Feed BARF!

by Trina Nowak, B.Sc.Agr.

Whenever I say this comment, I get the strangest of looks and comments. Yes my dog eats BARF and she loves it. I know she loves it because she has never eaten her food so ravishingly before (the bowl is licked clean) and she has never been in better health. This is a dog who ate premium quality kibble and had many health problems (anal gland infections, parasites, underweight, OCD (bone/skeletal problems), vomited her food nightly, had severe separation anxiety, neck pain, dry skin, mange; I think that about covers it!) She has no more severe pain from OCD in about one whole year. The pain was so severe we contemplated euthanasia to put her out of her misery. I am sure glad we switched her diet to BARF. In case, you are wondering what BARF is I will no longer hold you in suspense. BARF stands for Bones And Raw Food. A bones and raw food diet goes way back to how carnivores used to eat in the wild before they became domesticated and commercial pet food arrived on the market. A BARF diet has many health benefits, it consists of many good foods, and best of all pets love to eat it.

Bones and Raw Food is just what it sounds like. A basic diet for your carnivore animal would include raw meat, juiced/grated vegetables, essential fatty acids and some nutritional supplements. Of course, my dog did not eat kibble one day and then the next day eat raw meat. The transition was slow for her because she was not well. We switched her diet slowly by adding whole foods to her kibble diet. Her diet consisted of either lamb, chicken, beef or pork meat cooked, raw, assorted, juiced vegetables (carrots, peas, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, greens, turnip, sweet potatoes, basically what I had in my fridge), eggs, honey, garlic, flaxseed oil alternating with olive, primrose, fish oil, Ester C, Alfalfa, Kelp, digestive enzymes and probiotics. Approximately three times a week, I would give her a B complex, zinc and vitamin E added in to her food. She also would receive a good quality multi-vitamin daily. During the transition phase of her diet probiotics and digestive enzymes were necessary to help her digest the new foods in her body. The body is faced with new food items that it has never seen before and therefore it needs help to digest the food until it can manufacture the digestive enzymes itself. Probiotics are known as “good” bacteria that aid in digestion and assimilation of nutrients within the digestive tract. Eventually over time we switched her to eating an entire raw foods diet including raw meat.

The mechanics behind this diet is simple. Know your pet and pay attention to fine detail to your pet’s health when feeding this type of diet. If you pet has loose stool one day, then figure out what was different in the diet that may have produced loose stool and change it back. If you pet is losing or gaining weight from the diet change then make adjustments to correct the problem. The other important factor when feeding this diet is to include variety. Offer your pet many different types of food to eat. The more the variety he/she eats, the more nutrients are available for digestion and assimilation.

Dogs and Cats are two different species and thus should be fed two different diets. A cat is an obligate (true) carnivore and can live very well by eating only meat. A dog is more of a secondary carnivore and needs a mixture of different food ingredients (meat, vegetables, yogurt, dairy, etc.) to satisfy its nutrient requirements.

THE BARF PLAN

The following is a basic description of how I prepare my dog’s BARF diet. This is just an example to illustrate how easy it is to feed BARF. This example is only to provide information and the BARF diet may not be beneficial to your pet. There are many different methods to feed a BARF diet and you have to find the one that best suits you and your pet.

I make my pet food in large quantities and then freeze the food in meal size quantities. We generally suggest feeding your pet 1/2 pound of food per 25 pounds of body weight.

GETTING STARTED:

1. Figure out how much BARF you need to make. If you pet weighs 50 pounds he or she will eat 1 pound daily. Therefore, you can make 14 pounds of food to last 14 days.

2. Find supplies: Call wholesale meat and vegetable outlets for economically priced, good quality meat and vegetable supplies. Try calling your local butcher (here you can get the meat pre-ground, organ meat and bone dust). Grocery stores have discount racks that have good quality cheap produce.

3. Go shopping: You will need the following - meat (lamb, chicken, beef, turkey - pre-ground or necks), vegetables (choose a variety - broccoli, turnip, celery, carrots, cauliflower, spinach, kale, sweet potatoes, cabbage, greens), eggs, bone meal or finely ground bone, honey, apple cider vinegar, apples, organ meat (hearts, liver,…), garlic, flaxseeds,….

PREPARATION

You have all the ingredients and are ready to make a batch of pet food.

What equipment do you have? I used my food processor and mixing bowls. The meat I used was pre-ground from the butcher. Please disinfect your counters before starting the preparation of the food. Use proper food safety techniques.

1. Set aside pre-ground meat

2. Put a variety of vegetables, apples and garlic in the food processor. Once all vegetables are juiced/pulped set them aside.

3. Put organ meat (hearts and liver) in food processor and blend them. Set aside.

4. Put eggs with shells in food processor. Blend until the eggshells are fine.

5. Mix meat, veggies, organ meat, and eggs together. At this time I have added honey, alfalfa, kelp, pre-ground flaxseeds, bone and Grapefruit Seed Extract to the mixture. Mix well. The Grapefruit Seed Extract kills any bacteria or toxins during preparation of the food.

6. After the food ingredients are thoroughly mixed, place weighed amounts in freezer bags. I generally put the amount per meal fed in a zip loc freezer bag. Tia, my Great Dane, eats 3 pounds of BARF daily. Therefore, I put 3 pounds of food in each zip loc bag.

7. Place bags in freezer to freeze.

SERVING:

I generally take a meal out the night before to thaw. I put it in the fridge and the next day it is ready for consumption. I feed Tia twice daily, which means I divide the 3-pound meal in half. Once the food is thawed, I feed Tia 1 1/2 pounds in the morning and 1 1/2 pounds in the evening.

Before serving, I add the following supplements to Tia’s diet: multi-vitamin/mineral, Ester C, digestive enzymes (necessary at the beginning of feeding a new (BARF)), probiotics, blend of oils (small amount), apple cider vinegar (occasionally she receives - not everyday). Occasionally, I give Tia a B complex, zinc. Vitamin E and probiotics and she rarely gets digestive enzymes.

I mix the supplements in the food and feed to her.

OTHER FOODS:

In between her meals she can chew on raw meaty bones, which helps keep her teeth clean, provides an array of nutrients and keeps her occupied. She also gets table scraps, cottage cheese, yogurt, nuts, raisins, fruit, cheese, milk during the day (not everyday but from time to time). She eats almost everything. Remember variety is the key to feeding this type of diet. She also gets her all-natural doggie cookies.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

It is fairly simple to make a BARF diet especially when you prepare huge batches at a time. Your daily feeding does not become a chore.

Your dog, cat or ferret will appreciate you for feeding him or her a BARF diet.

I highly suggest you educate yourself about feeding this type of diet. There are many books, web sites, research articles, pet nutritionists available to help you become familiar with how and why to feed BARF. Here are some personal references: Pets 4 Life & Trina’s Place - Pet Holistic & Nutrition Info. BARF strengthens the immune system to help your pet fight disease and get well.

HAPPY FEEDING!