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Developed by Australian veterinarian Ian Billinghurst, the BARF diet is based on feeding raw,
meaty bones, animal offal, raw vegetables, and occasionally supplements, instead of commercially-
processed or cooked homemade diets.
Dr. Billinghurst describes BARF this way:
“BARF is about feeding dogs properly. The aim of BARF is to maximize the health, longevity and
reproductive capacity of dogs and by so doing, minimize the need for veterinary intervention. How
do you feed a dog properly? You feed it the diet that it evolved to eat. ... 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 was those wild ancestors ate.”
This means feeding a dog raw meats, bones and organs, not processed commercial dog foods.
Initially most people are shocked at the concept of actually feeding our dogs REAL food. But it is in
fact the most natural diet for our doggy (and kitty) companions.
The benefits of natural raw foods are noticeable almost immediately. Healthier, cleaner teeth &
gums, a healthy shiny coat, improved energy levels, increased mobility in older arthritic dogs,
stronger immune system, less doggy odor & improved breath, smaller stools, slower more steady
growth rates in puppies, etc.
There are a number variations of the raw food diet, some include veggies, others totally exclude
them, others include dairy products, others again exclude them. The diet is as individual as the
people feeding their dogs. Best is to read as much as you can and determine your own path.
The Basics of the Raw Food Diet
RAW MEATY BONES
Your dog's diet should be comprised of 60% raw meaty bones. The dog must be able to eat the
bone as well as the meat. Chicken or turkey necks, backs, wings , frames or carcasses, or chicken
leg quarters are the usual and most common Raw Meaty Bone fed to dogs. Whole rabbit, duck,
pheasant and quail are great substitutes when available. Some pork bones (such as neck, breast
bones, and ribs) also are consumable by the dog. Whole fish can be used in place of Raw Meaty
Bones occasionally (up to once a week). A large knuckle bone would not be considered a Raw
Meaty Bone since only a small amount of the bone is actually eaten. The Raw Meaty Bone can be
given either whole or ground. Whole would be ideal as it provides lots of exercise for the jaw and
neck muscles and helps keep the teeth clean. But if your dog is elderly, missing many teeth, has
difficulty chewing, then by all means grind them up! Ground bones are much better than no bones at
all!
MUSCLE MEATS
Muscle meats (this includes heart, gizzard and tongue) can also play a part in your dogs diet. Now
and then you can feed a pure muscle meat meal (no bones) but don't do this all the time as
boneless meat is high in phosphorous but low in calcium. Muscle meats are great for grinding or
mincing and mixing with veggies, supplements etc. Keep pure muscle meats to 20% or less of the
overall diet. Chicken, turkey, lamb, goat, rabbit, pork, beef & fish can all be used. You can even
feed emu, ostrich, duck, buffalo, venison, moose, elk, musk ox etc. If they are available feel free to
give them a try too.
ORGAN MEAT
Organ meats, such as liver and kidney, should be fed in small amounts several times a week. (Plan
for organ meat to be about 10% of the overall diet.) These can be either ground and added to the
meals or given in chunks. Organs are very rich so too much can cause loose stools. If you feed
chicken backs, take a close look at them, they often have nice pieces of kidney and sometimes
lung as well attached to the spine. Heart, although an organ, is made of muscle tissue so should be
used as muscle meat rather than organ meat.
Tripe (stomach) is another organ you may come across, and is another organ (like heart) that is not
fed like an organ meat as it is a muscular organ. Avoid the bleached white tripe you may find in
grocery stores, it is highly processed with very little nutrition left in it. The "good" tripe is raw,
unprocessed 'green' tripe...this still has wonderful enzymes, beneficial bacteria, and pre-digested
vegetable matter. Tripe has a perfect calcium/phosphorous ratio (comparable to Raw Meaty
Bones), so it can be fed in place of a Raw Meaty Bone meal several times a week if desired. Only
two problems with tripe....for one it stinks!!! (But the dogs love it!) The other is lack of availability in
many areas. You will never find green tripe in a butcher shop or grocery store, since it is not
something people eat....but many raw-food companies sell it! Check with other local raw feeders
for sources, or check with me and I will try to find you a source.
