Feeding naturally has become one of my obsessions – I truly believe in it and think that everyone, no matter how poor or how busy, can make a natural diet work for them. Background on me – I am a college student (no money) with 3 jobs as well as classes and extra-curricular activities (no time). I know the crunch of money at the end of the month, as well as days gone without sleep (I am hoping to be a veterinary student next year). All in all, it takes me about 10 minutes to feed my animals (2 cats, 2 dogs, a chinchilla and 3 tanks of fish) a day. This of course does not include shopping time, but I have to shop for myself anyway!
Background on feeding naturally –
Dogs and cats have been living in harmony with humans for thousands of years. Dogs were domesticated at least 10,000 years ago (some sources say even further back, but as of yet, that hasn’t been proven). They have been companions, protectors, and hunters. What did they eat, you ask? Raw meat, bones, organs of animals, and some scraps from their humans. That is the diet of wild canids and felids. Commercial food (called kibble) was introduced about 60 years ago, mainly to help large kennels feed their animals faster and to provide food for military dogs (if they had to air-lift in supplies). Since the introduction of feeding commercial food, the industry has boomed. You can find every flavor on the market, as well as special diets for diseased individuals. *Now* it is not the norm to feed raw meat, bones, etc, but rather commercial kibble. Scientists estimate that it takes about 10,000 years for an organism like mammals to evolve into something different…..so are our dogs and cats of today evolved to eat kibble?? No way – they have only had 60 years in which to change, not enough time!!
Kibble – what is it and why it is not desired –
Kibble is a product that has undergone chemical and heat denaturing and packaged up to sell. For a more thorough description of the horrors of the pet food industry, please see the website http://members.xoom.com/critterchat/ – the website has much more room and more information than I can put on this post! Please do read it – it is very important that you understand why kibble is bad for your animal.
B.A.R.F. feeding and what it means –
BARF stands for Bones And Raw Food. The reason that I follow this particular diet is because it closely mimics the diet that our pets have eaten for thousands of years. But a diet of only bones and meat is not a balanced one. Included in the diet are raw vegetables, organ meats, oils, vitamins and herbs. The 4 main food groups for pets are meat, bones, veggies and vitamins (“vitamins” literally means vital for life, so I lump oils in with vitamins). Notice the absence of grains and dairy and yeast in the diet. I have several posts that I send along with this one – they explain the need for grains and dairy to NOT be in the diet.
At what age can I start feeding BARF?
I believe that any age is fine. Puppies in the wild are raised on momma’s milk, leftover kill, and regurgitated prey. No kibble or cereal for them. I myself started my 8 week old puppy on BARF right away, and she had some health problems at the time which were resolved through diet alone. Email me if you would like to hear Barbeque’s story. I have also raised 3 week old orphaned kittens on BARF and they are very healthy. I have had good luck helping people switch their pregnant bitches onto BARF - they had easy pregnancies and produced lots of milk.
What about my large breed puppy and BARF?
So many of us with large breeds have problems with growing too fast, putting the puppy on adult food at a very young age, all the while with thoughts of pano and hip/elbow problems racing through our heads. Well, in a nutshell, BARF will allow the puppy to grow at the puppy’s own rate of growing. It has been noticed in many raw-fed litters that the pups grow slower than pups on kibble, even “adult” kibble. So the risk of pano is greatly reduced, if not eliminated. Letting the pup grow at his/her own speed also greatly reduces the chance of hip and elbow problems, as everything in the body grows at a nice, slow speed. The dogs will still attain the height/weight to which they are genetically programmed, it will just take them longer. Many who raise raw-fed litters also notice that the raw-fed ones are sturdier and have more bone depth than their kibble-fed cousins. And no worries about which kibble, adult or puppy or both……feeding raw eliminates those worries. Just ask the Great Dane or Mastiff or German Shepherd Dog owners with their pups and bitches on BARF.
Are there dangers to my pet when feeding BARF?
Of course. There are dangers to everything we do. However, the benefits far outweigh the risks IMO. Some risks (or false risks) are:
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Food poisoning from bacteria – yes there are bacteria on raw meat, but there are bacteria everywhere. Your cat or dog’s immune system can be built up to be strong enough to combat these bacteria. They also have a short intestinal tract, which gives the bacteria less time to get a toe-hold in the door, so to speak. And they were built to consume bacteria – they eat rotting meat, feces, and other nasty things I don’t dare mention here:) In most cases, dogs can handle a bacteria load far greater than we can, and healthy humans can handle a fairly high bacteria load. **IF your pet has an immune problem, then precautions need to be taken. Please email me if you have questions on this.**
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Splintering Bones – bones DO splinter and get sharp – you bet! However, the bones that typically do this are COOKED bones, something you should NEVER feed to your animals. Raw bones, on the average, are much softer and edible. Remember that COOK is a 4 letter word when it comes to animals. Raw bones from young animals are even better – they have more cartilage and are softer. Poultry bones (raw, of course) are usually favored since they are small and edible. My dogs and cats eat poultry bones every day.
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Balanced diet – balancing the diet is important. How many of you raised your own children by cooking for them – are they fine now? So why is it that balancing a dog or cat diet is so hard?? It’s not!! Although pet food companies want you to think it is, so that you will buy their “completely balanced” product. If you have already read about pet food on the URL I gave above, you will realize that they AREN’T balanced. There are several books that I recommend in the references portion of this post that give percentages of foodstuffs for diets, as well as the nutritional breakdown of diets. Billinghurst especially emphasizes balance *over time* and why it is preferable to balancing every single meal.
