutrition. What that means to someone who feeds BARF is feeding a biologically appropriate all natural dog food diet rather than a natural diet.

It does seem a little complicated at first, as is anything when you first try something new. However, if you do your research properly and thoroughly, it isn't hard to do.

It is tricky making sure you get the supplement ratios right, but this too passes as you get more familiar with the BARF diet.

The whole philosophy behind BARF is to feed a balanced and all natural dog food diet over time – not all right at once.

This should take some of the pressure off you to "get it right" if you are going to try this diet. If you decide to go ahead with this all natural dog food diet then I suggest that you consult with your vet first before giving your dog anything.

I really hope you learned a LOT of things from today’s all natural dog food newsletter.

All the best and take care

Warmly,

[Nat]

A vet at the Western College of Vetrinary Medicine cautioned a friend of mine NOT to feed raw meat due to the greater possibility of harmful bacteria. What do you think about that?

[Sarah]

I use to feed my dog raw beef, and game meat all the time. Had no problem.. Dogs come from the wild, and they eat raw meat. I see nothing wrong with it, in fact I believe it's healthier than the kibble or canned food that can be given. Having said that. Foul is different, I would cook that before feeding. I would also cook fish now before eating.