BARF

BARF stands for Biological Appropriate Raw Food or Bones And Raw Feeding . It is basically feeding faw meat, bones and offal to your dog as their main diet.

So what does this mean, and how do we go about ensuring that our dogs are getting all the nutrients they need.

Let’s start with the anatomy of the dog!

The domestic dog is closest genetically to the wolf, with only about 1-2% difference in their total gene pool. Infact Wolves and dogs have an identical digestive tract. The Wolf, as is the domestic dog, is predominantly a carnivore, scavenger and hence their teeth and mouth are developed to swallow food whole, not for chewing or crushing. They do not have the digestive enzymes in their saliva to break down complex carbohydrates like grains. The dog’s digestive tract is one-third to one-half the length of an omnivore and this shortness is designed for adaption for quick, muscular digestion of raw meat and bones. They also have a much higher concentration of hydrochloric acid in the stomach for break down of proteins and to kill any dangerous bacteria. Their stomach acidity is less than or equal to pH 1 with food in the stomach, while humans are pH 4 to 5.

So with that in mind, what is the best food for dogs, according to their digestive tract and physiology? Dogs, as carnivores, have difficulty digesting grains and other complex carbohydrates. With the lack of digestive enzymes in the mouth, complex carbohydrates are not pre-digested, and take a long time to break down in the stomach and small intestine, if they break down at all. Most of the complex carbohydrates pass through undigested, and create large stools in the dog. Unfortunately this is now what is marketed and promoted as the best food for your dogs, i.e, DRIED KIBBLE…AKA Grains and complex carbohydrates. So why is that then?

Before commercial dog food became available (1950-60s), people used to feed their dogs table scraps of bones, meat off cuts, eggs and scraps and they did pretty well on it. Then the dog food companies started to market this type of food and convince the public that the nutritional needs of a dog were complex, and only the scientists behind carefully balanced dog food would be able to guarantee a “Complete Nutritional” diet. Unfortunately one of the main reasons of marketing this type of dog food was to utilise waste products like grain hulls and foods unfit for human consumption. In other words it was a great way of getting rid of waste easily and making money out of it too. It offered a convenience to pet owners (just open a bag, and scoop in a dish) , but was also the start of a huge growth in allergies, coat problems, digestive issues and dental problems. So by feeding Barf you are feeding what the dogs were designed to eat, and hence don’t have many (if any) of these types of issues.

Well that makes sense……so why don’t many vets advocate and encourage a more natural species appropriate diet?

Unfortunately and unbelievably most vets lack nutritional training (about 1x day on animal nutrition in the whole 7 years of training), kick backs and training from pet food manufacturers (Hills diets- they make about 40% profit), and a preconceived idea that people feeding a natural diet are depriving their pets of vital nutrients. The other sad thing is that they actually treat many pets’ ailments on a daily basis which is a direct result of a poor diet and don’t know it.

What about bones? My vet has told me that bones are a severe health risk to my dog?

Cooked Bones ARE...but not raw.

Cooked bones splinter and become very hard and sharp. They can act like glass going through the digestive system and hence can cause great damage. This is what your vet is referring to. Wolves don’t eat BBQ’d prey in the wild.

As I mentioned above, dogs teeth, jaws and digestive tract are designed to rip and tear and consume raw meat and bones. They are not only good nutritionally wise, but work the muscles and clean the teeth.

Raw chicken bones are fantastic for your dog. They are soft enough so that they bend easily, and break well for the dog to digest.

Some people are worried about their dog choking on bones. While such incidents are rare (plenty of dogs choke on kibble), it is always good to supervise bone eating and more so with the smaller one like chicken wings. The bigger the bones, the less likely this will happen and hence I will happily leave my dogs with a marrow bone when I go out.

Feeding your dog is about management of risk. No matter which path you decide to take there is always risk. If one of my dogs had the unfortunate incident of choking on a bone, I would still feed bones to the others as I feel the benefits outweigh the risks. However, you and only you can decide what is best for your dogs. Weigh up all the benefits and risks. Do your own analysis. Do your research. Do what will have the greatest overall benefit for your dog.

AND if you still feel uncomfortable about feeding bones....don't do it. There are plenty of half way alternatives out there by the way of raw minced meat ground with the bone... Landywoods, Prize Choice and Natures Menu to name a few. This is still better than feeding grains to your dog.

What about bacteria like Salmonella?