VEGETABLES & FRUIT
Vegetables and fruit play a very small role in the BARF diet. Because dogs have a very short
intestinal tract they cannot efficiently process vegetable fiber. In the wild, a dog would receive very
little plant matter in the diet, mostly in small amounts through the process of eating the intestines
and stomach of their prey - they shake out most of the contents but a small amount would end up
being consumed. To effectively emulate this process for our domestic dogs, it is necessary to
break down the fiber of the vegetable/fruit material . This can be easily done with a juicer (using the
remaining pulp), a food processor, a blender or a grinder.
If you choose to feed veggies, the best and most important vegetables to use are dark leafy
greens, such as: romaine lettuce, spinach, kale, chard, beet greens, turnip greens, collards,
parsley, cilantro, dandelion, etc. You can feed other veggies too, but in smaller amounts than the
leafy greens. Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage (careful with these 3, they can cause gas, and avoid in
dogs with thyroid problems), carrots, yams, sweet potatoes, yellow squash, beets all have high
nutritional value. Also usable occasionally but with less nutritional value is cucumber, celery,
zucchini, lettuces other than Romaine. Raw potatoes should not be fed, other vegetables from the
Nightshade family (tomatoes, peppers & eggplant) can be fed in small to moderate amounts but
are best avoided in an arthritic animal as they may aggravate the condition. The only vegetable that
would be considered absolutely off limits is onions. A small amount of fresh ginger root and garlic is
an excellent addition to the veggie mix. Some people instead of feeding raw veggies will instead
feed canned plain pumpkin or baked yams as a source of fiber in their pets diet.
Fruit if fed, is best used ripe to over ripe. In the wild, a dog would only get very limited amounts of
berries or similar fruits during a small portion of the year. Fruit should be fed only in small amounts
and fed separately from other foods, at least a couple hours away from other meals...it is digested
much faster than meat and veggies are. Feeding everything together can cause the fruit to ferment
in the gut! That said, small amounts of fruit mixed into the regular meals is well tolerated by most
dogs.
Variety is the key to success. Alternate 3 - 4 vegetables. Buy in season produce and be sure to use
your vegetable trimmings from your own meals.
EGGS & DAIRY
Eggs (ideally free-range) can be added to the diet. They are an excellent source of protein and
vitamins. They can be mixed with veggies or ground meat, and some dogs will eat them plain.
Always include the shell when you feed eggs, you may have to crush it up into little bits and mix it in.
Contrary to the 'old wives tale', raw eggs are very good for your dog as long as fed whole! Egg
white does contain avidin, which binds up biotin.....but the yolk contains a ton of biotin which more
than offsets the avidin. So the only way you would produce a biotin deficiency from feeding eggs
would be to feed egg white only for a long period of time.
Dairy is not an essential part of the diet, but many dogs enjoy it so it can be added occasionally for
variety if you wish. Plain yogurt and cottage cheese are the best (buy the higher-fat ones, not the
low-fat), other cheeses can be used as training teats, etc. Many dogs have problems digesting
cows milk, but will do fine on goats milk.
RECREATIONAL BONES
These are larger bones like beef knuckle or shank bones. Recreational bones are for chewing and
gnawing, rather than eating entirely. This action cleans teeth and massages the gums. Recreational
bones should ideally be offered a few times a week, or daily with a teething puppy.
SUPPLEMENTS
Very few supplements are needed if you are feeding a varied diet. The one supplement I consider
essential is a high-EFA(essential fatty acid) oil such as Salmon oil, Herring oil, Anchovy or Sardine
oil or Arctic Vigor (seal oil). You should be adding an EFA oil to your dogs diet at lest 3-4 days a
week for most pets. Kelp is a supplement used by many people for its trace minerals, but this
should be used in very small amounts, I recommend no more than 1/8 tsp for an Aussie, and no
more often than 2-3 times a week at the most.
SERVING A RAW DIET
It is up to your whether you feed once or twice a day. I personally feed all my dogs only one meal a
day, as I find my dogs do better on less frequent feedings. To contain mess, many people feed their
dogs in the crates, some will feed outside or even teach their dog to eat in the bathtub or on a place
mat in the kitchen.
