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Looking for a better diet for your dog or cat?

The BARF diet is recommended by many vets and breeders. Simply stated it's a diet of "Bones and Raw Food." The diet's originator, Dr. Ian Billinghurst used a more sophisticated description, "Biologically Appropriate Raw Food." Which ever way you spell it out it is probably superior to the prepared diets found in our supermarkets and pet stores.

Dr. Billinghurst suggest that these modern convenience diets are not suited for animals that would eat raw food in their undomesticated state. He claims that there have not been enough generations of domestication for pet digestive systems to evolve and adjust to cooked and refined foods.

The BARF diet substitutes raw, human-grade meats and pulverized or ground vegetables, for the high carbohydrate and low-grade processed meats which are commonly found in commercial pet foods. Cooking meats, he says, kills enzymes that are present in raw food, as well as many of the vitamins and fats that are present in a "natural, uncooked" diet.

Breeders such as C.A.Oberhozer, through years of experience have endorsed the BARF diet, and suggest the benefits are well worth the effort required to prepare a diet of fresh foods.

On the other hand, some vets, such as John Barnes question the rational or need for such a radical departure from traditional prepared diets. While not going so far as to deny the suitability of such a diet, Burns does remind us that far more are the generations of dogs who have lived since cave men discovered fire and domesticated the dogs who lived with them, than are the generations of humans in the same period of time. The interval from birth to reproduction in dogs is 3-5 years while a human generation is around 20 years. Dogs have had adequate time to make any genetic adjustments necessary to adapt and thrive on a cooked diet.

Additionally Dr. Burns points out that Modern pets are far removed from the activity levels of their wild ancestors. There is no need for them to hunt and kill their own food; no need for them to endure long "dry spells," or "cold snaps,: and no need to maintain their standing within the pack or defend their territory through vicious challenges.

Whether it is necessary or better to feed dogs a "natural diet" of Bones and Raw Food, most would indicate that there is no harm in it.

Bones can be a danger for dogs whether cooked or raw. One must take care to select a bone that will not splinter or become lodged in the animals digestive system. It is also necessary to supervise the eating of bones to assure that no unexpected choking or splintering occurs. Cooked bones are more likely to splinter than raw bones.

Billinghurst suggests the addition of Fat soluble vitamins A,D,E, brewers yeast, and a B complex vitamin to supplement the BARF diet.

A sample BARF diet may include 60-75% meat and the remainder finely ground vegetables and grain or bone meal. Cats require more meat (up to 80%) with the remainder made up of vegetables and cooked grains.

Users of the BARF feeding method have found that it is not significantly more expensive than feeding prepared kibble, but it is more time consuming. They feel it is well worth the effort.
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Sources:
Ian Billinghurst, "The BARF diet," 2001: Paperback.
John Burns BVMS MRCVS , The BARF Diet - a Critique, 29 June 2007
http://www.worldwidehealth.com /article.php?id=104&categoryID =42
C.A. Oberholzer, VON OERZONN, Breeders of Excellent German Shepherds: DIET SHEET
http://www.vonoerzonn.co.za/di et.html

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