Barf!

[Jika]

No don't throw up. Just interested to hear if anyone feeds their dog or cat the...

Bones And Raw Food diet.

There are so many pet foods out there on the market and many differing ideas on what's best, it can be quite confusing.

After reading up on the BARF diet I decided to try it with Oscar our Cocker Spaniel although he still gets dry food (processed dog biscuits) from time to time.

He seems to be thriving on it and his Vet praises the health/condition he's in. Oscar is still young (3yrs) so it will be a few years away till any of the health problems associated with aging dogs emerge and I'm kind of hoping this diet will, as its advocates proclaim, protect him from some of the more common diet-related ailments such as diabetes, rashes, bowel cancer etc.

I'd like to hear what other people do re: pet food and/or think about the BARF diet.

[BabyRider]

Umm...this is the first I've heard of this diet. I really REALLY hope that they are being clear on what bones are safe to feed animals. Cooked chicken bones can be fatal, and certain types of food can cause bloat, especially in large breed dogs. Got more info on the diet, Jika? Thanks!

[Jika]

Stupidly, I forgot to bookmark the best BARF pages I found on the internet so the best I can do at the moment is suggest googling Barf and see what comes up.

The gist of it is a diet based on what dogs would naturally eat in the wild through scavenging and fresh kills (raw meat and bone) as opposed to the highly processed commercial pet foods that are available.

Please don't worry, Barf is totally against cooked bones b/c they are so dangerous. I would never feed Oscar cooked bones especially cooked chicken bones.

Oscar's Barf diet (all meat/s fit for human consumption) consists of and rotates around;
chicken mince, chicken necks, wings, turkey meat, beef mince or chunks, rib bones, marrow bones, tuna, dog salmon (canned) lamb necks or shanks. Every meal has veggies cooked or raw mushed up and mixed in. alphalfa sprouts, parsley, carrot, broccoli, potato, herbs like basil or coriander from the garden.

It does take a bit of extra organization and work to prepare these meals and rotate them around so he gets a well balanced diet with lots of variety but he just seems so healthy and happy on it. I know for sure he chows down or attacks this food with more gusto than dry biscuits.

Hope this explanation sheds more light on the subject. Googling barf you'll probably get much better/quality info than my rambling.

cheers Jika.

[BabyRider]

If your vet is happy and your dog is happy, that's what matters, right?
Thought you'd be interested: When I googled BARF, I also found a site for Bay Area Riders Forum. A group of bikers on the west coast! How perfect! Thanks, Jika!!

[Jika]

Hey what can I say....I help where I can.

[nvalleyvee]

I worked in the pet industry for years and never heard of this one! I feed my animals high quality foods and give my dog cow hip bones from the grocery store. They all seem to be thriving. They are all over 10 years old so the critical health years are coming up.

[robinseggs]

One thing is for sure...God did not intend for dogs to be eating dry food out of a bag! That said, I admit I feed my dog bagged dog food (Purina Beneful). I have probably tried 15 different types of dry food in the bag, including the expensive ones and the cheapies....this one, Beneful is the only one he is mildly interested in! However, we make sure he gets bones on a regular basis and I am always putting goodies in his food bowl...(different meats/veggies/rice/yogurt) One of his favorites is carrots! He is very healthy, vet said weight is "ideal" and his coat literally GLISTENS! I wish I could prepare ALL his meals, but as a stay home mom of 3 I already feel like a short order cook sometimes!!! I think that is great what you are doing Jika and I know your dog loves you for it!!!

[john8pies]

The vet`s assistant who used to live next door told us to ONLY feed our cats on biscuits with water and milk. They haven`t fallen for that and still eat meat, canned food and the rest! As for bones, could be a bit dodgy!

[valerie]

I've heard about it for some time now and only good things!


Good for you for doing it.
Any others who want to come close to that without all the work, Innova
Evo is a good food to try.

Jika, I have also heard it called a Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods diet.
Just fyi, some I know also get venison from local hunters, or butchers
shops.