BARF... natural diet?

[chii]

BARF Born Again Raw Feeders...

are basically owners who decided to change they're dog's diet to it's biological roots which consists of raw meat bones and cooked vegetables (used sparingly)

references on BARF diet
http://www.moellgaard.dk/English/Dog...rtant%20things
http://www.justamere.com/newsletter/rawfeeding.asp

I'm curious has anyone tried this diet on your dog? Owners who decided to use the BARF diet claim the dog will have less health problems/overall healthy(good coat, vitality, etc), sounds risky yet beneficial. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[lou3]

Risks outweigh benefits by a LOOOOONG way. Feeding large quantities of raw food is not a good idea, especially not the types recommended by BARF recipies. I have spent hours writing essays on the "evils" of natural diets, they are a terrible idea and in the words of one of Scotland's leading small animal nutritionists "they are the worst thing anyone ever though of feeding to a dog, anyone who feeds them wants their head tested"
Lou

[Dax]

Lou3, I don't trust dog food manufacturers a whole lot (big business in general) Do you have the "research" all of them refer to. How can all breeds benefit from nearly the same formulas. A lot of them in canada simply state protein, fat values not the sources even. How do we know how much is simply filler vs nutrition? I do notice that cheaper brands have meant more #2 to pick up.

[goombaya]

Lou

Do you think feeding corn meal, ground grain sorghum, ground wheat, chicken by-product meal to a dog is sane? This is 5 of the top 6 ingredients in Hills Science Diet's Original dog food recipe. BY FAR THE MOST recommended food By VETS..

[lou3]

I dont recommend Hills in the slightest, but i WOULD recommend it if the only other choice was this BARF rubbish. A good manufactured food is by far the best option. BARF is sheer madness, someone who isnt a qualified nutritionist feeding their dog food they prepare themselves is ridiculous. Its asking for trouble.
Lou

[sambucca/whiskey]

If you want your dog on a good diet I feed Whiskey Nutro Natural not as many fillers or chemicals as big name brands a great one if you have the dough for it is wellness or lifes abundance I do however give Whiskey a raw bone once a week.

[MarioLuigi]

I've rarely read of anyone who used that diet and actually approved of it.

[LoveNewfies]

Wow - people here are VERY judgemental!!!!

I will say this. I have had my dog for just over 9 months - she is 15 months old now and is fed a diet of raw lamb, venison, buffalo, quail and duck along with various vegetables, cooked salmon and cooked jack mackeral, potatoes and now and then she gets pasta. Her diet is supplemented with Solid Gold Sea Meal.

When she came to us, she was underweight, severe ear infections, lots of rashing, excessive shedding, vomitting and diarhea.

Well, Lou, I will argue with you on this one. When my Newfie came to us, she was on Diamond dog food. Garbage. Vet switched her to a prescription Science Diet. Garbage. Tried her on Natural Balance - somewhat better but she was still pretty sick - not to mention she really didn't want to eat it. Tried several others with no real success. The only thing that came close to bringing her to a healthy state was home cooking. She did put on weight, but, her ears did not clear nor did her skin. Still had some vomiting and diarhea but not as frequently and she still had ear problems.

Hmmmmm - what else to try? You guessed it. RAW. No, I don't follow the BARF rules - I don't give any raw bones except the large marrow bones. I don't give her chicken carcasses or anything there of. She eats everything ground and gets everything (except for the by-products fillers and preservatives) that is required to be in a dogs diet according to AAFCO.

She has been on the raw diet for several months now and the results????? Well, her vet is amazed in the turn-around in her. She is growing great, great coat and skin, no diarhea or vomiting, no excessive shedding and her ears have been spotless.

The verdict, Lou, is that each dog owner needs to provide according to the individual needs of the dog. Not according to anyone else's "opinion".

I never would have considered feeding raw because I was very nervous and skeptical about it, as are most people, that's fine. I did it because I ran out of options and my goal with my Newfie is to keep her healthy and happy - not to seek the approval of other dog owners that insist commercial, mass produced dog food is the ONLY way to go.

Feed what you believe in and what works for your dog....other's opinions of you because of what you feed your dog are not important.

[Dax]

To Lovenewfies - I have a couple of questions for you.
How do you know how much food to give? IE Duck is a much fattier meat than beef, etc. My dogs don't have the put on weight problem - I constantly worry about over feeding.

Will you keep feeding this the entire life of the dog or are you planning on phasing back?

Do you have a site to reference the diet?

I admit it sounds better than processed horse rump and ash. My sister is a dietician and she always recommends for humans fresh food - never processed. I would love to have her look over the research, etc. to get her opinion.

[LoveNewfies]

I do not feed beef at all - duck is limited - she usually gets it once or twice a week.

I do see a holistic vet as well as a pet nutritionist that help me with her diet. She also sees a regular vet (that is a commercial food advocate) that confirms what we're doing is working out well.

Also, I do use products such as Farmore, Bravo and Nature's Variety that provide a more "complete" meal as well as fresh meats and vegetables.

I have no concerns with weight gain and I am very fortunate that my dog isn't a big eater - thus, she doesn't overeat. If she does as she gets older, her diet will be adjusted accordingly.

I will continue on the raw diet throughout her life as long as she continues to do this well.

As far as a website, there is not one that I refer to specifically for her diet but there certainly are many out there - some good, ovbiously some are not.

I certainly am no expert on the raw feeding issue, but, with some help it can be accomplished safely and with providing the proper nutritional balance.