SolveYourProblem.com Article Series: Dog Care
Dog Care Tips
What
Is The BARF Diet?
It actually sounds kind of gross, but BARF
is an acronym for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food
or Bones and Raw Food. Many health conscious veterinarians are huge
advocates for this diet which can completely replace commercially
prepared dog food. One of the first proponents of the BARF
diet was Dr. Ian Billinghurst who still recommends it today.
He believes that it is the ultimate way to get our pets in
to optimum health. Many people believe that the BARF diet simulates
what your dog would eat in his natural environment.
Many people feel that there are a lot
of health advantages to feeding a raw food diet. Many owners who have dogs with
problems such as allergies, skin problems, weight problems,
and anal gland problems have found that the bones and raw food
diet has helped to significantly remedy these issues.
Some of the advantages to feeding a biologically appropriate
raw food diet include no consumption of preservatives found
in most commercially prepared kibble diets, it usually tastes
better to your dog than regular dog food, and in general, muscle
mass and body condition improve on a raw food diet. One also
often finds that dogs produce fewer stools, eat more slowly,
and have fewer health problems. Many advocates of the raw food
diet also claim that it is less expensive than commercially
manufactured dog food. One of the biggest disadvantages to
this diet is that it takes longer to prepare.
If you decide that you would like to try the BARF diet with
your dog, you must first do the research. There are many websites
and books available to guide you through the process. Talk
to your veterinarian, though many veterinarians are unfamiliar
with the BARF diet. Find people in your area that feed the
raw food diet to their animals. Make sure it is right for you
and your dog before you try it.
The next step is to transition
your dog from his commercial
dog food to his new bones and raw food diet. You may want to
do this gradually as oftentimes dogs develop digestive problems
when switching to new diets. Some advocates of the BARF diet
recommend switching your dog to the new diet cold turkey, however.
When feeding a raw food diet, you will generally want to feed
your dog twice per day. The first meal of the day will usually
consist of raw meat and bones like turkey or chicken legs,
thighs, wings, or necks, pork riblets, lamb chops, and the
like. The second meal will consist of a mush made with raw
meat, fresh vegetables, and Offal (the organs parts of the
meat you are feeding). Usually you will want to supplement
this with cottage cheese, eggs with the shells, yogurt, fruit,
fish, and recreational bones (which are the harder to chew
kinds of bones). This can vary, so do your homework. You will
want to avoid grains. Advocates of the biologically appropriate
raw food diet agree that dogs do not have the proper digestive
systems to deal with whole grains and that most food allergies
are grain related.
Most advocates of the raw food diet do not recommend supplements.
If you aren’t sure what to do, speak with your veterinarian.
Many people are hesitant to feed their dog a raw diet because
they are concerned about their dogs choking on bones. While
these incidents occur, proponents of raw food diets say they
are rare, and that generally, dogs choke on cooked bones, not
raw ones.
There are commercially prepared raw food diets on the market.
While this is always an option for you if you choose to feed
raw food, many advocates of the BARF diet recommend against
it. They argue that these foods have different regulations
that human grade foods, oftentimes contain unnecessary supplements,
are ground foods (and the whole basis of the BARF diet is raw,
meaty bones), and are much more expensive than visiting your
local butcher.
If you decide that the bones and raw food diet is something
that you’d like to try, first talk to your veterinarian about
your decision. Then, do as much research into the diet as possible.
Talk to others who feed the diet. You may find that by feeding
the BARF diet you are improving the health of your dog.
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SolveYourProblem.com : 2007
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