What Is The BARF Diet?
Raw food pet diets have gotten a bad reputation over the years as many pet owners believe that they’re bad for their dog’s health.
However, the diet was founded by Dr Ian Billinghurst, a nutritionist and veterinarian, and it’s based on feeding dogs an evolutionary diet that consists of meats, fresh greens, and other vegetables.
Here we’ll be taking a closer look at the BARF diet and what it consists of along with the reasons for it being an ideal choice to ensure your dog sees a range of health benefits. To find out more about raw food, check out Bella and Duke.
Understanding the BARF Diet
The biologically appropriate raw foods diet or ‘bones and raw food’ diet consists of muscle meat, organ meats, fruits and vegetables, and raw meaty bones.
This combination of foods creates a high-protein, low-carb, and moderate fat diet that’s perfect for dogs when provided in a balanced form.
The amount of raw food provided will depend on the body weight and age of the dog.
The BARF diet needs to be balanced and fortunately, there are a handful of companies out there that specialise in providing balanced portions of raw dog food diets. This makes it easier for you and it prevents you from potentially doing more harm than good.
Raw foods are superior to commercial pet food as commercial dog foods are loaded with grains that can be bad for their dental health.
The Structure of the BARF Diet
BARF diets consist of proteins such as lean cuts of meat such as turkey, beef, pork, and lamb.
Organ meat such as kidney and liver, ground or whole meat bones, raw eggs, plain yoghurt or cottage cheese, and fish once a week. The structure of the diet is as follows:
- 70% raw meat
- 10% raw bones
- 5% organ meat
- 5% secreting organs
- 10% fruit and vegetables
The BARF diet for dogs is the equivalent of a highly nutritious diet that a human would eat.
This is a much better option than providing your dog with processed foods which can lead to an unbalanced diet.
Different Types of Raw Meat Based Diets
The raw diet comes in a variety of forms that can be altered or will require added nutrients such as calcium and iron.
RMBDs or raw meat-based diets consist of uncooked meat and bones; however, you will need to add a supplement to it as this diet on its own is unbalanced.
The Prey Model Diet replicates the diet a wild dog would have.
This includes entire prey animals such as game hens, chickens, and rabbits. The BARF (biologically appropriate raw food) diet is the final variation and it’s proven to be the most balanced of all raw food diets.
The Benefits
Raw diets have proven to alleviate allergies and dermatitis, this also provides them with a shinier coat and healthier skin.
Dental health is another aspect of their health that benefits as the diet reduce inflammation on gums and tartar build-up.
Your dog will also benefit from increased energy levels, better mental health, and no more digestive problems.
The raw diet can be a bit more expensive than a commercial diet; however, the benefits are endless and you’ll end up with a happier dog.