Many raw feeders fast their dogs once a week, giving just water and possibly a recreational bone.
This allows the digestive tract a rest, and helps clean out toxins and parasites from the system.
Remember, a wild dog will not necessarily eat every day. In fact, many raw-fed dogs will fast
themselves!
TRAVELING WITH RAW FOOD
Feeding raw food can make traveling a little more difficult, but it certainly can be done! If you will be
traveling where there will be electricity, a portable electric cooler can be used as a mini-fridge and
will keep you meat fresh as long as needed. For camping where you have no electricity, a cooler
will suffice for several days (the Coleman Extreme brand will keep meat frozen at least 5 days I
hear), Beyond that you can go to non-raw but still healthy alternatives, such as canned salmon, tuna
or mackerel for protein with canned pumpkin for veggies. Eggs will also keep quite well. There are
also several forms of dehydrated diets available, you just have to add water to it and there is
dinner! They can be quite expensive, but are great for traveling! Wysong Archetype, Steve's Real
Food, Solid Gold Buckaroo Beef, and NRG (this last one contains grain, so may not be suitable for
all dogs) are some of the most common brands of dehydrated diet.
WHATS WRONG WITH KIBBLE?
Kibble is a man made product designed to take money out of your pockets and is not necessarily
made with the health of your dog in mind. Over the years we've been brain washed into assuming
this is the only diet for our family pets.
The truth is that before commercial dog foods were available, dogs ate whatever food was
available in their environment. Farm dogs, ate meat scraps, milk, eggs and food found scavenging,
and city dogs depended on scraps from the owners’ table, and cheap cuts of raw meat from the
butcher.
Commercially processed pet foods have not really been around very long, yet dogs have managed
to survive all that time without kibble.
A quick history of commercial pet foods.
as chemical preservatives.
Dogs and cats evolved to eat food that is meat or amino-acid based. The gastrointestinal tract of
dogs – which is central to health and wellness – is specialized to a carnivorous diet.
Kibble is not a balanced part of a carnivorous diet any more than Potato chips and twinkies are a
part of our balanced diet.
The fact is that the only diet that is 100% natural to your dog is a BARF diet.
You will hear plenty of myths and falsities regarding RAW feeding. These stories are passed along
by dog food companies. Why? Because for every dog owner who does not choose one of their
brands of food, they loose thousands of dollars.
Like wise your veterinarian will push you to feed their brand of food. What they don't tell you is that
Veterinarians take a crash course in pet food sales, they learn how to convince you to buy the food
they sell in their clinics. Vets are in a position of trust. You expect them to tell you whats best for your
pet. Vet's don't tell you that they get a financial kick back from the food they sell, so why would they
not push their food? Guess who puts on the course teaching the vets about marketing and food? A
pet food company of course. So what are they pushing? THEIR brand of pet food, usually Royal
Canin lines also labeled as Medi-cal.
When I recommend raw feeding I don't get a kick back. The only payment I get is knowing that my
puppies are that much happier and that much healthier than kibble fed puppies.
Sit back and think canines for one minute. How many canines do you see choose of their own free
will to hang out in a barley or wheat field for a snack? How many stories do you hear of a coyote in
a wheat field, or a fox in a grain silo? None, because dogs are not grain eaters. There is a reason
we hear about a fox in a hen house, because canines are meat eaters. Give me any dog and offer
him a raw chicken neck or a bowl of oatmeal and my money is on the chicken every time. Now go
to a pet store and take a look at the ingredients list on popular kibbles and see just how many
grains are in kibble.
Now think corn. How well does your body digest corn? Humans have long digestive system
designed to digest just about anything. We can eat meat, fruits, vegetables, grains and
carbohydrates and yet we don't even digest corn. So how well do you think your dog digests corn?
Not very well at all. Now take the time to go to a pet store and read the ingredient list on many
different brands of kibble, canned food and even treats and see just how many have corn in their
ingredients list.
For a more personal touch here is what I have found feeding raw versus feeding kibble.
You will hear all sorts of myths and falsities about raw feeding to turn you away.
The most popular one is that there is no scientific proof to back up raw feeding. Well of course not.
