DISCLAIMER: Von Der Musikstadt is not a Veternarian, health care professional, or food specialist. The Information I have on this website is from own personal experience. I suggest to research a BARF diet very closely and read several articles before you decide to change your dog to this diet. Some dogs do not do well on this diet. Here is a few other links to read about the BARF diet.
BARF is an acronym for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food and also for Bones and Raw Food. It is a diet that contains no fillers, chemicals, colouring, preservatives, heat processing or grains. Instead, it consists of raw bones, meat, and veggies. Some people also add vitamins and other supplements to the diet. The BARF diet has been shown to help improve dog’s health by helping with skin problems, weight problems, bad breath, gas, food allergies, and by increasing immune system function and longevity of life.
What do I feed in a BARF diet?
50% by weight should be raw meaty bones; the rest can be a mix of vegetables, organs (also known as offal), ground meat, and eggs. Raw meaty bones are not the same as recreational bones. Raw meaty bones are things like chicken carcasses, backs, necks, wings, oxtails, turkey necks, etc. Recreational bones, on the other hand, are larger bones that the dog will chew on but will not eat the whole bone - things like beef marrow bones, femurs, knuckle bones, etc. Recreational bones can also be given to the dog but should not make up the entire diet. If your dog is on the thin side feed more raw meaty bones, if he is on the heavy side feed more veggies.
Vegetables in a BARF diet
To garner the best nutritional value from a BARF dog food diet, the trick is in the diversity. Feed a wide selection of vegetables to meet your dog's nutritional needs. Also note that vegetables need to be crushed or pureed to release the content of the cells as dogs don't digest cellulose well.
1. Vegetables to serve all the time:
o carrots, romaine lettuce, celery, parsley, bok choy, fresh pumpkin, yellow and green squash, peppers (red and yellow) alfalfa sprouts, beets, kale, mustard greens, dandelions, zucchini, yams, asparagus, jicama, parsnip, green beans and turnips., and eggplants, as they can be difficult to digest.og is on the thin side feed more raw meaty bones, if he is on the heavy side feed more veggies.
1. Vegetables to serve some time:
o broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts - fine to feed on a rotational basis but know that they might cause gas.
o avocado - feed only the fruit.
o Spinach, chard, and Rhubarb - can be fed in small amounts on a rotational basis.
o Use sparingly - potatoes, green peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants, as they can be difficult to digest.the content of the cells as dogs don't digest cellulose well.
What do I expect at first? Good question!
The answer is varied. Some dogs switch without a problem and eat with gusto. Other dogs love the food but may have some digestive upsets for a short period of time while their system adjusts to real food.Then there are the dogs that won’t eat a raw diet. In many cases I think these are dogs that have been fed a variety of flavoured treats, and processed foods. Raw food has little odours compared to many of the commercial pet foods out there, and I think that some dogs are addicted to the flavourings and additives. Many times there is a lot of owner anxiety over switching to the raw diet and the dog picks up on that.For the dogs that won’t eat ‘real’ food, you may need to use your imagination at first. Sprinkling parmesan cheese or lightly browning (LIGHTLY) some hamburger may get the dog eating. In some cases I think the dog just doesn’t know a piece of raw chicken is food! You may need to be a bit of a cheerleader at first but once they get the hang of it, most dogs thoroughly enjoy their raw meals. I have reports from owners whose dogs are actually excited about eating for the first time in their lives once switched to raw, and then will never go back to dry kibble.A healthy dog won’t starve to death, so you may have to just allow the dog to skip a meal here or there until they get hungry enough to try it.
Some problems switching to RAW
Generally, if problems are going to eventuate, they will do so when switching or adjusting to the new diet and adding in new foods.
The most common complaints at this time include diarrhoea, constipation, and vomiting. Any and all of these can happen, a new food being added that they can't digest or too much of one food. That's why, particularly at the beginning, it's important to introduce new foods one at a time to see what your dog can tolerate.
Once the animal has adjusted to this type of diet, it's common for people to comment on how relaxed and easy a system it is. If you feed a raw dog food diet without properly researching the nutritional then you are in danger of not supplying the dog's basic nutritional needs.
Is Raw cheaper than Kibble?
Raw can be expensive BUT so can kibble. In my experience, it probably costs about the same in the long run. If you buy your dog’s meat from the prime meat case at the grocery store, it may get expensive in a hurry! Pre-ground and pre-packaged raw diets can be very costly also.I have learned to be a bargain shopper. Small grocery stores and the Dollar Store can be a great place to stock up on chicken leg quarters and canned mackerel. Our local family owned grocery has marked down meat almost every day and runs great specials on chicken and ground beef. Buy in bulk when you can and repackage into more manageable containers.
A natural raw diet has been shown to eliminate and change MANY dog food-related problems:
Problems with anal glands
Produces firmer and less stools
Supplies a natural supply of calcium and minerals for growth
Skin problems
Allergy problems
Weight problems
Stinky Dog Breath
Ear Infections
Hot spots
Itching & scratching
Dull coat
