Canine Nutrition

BARF - A Natural Diet

BARF stands for either "Bones And Raw Foods" or "Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods". Dr. Ian Billinghurst, a
vet from Australia, has written two books concerning this diet. They are "Give Your Dog A Bone" and "Grow Your Pups
With Bones". Both books are available through Dogwise, and online dog book catalog. I highly recommend reading
them if you are looking for a better diet for your dogs.
What is BARF? A simple diet really. Dr. Billinghurst recommends a dog's diet be 60-75 percent raw meaty bones.
They can be any meaty bone. I use chicken backs, necks, lamb bones (all types) and beef bones (all types). Some
people also use chicken wings but I prefer to eat those myself!
The rest of the diet consists of a veggie/ground meat mixture. This mixture can contain raw eggs, vegetables,
fruit, cottage cheese, yogurt, garlic, nuts, oils, apple cider vinegar and ground meat. Pretty much, what I do
is go into the supermarket, or to the farmer's market, and buy what ever is on sale. I try to get at least one
leafy green vegetable like Kale or Collard Greens, one or two tubers like red potatoes or yams, some other root
vegetables like turnips and carrots and some summer or winter squashes. Fruits should be very ripe. I have used
blueberries, bananas, peaches, apples, pears and some melons. The general rule of thumb is if you eat it, so can
your dogs. The only foods you may want to limit are those gassy foods like broccoli, cabbage and beans. The only
food I totally avoid are onions.
Once a week, my dogs get a raw egg, shell and all and one day a week they are fasted and get no food at all.
When I'm preparing my dinner I will toss them the peelings from the fruits and vegetables I am using. They just
adore cucumber and carrot peelings!
Now I bet you're all thinking... Wow that sounds like a lot of work and money. Honestly, it isn't. Cost-wise,
if you have a storage freezer it ends up being cheaper or the same as feeding a premium kibble. A 40 pound box of
chicken backs can cost you anywhere from 29 - 39 cents a pound. I can get various bones and off cuts of meat for
less than 20 cents a pound and even some spine bones or rib ends for 10 cents a pound. Time-wise, it's a lot faster
to hand out a chicken back than put kibble in a bowl. Making the veggie mixture takes about an hour once every few
weeks. I make enough for a month or so and freeze it.
Other than time and money there are other benefits to feeding a raw diet. Most importantly is the improvement
in your pet's health. Many health problems like skin problems, can be solved by diet alone. A dog on a raw diet has
cleaner teeth due to the chewing up of bones. This chewing is also great exercise for the muscles and the mind.
Also, there is less stool produced and what there is is nice and firm on the days you feed bones. This cleans out
those anal sacs as it is passed usually solving another annoying problem. This poop is also more biodegradable.
It dries out very quickly and when crushed, turns to powder.
I did a lot of research into raw and natural diets before switching. For the longest time I still mixed
in kibble with the vegetable mixture and occasionally still do. If you are going to mix in kibble, please choose
a naturally preserved premium brand like Nutro or Wellness. Those are the two kibbles I prefer to use.
Remember chewing up those bones not only provides all the calcium and minerals your dog needs, it cleans
those teeth and provides excellent exercise as well. For those of you who don't want to give bones all the time,
once or twice a week should help or you can either brush them yourself or pay to have a vet do it.
Here are some links to pages I found helpful while researching natural and raw diets. There are also
two links to kibble sites. One is Nutro and the other is Wellness. I have personally used both of those
products and would recommend them to those who want to use kibble.
Please note, I am not a vet and this page is just to let you know what has worked for me. All
dogs are different and should be treated and fed according to their needs and circumstances. Do the research
and you'll see why feeding a raw diet can be the best option for your dogs too.

Nutrition Links

Supplements Nutripet Research Makers of Nupro All Natural Dog Supplement This is the best out on the market, I believe. It has helped my boys tremendously and I highly recommend it.

NutraPro Dog Supplement Another natural supplement, similar to Nupro. This one contains blue-green algae.

>Kibble Links Nutro Naturally Preserved Info Nutro makes several naturally preserved foods; lamb & rice and a chicken & lamb kibble. It helped my one dog's skin condition improve to a point where he only had problems two or three times a year instead of constantly. Nutro Products Inc. themselves do not have a web site yet unfortunately.

Old Mother Hubbard OMH makes Wellness and Neura brands of dog foods as well as my dog's favorite charcoal and liver flavored biscuits.

Dog Food Comparison Chart Do your own homework... check it out. This site compares the leading dog foods. I also recommend you read the book The Consumer's Guide to Dog Food : What's in Dog Food, Why It's There and How to Choose the Best Food for Your Dog by Liz Palika. This book demystifies canine nutrition and compares the ingredients in leading brands in clear, simple, objective language.

>BARF Links Interview with Dr. Ian Billinghurst Looking into a raw diet? Check out this interview with Dr. Ian Billinghurst, a vet from Australia. He is the author of two wonderful books on raw diets titled Give Your Dog A Bone and Growing Pups with Bones. Must reads for those interested in the Bones And Raw Foods (BARF) diet.

BARF This site contains a raw diet email list, info on BARF vs Kibble diets, vitamin and herbs links as well as info on vaccination issues.

BARF FAQ Author Jane Jackson tells you what BARF is and addresses many commonly asked questions. There is also a list of why she believes BARF is the best diet and lists some of the results others are reporting after switching to a BARF diet. Thre is also a place to join the BARF email list here.

Dr. Tom Lonsdale's Raw Meaty Bones site Dr. Lonsdale is an Australian vet who supports a raw diet based on bones. He has lots of good information back up by his experiences and education. He addresses many common questions and concerns about a raw diet.

Food In The Freezer Lots of raw meat info, handling safety reminders and a short list of possible meat sources all over the country.

BARF Pictorial Cute cartoon here of a family eating "family chow" from a box. This site is the creation of an Animal Nutritionist and shows in picture form of how she feeds her dogs. Easy reading, nice photos.

Lots of Links This site has many other links on nutrition.

Click here to return to my links page.