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What is a BARF Diet?
A BARF diet provides a range of benefits. These benefits include:
- Reduced doggy odour.
- Naturally cleans teeth - no need for toothbrushes, de-scaling jobs, helps prevent gum disease.
- The time it takes for a dog to chew a raw meaty bones give their stomach time to get the acids moving.
- Produces firmer stools with reduced quantity.
- Can reduce vet bills (healthier dogs)
- Economical to feed in comparison to commercial dog foods.
- Mirrors what nature intended them to eat in the wild.
- Puppies develop at a more appropriate rate and quick growth spurts are avoided. A GOOD breeder will want to stop fast growth in any pup.
- The ripping and chewing involved in eating raw meaty bones develops the jaw, neck, and shoulder muscles of a dog.
- Better weight control which helps to reduce the symptoms of arthritis and obesity.
What do animals on a BARF diet eat?
As varied a raw diet as possible, with lots of raw meaty bones, e.g. chicken wings, chicken necks, rabbit, oxtail, minced meats, lamb shanks, eggs and their shells, liver, heart, fish, yoghurt, veg (pulped), fruit, garlic, etc.
Can I feed puppies and kittens on BARF?
You most certainly can. They can be weaned onto a raw food diet - this is, after all, what they did for 300,000 years before 'puppy and kitten' diets came along! Of course, you won't want to feed that little puppy huge marrow bones! So use common sense in your feeding.
How do I start?
Some people start gradually while others do a straight swap. The former is advised. Most people start with minced meats and when the animal is used to this then add raw meaty bone eg. chicken wings and veg. then offal, eggs etc. It is usually not advisable to feed dried food and B.A.R.F at the same meal as they take differing times to digest.
I fed a raw meaty diet and my cat was sick immediately - should I continue or revert back to the food that I have fed for years?
Try introducing the raw meat more gradually. Also, the cat may have a problem with one meat more than another, so vary what you give it.
Isn't it dangerous to feed dogs chicken bones?
Never ever feed cooked bones as they are more likely to splinter and cause problems in a dog’s digestive system. People have been feeding dogs raw bones for years and rarely report problems. Chicken wings are the best bet, also a minced chicken with bone content. Try Prize Choice minced meats or the wings from the Chunks range.
Why is my dog drinking less water daily ?
Should I be concerned ? No, there is absolutely no reason to be concerned. Raw food is full of naturally occurring water. All the moisture needed to digest raw food is contained in raw food. Although a lower sodium intake is part of the reason that our BARFing dogs drink less water, the real reason is that raw food has not had the water removed like dry food has.The difference between dry and canned dog food is the water content they leave the water in the canned and bake it out of the dry. It takes a lot of water to re-hydrate those little nuggets!
How much does it cost ?
With the convenient range of frozen products available from AMP changing your pet’s diet from a processed pet food onto BARF is cheaper and cost effective. When buying fruit and veg for the family you could add a bit extra so that this can be blended and frozen into meal size chunks for your pet. Alternatively try Natures Menu with minced meat, vegetables and cooked rice; this will take all the hassle out of preparing meals for your pets. It’s ready to serve once defrosted with no fuss or preparation. Raw meaty bones are easily available from the Prize Choice Chunk range.
What about things like salmonella ?
The digestive tract of a dog is much shorter than a humans and the concentration of hydrochloric acid in their stomach is much higher. Consequently, they can deal with bacteria that humans can't. Just think of the things that a dog will eat if allowed.... imagine the things they can pick up or lick, these can contain bacteria but they don’t harm them.
