What is B.A.R.F?
B.A.R.F stands for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food which consists of complete balance meal of raw meat, green plants, bones and fruits and it helps our pets to flourish & prosper in the wild. How does it help your pet? it helps your pet to be free from allergies, having a god digestive health and happier life!
Let’s clear up the misconception about the BARF’s myths.
Bacteria
There has been an on-going argument about consuming raw food that leads to pets having bacterial infections as it’s a raw red meat which simply means, there is still bacteria in it and hence, owners tend to cook before serving it to their pets for safety purposes.
While doing the preparations of red meat for pets, one should take extra precautions in order to prevent contamination by constantly cleaning up the kitchen counter, usage of clean knife as well as washing hands before and after everything you may visit here for reminders of handling red meat for dogs.
Carnivore/ Omnivore
Many think that Dogs are designed to eat both meat and vegetation and yes, that is indeed a true fact as they are omnivores. However, if we are looking at their entire anatomy and physiology of them, they are mainly red flesh consumers due to their powerful jaw bones and teeth that are meant for consuming flesh and digestive system.
Bones
What is the story behind dogs with bones? Do dogs eat cooked bones or raw meaty bones and why do we usually give dogs raw bones instead of cooked bones? When bones are being cooked, they tend to be more fragile which frequently result in the bones having splinters which may result in hurting them. As mentioned above regarding the their entire anatomy and physiology of them, their canines purpose are to consume bones. While chewing on the bones, it releases endorphins and the advantage is that it acts as a tooth brush which prevents tartar from building up.
Benefits of B.A.R.F diet?
- Healthier denticulation
- Better weight management and Digestion
- Free from allergy symptoms
- Harder, smaller, less smelly stools
- Increased mobility & activity in animals ageing
- better stamina
- Strengthened immune & metabolism system
- Improved liver, pancreatic and bowel health
- Trips to vet reduced.
- Organs contains multi-vitamins and are nutrient rich
However what should a god raw meat diet consists of?
- Muscle meat, often still on the bone
- Bones, either whole or ground
- Organ meats such as livers and kidneys
- Raw eggs
- Vegetables like broccoli, spinach, and celery
- fruits
- dairy products such as yogurt
What are the risk of feeding raw meat to dogs?
- Threats of bacteria in the raw meats
- An unbalanced diet that may damage the health of dogs if given for an extended period
- Potential for whole bones to choke an animal, break teeth or cause an internal puncture. Cooked bones that are brittle which may end up as splinters and result in unintentional injuries
- parasites and bacteria in the meat which may result in salmonella and suffer from gastric disease.
How Much Should You Feed?
Let’s put it in a simple term, if your dog happens to be a active kind, they definitely need to feed them a little more. However if your dog behaves like a couch potato, they definitely do not need so much but instead, lesser. How do you know if your dog is at its weight range? Basically run your hands through their tummy area and if you are able to feel the ribs but unable to see them, that is how you know your dog is in a acceptable range of weight.
What about puppies?
Since puppies are growing, they definitely need more calories and nutrients to develop and grow properly as well as achieving the ideal weight as an grown up dogs. Their diet should consists a balanced amount of calcium to built canine’s teeth and bones. As mention above the 10 things you should bear in mind for raw feeding diet, it should be safe enough and once you are used to feeding them the new diet, you should be able to see the changes as listed in the benefits of feeding them raw meat.