Raw is a natural diet. Who is going to fund it? Companies like Purina, Hills and Royal Canin have
billions of dollars to spend on testing. Of course when they test their own kibble they are going to
find out how wonderful it is. They wouldn't get paid to find out it's not good :)
So when you take the time to sit down and think about it, it starts to make a little more sense.
GOOD KIBBLES
Well no matter how many good things I have to say about BARF, there will be some people who are
just stuck on kibble. So I may as well offer a gentle guiding hand and help you choose the best
kibble you can find.
We've stated that dogs are meat eaters and that Grains, Corn and Fillers are not good for dogs. So
if your going to feed your dog kibble, it should be as close to a BARF diet as absolutely possible.
First thing I'll state is that PUPPIES DO NOT NEED PUPPY FOOD.
My puppies are sold on very strict contracts that state they are NEVER to have puppy food.
Puppy food was invented in the 1980's. Prior to that puppies seemed to grow up just fine.
Sit back and tell me how many species on this earth you can think of that feed their young a
different balanced diet than they eat themselves? Not one. Including humans. Canines and felines
make a kill and bring the carcass back to the den. Birds eat worms and seeds and regurgitate it
back to their young. Humans cook the same foods and just mash it up so it isn't chunky. The
common denominator is that all the offspring eat the same foods as the parents, so why do we feed
puppies a different food than their parents? Because it puts more money in the dog food
companies pocket, thats why.
So if your going to buy dog food. Buy ADULT dog food only. Stay away from puppy food.
The kibbles listed below are the kibbles we are the happiest with and are the only current kibbles
we will allow are puppies to eat. They are listed in order of our preference from personal
experience.
meaty bones, animal offal, raw vegetables, and occasionally supplements, instead of commercially-
processed or cooked homemade diets.
Dr. Billinghurst describes BARF this way:
“BARF is about feeding dogs properly. The aim of BARF is to maximize the health, longevity and
reproductive capacity of dogs and by so doing, minimize the need for veterinary intervention. How
do you feed a dog properly? You feed it the diet that it evolved to eat. ... 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 was those wild ancestors ate.”
This means feeding a dog raw meats, bones and organs, not processed commercial dog foods.
Initially most people are shocked at the concept of actually feeding our dogs REAL food. But it is in
fact the most natural diet for our doggy (and kitty) companions.
The benefits of natural raw foods are noticeable almost immediately. Healthier, cleaner teeth &
gums, a healthy shiny coat, improved energy levels, increased mobility in older arthritic dogs,
stronger immune system, less doggy odor & improved breath, smaller stools, slower more steady
growth rates in puppies, etc.
There are a number variations of the raw food diet, some include veggies, others totally exclude
them, others include dairy products, others again exclude them. The diet is as individual as the
people feeding their dogs. Best is to read as much as you can and determine your own path.
The Basics of the Raw Food Diet
RAW MEATY BONES
Your dog's diet should be comprised of 60% raw meaty bones. The dog must be able to eat the
bone as well as the meat. Chicken or turkey necks, backs, wings , frames or carcasses, or chicken
leg quarters are the usual and most common Raw Meaty Bone fed to dogs. Whole rabbit, duck,
pheasant and quail are great substitutes when available. Some pork bones (such as neck, breast
bones, and ribs) also are consumable by the dog. Whole fish can be used in place of Raw Meaty
Bones occasionally (up to once a week). A large knuckle bone would not be considered a Raw
Meaty Bone since only a small amount of the bone is actually eaten. The Raw Meaty Bone can be
given either whole or ground. Whole would be ideal as it provides lots of exercise for the jaw and
neck muscles and helps keep the teeth clean. But if your dog is elderly, missing many teeth, has
difficulty chewing, then by all means grind them up! Ground bones are much better than no bones at
all!
MUSCLE MEATS
Muscle meats (this includes heart, gizzard and tongue) can also play a part in your dogs diet. Now
and then you can feed a pure muscle meat meal (no bones) but don't do this all the time as
boneless meat is high in phosphorous but low in calcium. Muscle meats are great for grinding or
mincing and mixing with veggies, supplements etc. Keep pure muscle meats to 20% or less of the
overall diet. Chicken, turkey, lamb, goat, rabbit, pork, beef & fish can all be used. You can even
feed emu, ostrich, duck, buffalo, venison, moose, elk, musk ox etc. If they are available feel free to
give them a try too.
