Many people are turning to a raw or fresh food diet for their canine companions and the results are amazing after only a few days or even weeks for some dogs.  It is always exciting to talk with people who are just starting this way of feeding their dogs; there are many things that are predictable for people to go through as they make the switch from kibble to fresh/raw food.  And there are a few questions that are inevitable.  This article will hopefully answer a few of the most often asked questions.  In no way is it meant to be the only source of information for new BARFers, and you may have many more questions after reading this.  It should only be a starting point in what can be an endless search in finding the optimum diet for your dog. 

BARF: What is it?

BARF is an acronym for biologically appropriate raw food diet or bones and raw food diet.  It just depends who you are talking to.  Dr. Ian Billinghurst, a veterinarian from Australia who is advocating the raw diet, has been credited with coming up with the BARF diet.  While he has sold many books based on BARF, he admittedly denies being the one to start this diet.  His book, as well as The Ultimate Diet by Kymythy Schultz have many traits in common with The Complete Herbal Handbook For the Dog and Cat by Juliette de Bairacli Levy which was first published in 1955 by a woman who raised Afghan Hounds and traveled the world feeding them a raw diet.  And she did all of this before refrigeration was available in many places she lived.  There are also breeders throughout England, Germany, and the U.S. who have been feeding fresh diets to their dogs with very good results for many years.  So this may be a relatively new idea to most of us but a tried and true practice for much of the dog world.

What Do I Need?

The Bones

Bones are the main stay of this diet for dogs; some people recommend that up to 50%-80% of the dogs’ diet should be comprised of bones.  There are a couple of different types of bones that you will see mentioned if you search the web or get on a list of other raw food feeders.  There are recreational bones and raw meaty bones also known as rmbs’.  Recreational bones can include but are not limited to beef knucklebones or marrowbones.  They are so called because dogs can chew on them for extended periods of time. Recreational bones do not usually have much meat on them, being mostly for exercising jaws, teeth, in fact your whole dog gets a work out when chewing most any type of bone.

 Beware of giving hard knucklebones to older dogs with brittle teeth.  Some older dogs that are new to this diet have not developed the strong teeth needed to chew and grind on the harder bones and have broken their canine teeth while doing so.  Start your dog on softer, non-weight bearing bones until their teeth gain the strength necessary to tackle those harder, weight, bearing bones safely.

Emu ribs, lamb ribs in fact most rib bones can be used as recreational bones and are much softer than beef knucklebones.   Any type of lamb bone, because of their age, is also good for dogs new to BARF.

Raw Meaty Bones

Raw meaty bones are bones with more meat to bone ratio than recreational bones and can actually be given as a meal.  Some bones in this category include but are not limited to: chicken and turkey necks, chicken and turkey wings, emu necks, lamb necks, emu tails, chicken and turkey carcasses, etc.  The list is as extensive as the bones you are able to find in steady supply.  All meats and bones should be from antibiotic and hormone free sources if possible.  Range free and organic is best especially if your dog is dealing with any type of autoimmune disease.

Many people have chosen to grind their bones and meat into a mince.  If you find that your dog will not chew up the bones or they are having a hard time digesting the bones and meat, this is a great way to get your dog to eat their bones.  There are a few meat grinders on the market that will grind chicken necks and turkey necks.  This is also effective with older dogs that are missing teeth and can’t chew their bones efficiently.

Offal 

Offal or organ meat is a necessary and sometimes neglected part of this diet.  Organs should always come from organic and/or antibiotic and hormone free sources, since toxins would be concentrated in the organs.  Although heart is muscle meat, it should not be discounted as an important addition to the raw diet.  Kidney, liver, lung, spleen, gizzards and tripe can and should be fed often for a balanced diet.  Many important digestive enzymes are found in organs and green tripe. 