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This may not be dangerous, but it is important. Always warm up the food before you feed it!:) If you feed frozen or even refrigerator-cold meat and bones, it is likely to come right back up! The best and safest way to thaw meat/bones is to thaw in the refrigerator. To warm them up at the time of feeding, put whole meat/bones (not ground meat) in a large bowl filled with hot (but not near boiling - we don’t want any cooking to occur) water and let it sit for a few minutes. This is also a good time to get the supplements and/or veggies together. To warm up ground meat you can either wrap in plastic (like a plastic bag) and submerge in hot water, or simply pour some hot (again – not near boiling as we don’t want to cook anything) water on the ground meat and stir. This latter suggestion is what I do – it is easier to mix in the supplements if the ground meat has some liquid in it. Cold food takes longer to digest and can really upset a tummy. On the same token, if you forget to warm up the meat one day – don’t panic. It is by far better to warm the food, but if you forget once in a while it’s ok too. Just remember it for next time!:) Never ever use the microwave for warming up food for your animals – microwaving changes the chemical composition of the food which can be detrimental as well as usually cooking it in the process. However, it can be a good place to hide the warming food if your dogs or cats insist on “helping” you prepare their meals – put the bowl of water in the microwave and shut the door (do not turn it on). Cats and dogs as of yet haven’t figured out how to open the door…..
Price –
is feeding BARF more expensive than kibble?? More expensive than some brands, and less than other brands. I recently made my sister’s cat about a month’s supply of BARF and it cost her about the same price as a good, but not premium kibble. You would be amazed at some of the deals you can get, particularly since your animals will be eating off cuts like poultry carcasses, pork hooves, oxtails, etc. I am a college student, as mentioned before, and I can afford to feed my 4 animals BARF. If you count up the savings that you will get because you won’t have to run to the vet every week with a new ailment, the cost is LESS than kibble.
Bones and good teeth – did you know?
Have you had to have your pets’ teeth cleaned before?? I had to have my 8 year old cat’s cleaned, and even with a discount (I work at a veterinary clinic) it still cost me over $100!! If I would have known about BARF before I spent that $100…… The way a natural diet cleans teeth is all in the bones. Neck bones, particularly of poultry for cats and larger animals for dogs, are sometimes referred to as “nature’s toothbrush”. By gnawing and eating bones, their teeth (made for gnawing and eating bones) get scraped and cleaned of tartar and plaque. Until you witness your animals’ teeth getting that clean without dental cleanings, toothbrushes and chemically treated rawhides, you simply won’t believe how white they can get. And we all know that dental health is important – bacteria from the mouth can enter the bloodstream causing harm to liver and kidneys (the filters of the bloodstream). Have you ever been sick? If so, you may have noticed that no matter how many times you may brush your teeth, if you are sick then your breath is bad and your teeth don’t feel clean. A healthy body goes a long way in taking care of those pearly whites – another good reason to feed a raw and natural diet! The healthier the overall animal, the sweeter the breath and whiter the teeth!
Detox – what is it and what should I look out
for?
Detoxification, or detox, happens when an organism is accustomed to putting chemicals into their bodies, then when that chemical is removed from their diet/environment, their bodies gain enough strength to excrete that chemical. Detox is a GOOD thing, and one of the attached posts deals strictly with detox.
BOOKS
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The Ultimate Diet: Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats By Kymythy R. Schultze, A.H.I. Absolutely the BEST nutrition book out there. Kymythy goes over such things as species-appropriate nutrition, basic food groups, why buy organic?, fasting, snacks, making the switch, anti-cancer diet, pregnancy and young, senior citizens, resources, menus, amounts, and the holistic animal yellow pages. BUY THIS BOOK!! ISBN – 0-9664749, available by sending $14.95 (U.S.) funds to Affenbar Ink, P.O. Box 551, Descanso CA, 91916. Shipping and handling – $3 for first book, $1.50 for each additional book (great book for gifts!). Add 7.75% sales tax for books shipped to California. If in the UK – shipping and handling is $5.00 for first book, $3.00 for each additional. Canadian shipping and handling – $4.00 for first, $2.00 for each additional book. No one should be without this book!! ***** (5 star rating)
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Give Your Dog A Bone By Dr. Ian Billinghurst. Vital to the new Barfer, as he is the starter of BARF. If, when you read this, his new edition is out, get it. Not as good as Kymythy’s book, but an excellent resource. ****
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Keep your pet healthy the natural way By Pat Lazarus. Great book on all scopes of holistic healing, although the diet needs fine-tuning. Good resource, as it lists nutritionally-minded doctors around the country, as well as references for your vet. ****
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Earl Mindell’s Vitamin Bible By Earl Mindell. Excellent vitamin book, written for humans but pretty applicable for pets. Ignore his pet section:) *****
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Dr. Pitcairn’s complete guide to Natural Healing for Dogs and Cats. By Pitcairn and Pitcairn. Excellent book for the beginning pet owner as well as the owner who just wants to learn more. Diet info is iffy, as Dr. Pitcairn recommends grains which of course I do not, for reasons you will see in a post to come. ****
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Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog. By Volhard and Brown. More excellent overall health info, again the diet info is a little iffy. Too many grains, not enough bones. ****
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Any book by Pat McKay. She has an excellent diet program and another book on the dangers of over-vaccinating. *****