|
The philosophy behind using
BARF, or the hypothesis on which it is based is that the diet a dog evolved to
eat - over many millions of years of evolution - is the best way to feed it.
This is the hypothesis accepted by most modern zoos or any zoologist concerned
with preserving a species of endangered animal. It is not the theory endorsed by
pet food companies or the people they train - and that includes unfortunately -
most vets.
If you want to feed your dog
BARF, it means not feeding your dog cooked and or processed food. That is, not
feeding your dog a diet based on cooked grains, no matter how persuasive the
advertising. Artificial grain based dog foods cause innumerable health problems.
They are not what your dog was programmed to eat during its long process of
evolution.
|
A biologically appropriate
diet for a dog is one that consists of raw whole foods similar to those eaten by
the dogs' wild ancestors. The food fed must contain the same balance and type of
ingredients as consumed by those wild ancestors. This food will include such
things as muscle meat, bone, fat, organ meat and vegetable materials and any
other "foods" that will mimic what those wild ancestors ate. |
Wolf - Wild ancestor of modern dogs
|
Please note that modern dogs of any breed are not only capable of eating the
food of their wild ancestors, but actually require it for maximum health. This
is because their basic physiology has changed very little with domestication
despite obvious and dramatic changes in their current physical appearance and
mindset.
|
The BARF diet, being an
attempt to mimic the evolutionary diet of dogs, must, from a practical point of
view, use food that is available from the local supermarket or whatever local or
distant source is economically viable. BARF feeders do not have to go hunting or
send their dogs out to hunt. That is why I said BARF must mimic, not duplicate
the evolutionary diet of dogs. This is an important distinction.
|
African Wild Dog - Note the healthy teeth from eating raw meaty bones
|
The BARF feeder will MIMIC as
closely as possible rather than duplicate the NATURAL diet of the dog. We are
not trying to return our dogs to nature. It is impossible to feed any domestic
animal its natural diet, let alone allow it to live under natural conditions.
There are grave dangers that go along with the natural diet and natural
conditions the ancestors or wild cousins of our dogs live with. They face lack
of shelter, starvation, attacks by other predators, and the potential for their
prey to turn on them during the hunt. They also endure without medical
intervention including surgery, vaccination, antibiotics and preventative
measures against external and internal parasites. In other words, natural
conditions can be deadly!
They are not what we want for
our pets. What we want for our dogs is a diet and an environment that maximizes
health. That means a Biologically Appropriate Diet rather than a natural diet.
This is my favorite use of the term BARF - Biologically Appropriate Raw Food.
One controversial aspect of
the BARF dog diet is the use of whole, raw, meaty bones as food for our dogs. I
have fed my own dogs with these bones for decades, as have thousands of my
clients and readers of my books. For most dogs, whole raw meaty bones do not
constitute a danger. They simply and easily promote positive good health being a
biologically appropriate food for our dogs. However, where there is a perceived
danger, do not stop feeding bones. In these cases, simply use bones that have
been finely ground.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Ian Billinghurst
Next : Evolutionary Nutrition & BARF
|