It may surprise you but bacteria is present in all kinds of food including dried kibble. Salmonella is probably the one that springs to mind when feeding raw meat, or E-coli. Dogs eat dirt, scavenge, smell and lick other dogs butts, dig up old bones, eat other animals faeces as a daily routine and most people don’t worry about this. BUT total panic sets in when they eat a raw chicken wing. A dogs system is designed to handle huge amounts of bacteria. Their digestive system is short and acidic which is perfect for handling bacteria. Bacteria is NOT a problem for a dog with a strong immune system, and a good immune system is encouraged by eating species appropriate raw food…ie Barf.

So I am interested in providing a better diet for my dog, how do I know that I will be providing all of their nutritional needs?

A quick question to ask yourself - Do you even think about balance when you feed yourself? Do you think I must provide a fully balanced nutrition complete meal in one sitting? NO you don’t. Dogs are no different, no matter what the pet food manufacturers try to brainwash you with.

Just remember a few rules when feeding raw and your dog will love you forever .

"Variety" is very important. Different meats (for instance, chicken, lamb, beef, fish) and different cuts of meat (muscle meat like heart and the other muscles, organ meat like kidney and liver, tripe) all have slightly different nutrient compositions and you want to provide as wide a range of those as possible.

"Calcium" is essential and leaving out a source of calcium is endangering your dog. He needs approximately 10 to 15% bone in his diet. That works out to about 20 to 25% raw meaty bones or RMBs. If for any reason, you don't feed bone, eggshell calcium works very well. Eggshell crushed or ground to powder is added to meat-only meals at 1/2 tsp. per pound of meat. You can, of course, add a calcium supplement but since eggshells are free, why go to the expense? If you buy Landywoods or Prize Choice, Natures Menu etc minces then they are ground with the bone so you don’t need to worry.

"Balance Over Time" is the third thing you should always keep in mind. As long as you follow the first two rules, balance will follow even if every possible nutrient your dog might need isn't there in every meal. Balance happens over time as you vary the diet and give him a wide range of animal foods. You don't need a spreadsheet or a PhD or science qualification to feed him well and healthily.

What about veggies and fruit, and do I need any supplements?

Feeding vegetables and fruit may not be entirely necessary and I know many raw feeders that don’t feed them, but they can offer benefits of fibre and some useful nutrients in raw diets. Better to give more Low Glycemic Vegetables (dark leafy greens, broccoli, green beans etc) than sugary veggies like carrots, potatoes as they can cause weight gain and wind. It’s important to note that dogs can’t break down the cellulose wall of fruit and veg so to get ANY nutritional benefit you have to pulp, blend or lightly steam them. Chopping into tiny pieces won’t work either. Id say about 15% of the overall weekly diet may benefit veg and fruit. Puppies probably more like 25% for the extra vitamins.

If you feed predominantly frozen meats which the majority of us do, then it is good to add some Oils into the diet. EFAs are really important for healthy hearts, great coat and skin. Fish Oils are easy to give and the dosages are here. If you supplement Fish oils then you must add a vitamin E supplement as fish oils deplete Vitamin E.

There are loads of other supplements you can add, but it’s better to add them when you need to really rather than just give for the sake of it. If your dogs eat the recommended fruit and veg ratio’s, and plenty of nutrient rich Offal and raw meats then you don’t really need anything else.

Well surely they need some carbohydrates?

Actually dogs don’t really need carbohydrates. They thrive on highly digestible protein and fats. As stated above, they actually find it very difficult to break down complex carbohydrates. Dr. David Kronfeld reports that carbohydrates are most important for dogs in two situations: puppies just coming off the mother’s milk (which is 12% carbohydrates) and the lactating bitch, which needs three times the usual turnover of blood glucose for production of milk. He goes on to state “no carbohydrates need be provided in the diet for pups after weaning or adult dogs, not even for those subjected to hard work. The liver is easily able to synthesize sufficient glucose (from amino acids derived from protein and glycerol derived from fats) for transport in the blood and utilization in other tissues”.

I do add a handful of wholebake mixer to one meal. I find it provides useful herbs and fibre to their diet, and seems to satisfy their hunger too. It is not necessary though.

Well that’s about it. I hope this information has helped explain the reasoning about BARF and raw feeding. Plenty of advice on this site if you think you want to give it a go, and plenty of raw feeders to help you along the way.

PS: One last tip, unless you have a good butcher locally, you need a good sized freezer before you do anything!