ORGAN MEAT
Organ meats, such as liver and kidney, should be fed in small amounts several times a week. (Plan
for organ meat to be about 10% of the overall diet.) These can be either ground and added to the
meals or given in chunks. Organs are very rich so too much can cause loose stools. If you feed
chicken backs, take a close look at them, they often have nice pieces of kidney and sometimes
lung as well attached to the spine. Heart, although an organ, is made of muscle tissue so should be
used as muscle meat rather than organ meat.
Tripe (stomach) is another organ you may come across, and is another organ (like heart) that is not
fed like an organ meat as it is a muscular organ. Avoid the bleached white tripe you may find in
grocery stores, it is highly processed with very little nutrition left in it. The "good" tripe is raw,
unprocessed 'green' tripe...this still has wonderful enzymes, beneficial bacteria, and pre-digested
vegetable matter. Tripe has a perfect calcium/phosphorous ratio (comparable to Raw Meaty
Bones), so it can be fed in place of a Raw Meaty Bone meal several times a week if desired. Only
two problems with tripe....for one it stinks!!! (But the dogs love it!) The other is lack of availability in
many areas. You will never find green tripe in a butcher shop or grocery store, since it is not
something people eat....but many raw-food companies sell it! Check with other local raw feeders
for sources, or check with me and I will try to find you a source.
VEGETABLES & FRUIT
Vegetables and fruit play a very small role in the BARF diet. Because dogs have a very short
intestinal tract they cannot efficiently process vegetable fiber. In the wild, a dog would receive very
little plant matter in the diet, mostly in small amounts through the process of eating the intestines
and stomach of their prey - they shake out most of the contents but a small amount would end up
being consumed. To effectively emulate this process for our domestic dogs, it is necessary to
break down the fiber of the vegetable/fruit material . This can be easily done with a juicer (using the
remaining pulp), a food processor, a blender or a grinder.
If you choose to feed veggies, the best and most important vegetables to use are dark leafy
greens, such as: romaine lettuce, spinach, kale, chard, beet greens, turnip greens, collards,
parsley, cilantro, dandelion, etc. You can feed other veggies too, but in smaller amounts than the
leafy greens. Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage (careful with these 3, they can cause gas, and avoid in
dogs with thyroid problems), carrots, yams, sweet potatoes, yellow squash, beets all have high
nutritional value. Also usable occasionally but with less nutritional value is cucumber, celery,
zucchini, lettuces other than Romaine. Raw potatoes should not be fed, other vegetables from the
Nightshade family (tomatoes, peppers & eggplant) can be fed in small to moderate amounts but
are best avoided in an arthritic animal as they may aggravate the condition. The only vegetable that
would be considered absolutely off limits is onions. A small amount of fresh ginger root and garlic is
an excellent addition to the veggie mix. Some people instead of feeding raw veggies will instead
feed canned plain pumpkin or baked yams as a source of fiber in their pets diet.
Fruit if fed, is best used ripe to over ripe. In the wild, a dog would only get very limited amounts of
berries or similar fruits during a small portion of the year. Fruit should be fed only in small amounts
and fed separately from other foods, at least a couple hours away from other meals...it is digested
much faster than meat and veggies are. Feeding everything together can cause the fruit to ferment
in the gut! That said, small amounts of fruit mixed into the regular meals is well tolerated by most
dogs.
Variety is the key to success. Alternate 3 - 4 vegetables. Buy in season produce and be sure to use
your vegetable trimmings from your own meals.
EGGS & DAIRY
Eggs (ideally free-range) can be added to the diet. They are an excellent source of protein and
vitamins. They can be mixed with veggies or ground meat, and some dogs will eat them plain.
Always include the shell when you feed eggs, you may have to crush it up into little bits and mix it in.
Contrary to the 'old wives tale', raw eggs are very good for your dog as long as fed whole! Egg
white does contain avidin, which binds up biotin.....but the yolk contains a ton of biotin which more
than offsets the avidin. So the only way you would produce a biotin deficiency from feeding eggs
would be to feed egg white only for a long period of time.
