The BARF diet has two expansions;
- Biologically Appropriate Raw Food
- Bone And Raw Food
Because the main purpose of the BARF diet is to feed the dogs in the most appropriate way to their nature as much as possible.
How is the BARF diet prepared?
While preparing the BARF diet, the diet of wolves, the ancestors of dogs, was taken into account and this diet was most appropriately adapted for dogs. Proponents and advocates of the BARF diet oppose that commercial dog dry foods contain 40% of carbohydrates and grains. Because dogs, just like their ancestors, obtain their basic energy needs from fats and proteins.
Dogs, like wolves, have sharp teeth and powerful jaws. Therefore, its physiology is suitable for shredding and chewing meat. Also, dogs have very strong digestive systems. Thanks to this, it can quickly digest meat, bones and pre-digested vegetables.
Another purpose of the barf diet, or raw diet, is to provide dogs with loads of enzymes and bacteria. Because these offered enzymes and bacteria will help strengthen the immune system. It’s important to remember that even our pet dogs have strong stomach acids and short digestive systems. So our dogs can easily deal with these bacteria.
A Different perspective on BARF diet
For some, the barf diet is even better than the nature diet. Namely, the barf diet offers a variety of fresh meat and nutritional content when done thoroughly and correctly. It is difficult for a wolf living in nature to reach such a rich content.
Teeth and gums are cleaned when consuming raw bony meats. Animal fats, on the other hand, provide benefits to the skin and feather structure. It is the natural joint and bone support of your bones. Protein provides energy and vitality.
Raw Materials for Raw Nutrition
- Meats with bones
- Muscle meats
- Organs liver, kidney, heart, etc.
- Greengrocery
- Egg
- Alternative foods: yougurt or kefir, apple cider vinegar, some cereals
- Nutritional supplements
An example of raw feeding rates:
50% bone-in meats
20% muscle meat
5-10% organ meats
20-25% digested vegetable puree, egg and others
Important points
Meat is the most important source of raw nutrition. This diet comes in three flavors: bone meats, muscle meats, and organ meats. Chicken is the most widely used source in Turkey. The reason is that its price is more reasonable and it is accessible everywhere. Contrary to popular belief, most dogs do not cause allergies.
- Feeding meats with excess bone provides protein, fat, mineral and nutritional deficiencies.
- Excess bone causes constipation.
- Boneless meat takes up less space in a raw diet than bone-in meat. Because when boneless meat is given excessively, calcium deficiency occurs in the dog.
- It is important to give 5-10% organ meat. Liver is a good source for this because it is very concentrated in vitamin A, other vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids Omega-3 and Omega-6.
Vegetable Puree
Vegetables and fruits provide dogs with important fiber. When hunting a wolf or any wild canine in the wild. It consumes the stomach of its prey and the vegetables, herbs and other foods in it. That is why the vegetable puree we will make is the closest imitation of the game diet. Of course, canines in nature also obtain fiber from the feathers and fur of the prey they eat.
If we want to store the vegetables and fruits that we will use in the meals we prepare, it is easier to grind them into flour, then put them in the freezer. Our freezing of vegetable puree has two purposes. Its primary purpose is to break down the cell wall of vegetable matter and facilitate digestion. Second, batch preparation is easier. Ice cream may lose some of its nutritional value, but this is not important and can be overlooked. Some vegetables need to be cooked for optimum use of their nutritional value. Examples of these are zucchini, carrots and tomatoes.
Vegetables: dark green leafy vegetables make up the bulk of the puree. You can use any green salad. But the icebergs sold in the market have no nutritional value. You can use chard, carrot head, green mustard, parsley. The greens should be 50% of the vegetable puree we will prepare.
Some Notes
- Cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower should not be given in high proportions. Because it can cause gas in the dog and suppress thyroid functions.
- Limit tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and potatoes as they can increase inflammation in your dog. Especially in dogs with arthritis.
- Potatoes should be peeled because they are toxic to the dog. You can exclude potatoes from your diet if you wish.
- Never give onions because it can cause anemia.
You have to be careful with the garlic. It belongs to the same family group as the onion. It can be given in very small amounts against fleas and ticks. Garlic also has antifungal, antibiotic, antiseptic and antimicrobial properties. It would be better to keep the dosage low here.
You can boil the egg and add it to the vegetable puree when it is slightly runny, and you can use the shell as a joint support in the future (we will publish an article about this in the future).
Dairy Almost most dogs benefit from probiotic-rich yogurt. As long as the yogurt contains a live bacterial culture. You can put the yogurt on top of the puree.
You can add apple cider vinegar to the puree. It is a natural antibiotic, good for arthritis, helps digestion, lowers cholesterol. Be careful that it is not pasteurized so that it contains beneficial bacteria.
Note: If you want to make the work easier while preparing the vegetable puree, put the vegetables in the blender and add water.
For more information: Wikipedia