Vegetables

Vegetables should be organic when possible and well washed and rinsed.  The vegetable list is almost endless, but some people choose to stay away from veggies from the nightshade family (eggplant, white potatoes, onions, etc.)  I find that in moderation there is nothing that I have not been able to feed my dogs, as long as it is in reasonable amounts.  If you are in doubt about something, investigate further until you feel confident that it is either something you want to include or would rather leave off the list of ingredients.  Then let your imagination run wild:  asparagus, artichokes, green beans, beets, carrots with greens, cucumbers, celery, dandelion greens, fennel, garlic, jicama, kale, leeks, Napa cabbage, parsley, parsnips, red bell pepper, radishes with greens, green peas, rutabaga, turnips, yams, zucchini.  I did find that when I was including dandelion greens in every veggie meal, my girls started leaking urine, so I stopped the greens and they stopped the leaking.  Everything in moderation!

Broccoli, cabbage and brussels sprouts tend to cause gas when used in large amounts.  Spinach and other veggies high in oxalates will inhibit the absorption of calcium when fed in large quantities.  Some of the root vegetables like beets, carrots, rutabagas and yams are higher in sugars and can be problematic for dogs with diabetes or that are prone to yeast infections.  Just be aware of your dogs’ specific needs.  Some dogs are fine being fed a variety of all of the above vegetables. 

Herbs are also added for special needs or under certain circumstances. I like to add herbs for flavor and some of my favorites are basil, rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley, chives, cilantro, and ginger.

Fruit can be given as a snack between meals.  Fruit should always be well ripened and organic as well.  I don’t feed fruit with anything else as it digests at a different rate than other foods. Sometimes I will grind a bit of apple and add that with some grains and yams, but if your dog experiences gas or other digestive upset, it may be the apple.

When I was in Mexico, I found that my dogs loved eating ripe Kiwi, Papaya, Mango, Pineapple, Apples, Oranges, Bananas, and Avocado.  I also squeezed Limejuice over the vegetable mash. 

Dried fruits can be a good treat but remember they are high in sugar.  Keep this in mind if your dog is diabetic, you should remove fruit from the menu.  My dogs also developed a taste for Dates, Figs and Raisins while we were traveling.

Dairy

Dairy has been a controversial topic for lots of dog owners.  Some people say absolutely not because it is slow to digest and coats the lining of the digestive tract while others argue why not?  So this is up to you as an individual.  I started my dogs with some cottage cheese, yogurt, and buttermilk almost daily in their diets.  Occasionally they get a spoonful of goat’s milk yogurt with live, active probiotics as a source of beneficial bacteria.  Goats’ milk is easier to digest than cows’ milk and is lower in saturated fats than cow’s milk products.

If you have a dog that has allergies, you may want to stay away from any type of milk product until you find out what the allergies are being triggered by.  Another source of probiotics for dogs is Jarro-Dophilus + FOS a non-dairy hypoallergenic supplement.

 I would also add eggs, from free-range hens if possible, antibiotic and hormone free.  I feed two to three raw per week to a 60 lb. dog.  Some people will bake the shell in the oven, grind it in the coffee mill and also feed that to their dogs, as a calcium supplement. 

Supplements

If we are feeding a balanced, whole food diet, why do we need to supplement?  Well, you may not.  Your dog may do fine with fresh foods and be absorbing all the nutrition necessary from the food you are feeding.  Unfortunately, not all dogs that are started on this way of eating are in optimum health, in fact many dogs are introduced to the raw diet because of a particular health issue.  So, in order to help your dog through his/her health crunch, there are some supplements that you can add to ease the change.

Vitamins:

 B, C is both water-soluble and many of the texts say you cannot overdose your dog on them.  I would suggest further reading for you to determine what is right for your dog and the situation you are in.  Vit C has many healing benefits at higher than normal levels. 

Vitamins A, D, E, K are fat-soluble which means they are stored in the liver.  You can find the right dose for your dog, depending on body weight, in one of the many books listed at the end of this article.

Miscellaneous supplements that I add when needed to my dogs meals include, alfalfa (vitamins and minerals), kelp (minerals), raw organic honey (enzymes), organic cold-pressed olive oil, slippery elm bark (for stomach upset/loose stools), ground organic raw-pumpkin seeds (to combat worm infestation), wild salmon oil (for essential fatty acids) or flax seed oil (essential fatty acids), colostrum (stomach upset or illness due to poor immune system), Echinacea (immune booster), digestive enzymes (aid in switching to raw diet from kibble based diet), pancreatin (digestive enzyme).  