Dairy is not an essential part of the diet, but many dogs enjoy it so it can be added occasionally for
variety if you wish. Plain yogurt and cottage cheese are the best (buy the higher-fat ones, not the
low-fat), other cheeses can be used as training teats, etc. Many dogs have problems digesting
cows milk, but will do fine on goats milk.
RECREATIONAL BONES
These are larger bones like beef knuckle or shank bones. Recreational bones are for chewing and
gnawing, rather than eating entirely. This action cleans teeth and massages the gums. Recreational
bones should ideally be offered a few times a week, or daily with a teething puppy.
SUPPLEMENTS
Very few supplements are needed if you are feeding a varied diet. The one supplement I consider
essential is a high-EFA(essential fatty acid) oil such as Salmon oil, Herring oil, Anchovy or Sardine
oil or Arctic Vigor (seal oil). You should be adding an EFA oil to your dogs diet at lest 3-4 days a
week for most pets. Kelp is a supplement used by many people for its trace minerals, but this
should be used in very small amounts, I recommend no more than 1/8 tsp for an Aussie, and no
more often than 2-3 times a week at the most.
SERVING A RAW DIET
It is up to your whether you feed once or twice a day. I personally feed all my dogs only one meal a
day, as I find my dogs do better on less frequent feedings. To contain mess, many people feed their
dogs in the crates, some will feed outside or even teach their dog to eat in the bathtub or on a place
mat in the kitchen.
Many raw feeders fast their dogs once a week, giving just water and possibly a recreational bone.
This allows the digestive tract a rest, and helps clean out toxins and parasites from the system.
Remember, a wild dog will not necessarily eat every day. In fact, many raw-fed dogs will fast
themselves!
TRAVELING WITH RAW FOOD
Feeding raw food can make traveling a little more difficult, but it certainly can be done! If you will be
traveling where there will be electricity, a portable electric cooler can be used as a mini-fridge and
will keep you meat fresh as long as needed. For camping where you have no electricity, a cooler
will suffice for several days (the Coleman Extreme brand will keep meat frozen at least 5 days I
hear), Beyond that you can go to non-raw but still healthy alternatives, such as canned salmon, tuna
or mackerel for protein with canned pumpkin for veggies. Eggs will also keep quite well. There are
also several forms of dehydrated diets available, you just have to add water to it and there is
dinner! They can be quite expensive, but are great for traveling! Wysong Archetype, Steve's Real
Food, Solid Gold Buckaroo Beef, and NRG (this last one contains grain, so may not be suitable for
all dogs) are some of the most common brands of dehydrated diet.
WHATS WRONG WITH KIBBLE?
Kibble is a man made product designed to take money out of your pockets and is not necessarily
made with the health of your dog in mind. Over the years we've been brain washed into assuming
this is the only diet for our family pets.
The truth is that before commercial dog foods were available, dogs ate whatever food was
available in their environment. Farm dogs, ate meat scraps, milk, eggs and food found scavenging,
and city dogs depended on scraps from the owners’ table, and cheap cuts of raw meat from the
butcher.
Commercially processed pet foods have not really been around very long, yet dogs have managed
to survive all that time without kibble.
A quick history of commercial pet foods.
- In 1860, the first processed dog food was introduced by James Spratt, of Cincinnati, Ohio
who developed a biscuit made of wheat, beet root, vegetables and beef blood. Other
companies quickly jumped on the bandwagon, and more baked dog products were on the
market. - The depression in the 1930’s prompted dog owners to look for less expensive methods to
feed their pets. Less meat was fed, and more grain and cereal products were introduced in
home diets. - In the 1960's Marketers of dog foods were claiming their products were superior, as they
were able to utilize waste products such as grain hulls, sweepings and meat unusable for
human consumption. - While fresh meat and vegetables were superior, pet food producers argued that dogs and
cats could be fed at lower cost with by products. - Mill operators and grain dealers were finding a good source for their byproducts in the dog
industry. - Convenience was the first selling point for prepared and packaged dog foods and still is
today. - Pet food companies began labeling their dog foods as “complete, with no additional foods or
supplements” being necessary. - Pet food companies advised that table scraps could actually be dangerous to the dog’s
health. What else would they say, they wanted us to buy their products after all. - By the 1970's pet food marketing expanded to celebrities in television commercials, making
dog kibble into various shapes and using colors to make foods look pleasing to consumers.