Grains

I do not feed grains to my dogs on a daily basis, nor do I recommend feeding grains to dogs as a staple in their diet. There are chemicals related to grains that make them hard to digest even when soaked and cooked, which is one reason many dogs that eat kibble have stomach upset and ultimately gas.  Flatulence is one of the main complaints dog owners have about their kibble fed dogs, but what most people don’t realize is that it is a result of the inability of the digestive system to properly breakdown the cereals in kibble.

If you do decide to feed grains, one to consider is quinoa, pronounced Keen-wa.  It is an annual herb originally used by the Incas in South America.  Because it is casein and gluten-free, it usually does not create an allergic reaction like corn or wheat and this increases its digestibility.  Grains should be fed separately from meat meals to aid in proper digestion and small, well-cooked amounts are best. 

How Do I Start?

Start feeding the raw diet after a 24 hour fast with only fresh water, RAW honey, and colostrum. Then begin giving colostrum in the a.m. twenty minutes prior to the first meal for at least the first week of the fresh food diet or as long as you notice a change in your dog’s stools.

Next feed yogurt with probiotics or acidophilus and honey mixed with some steamed or canned pumpkin.  You can substitute kefir for yogurt as long as it has probiotics.  You can also add some digestive enzymes at this point at half the adult dosage for a 50-pound dog.  Add ¼ teaspoon slippery elm per 10 pounds for the morning meal.  You can feed some cottage cheese or yogurt, goats’ milk is best. 

I start with chicken necks for their first meaty bones, which seem to be the easiest to swallow.  You can chop them in small pieces so they are easier for your dog to chew.  If your dog throws them up, do not be alarmed, this is a natural reaction.  Your dog may try to eat them again, this is also natural. You can then start mixing up minced meat with veggies.  Add the veggie mix gradually until you reach the amount appropriate for your dogs’ weight.  For some dogs, the veggie mix can be the hardest to digest and you may want to start by steaming or cooking all vegetables in the beginning.

This should be gradually added to until your dog has reached the amount you would be feeding which is approximately 5% of his weight. For a 10 lb. dog it would be ½ lb. of food, for a 50 lb. dog, 2.5 lb. of food and 100 lb. dog would eat 5 lb. of food. In any case you will know what is right for your dog according to activity and lifestyle.  Some dogs on the fresh food diet will start out with a really healthy appetite and then for almost no reason they will taper off and not seem as hungry.  Their bodies seem to finally be getting the nutrition they need and are finally satisfied.

Digestive enzymes are always helpful in the beginning to aid in the digestion and assimilation of this food, which is new to your dogs’ system.  Some stomach upset is not uncommon so small meals are best and keeping supplements to a minimum until your dog is easily eating and digesting all of his meals.  Honey is a very good food since it has many enzymes to help with food assimilation and is almost a complete food in itself.

Find other people who are feeding the fresh food diet and get ideas from them, find out what it was like when they started their dog and keep in mind, every dog is different.

Don’t forget to keep a diary of what you feed your dog in the beginning so you know what works and what doesn’t.  And never mix kibble and fresh food.  Kibble stays in your dogs’ system up to 16 hours after being ingested while fresh food goes through in 4-6 hours.  The kibble will just sit there and ferment.  This will cause bigger problems than you had before.

There are many sample diets in books and on websites.  Here is a suggested reading list:

The Complete Herbal Handbook For Dogs and Cats                  Juliette de Bairacli Levy

Give Your Dog a Bone                                    Ian Billinghurst,V.V.Sc(Hons), B.Sc.Agr. Dip.Ed.                                                               

Grow Your Pups With Bones              Ian Billinghurst, V.V.Sc (Hons), B.Sc.Agr. Dip.Ed                                                                  

The Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog                 Wendy Volhard & Kerry Brown, D.V.M.

The Veterinarians’ Guide to Natural Remedies for Dogs                Martin Zucker