Do the dogs really care what shape or color their food is? I think not. - Pet foods moved from animal feed stores to the grocery shops, with bright labels and
appealing pictures. Another advertising and selling feature pleasing to humans ( not to the
animals). - The marketing strategies worked as pet food sales surpassed baby food sales.
- Then came specialty diets, formulated for specific diseases or disorders in pets.
- These diets portrayed nutrition as complex, and consumers relied on veterinarian’s advice
about nutrition, rather than trusting their own judgment. *Veterinarians are NOT nutritional
experts* - Shopping expanded from supermarkets to the veterinarian’s office. It was dog food
companies who "sold" pet food to vets. - By the 1980's “premium” and “super premium” dog foods arrived and producers claimed they
were more nutritional, offering different formulas for puppy diets, maintenance diets,
performance diets and senior dog diets. - By the 1990's consumers became more educated on nutrition for their own diets and
as chemical preservatives.
- Many pet food companies eliminated chemical preservatives, and are now using vitamin C
and vitamin E for preserving fat in dog food. - This takes us to today – where pet foods are labeled as natural, either by offering organic
foods or novel meats - such as venison, fish or rabbit. Yet today’s pet foods continue to
heavily process ingredients and rely heavily on grains, grain fillers, fibers, corn and grain
byproducts.
Dogs and cats evolved to eat food that is meat or amino-acid based. The gastrointestinal tract of
dogs – which is central to health and wellness – is specialized to a carnivorous diet.
Kibble is not a balanced part of a carnivorous diet any more than Potato chips and twinkies are a
part of our balanced diet.
The fact is that the only diet that is 100% natural to your dog is a BARF diet.
You will hear plenty of myths and falsities regarding RAW feeding. These stories are passed along
by dog food companies. Why? Because for every dog owner who does not choose one of their
brands of food, they loose thousands of dollars.
Like wise your veterinarian will push you to feed their brand of food. What they don't tell you is that
Veterinarians take a crash course in pet food sales, they learn how to convince you to buy the food
they sell in their clinics. Vets are in a position of trust. You expect them to tell you whats best for your
pet. Vet's don't tell you that they get a financial kick back from the food they sell, so why would they
not push their food? Guess who puts on the course teaching the vets about marketing and food? A
pet food company of course. So what are they pushing? THEIR brand of pet food, usually Royal
Canin lines also labeled as Medi-cal.
When I recommend raw feeding I don't get a kick back. The only payment I get is knowing that my
puppies are that much happier and that much healthier than kibble fed puppies.
Sit back and think canines for one minute. How many canines do you see choose of their own free
will to hang out in a barley or wheat field for a snack? How many stories do you hear of a coyote in
a wheat field, or a fox in a grain silo? None, because dogs are not grain eaters. There is a reason
we hear about a fox in a hen house, because canines are meat eaters. Give me any dog and offer
him a raw chicken neck or a bowl of oatmeal and my money is on the chicken every time. Now go
to a pet store and take a look at the ingredients list on popular kibbles and see just how many
grains are in kibble.
Now think corn. How well does your body digest corn? Humans have long digestive system
designed to digest just about anything. We can eat meat, fruits, vegetables, grains and
carbohydrates and yet we don't even digest corn. So how well do you think your dog digests corn?
Not very well at all. Now take the time to go to a pet store and read the ingredient list on many
different brands of kibble, canned food and even treats and see just how many have corn in their
ingredients list.
For a more personal touch here is what I have found feeding raw versus feeding kibble.
- When I switched my adults from kibble to raw they were drinking 75% less water because
their food had lots of moisture in it already. - Once my dogs were eating raw foods the quantity of food they needed was cut in half. They
were getting full off of their meals. - Dogs fed raw are passing stools that are at least 80% less than kibble fed dogs. This is
because they are actually using the food they are eating and not passing it through their
system. So if you feed your dog a $75 bag of food a month your picking up about $60 worth
from your back yard in doggy deposits. Talk about wasting your money. - Dogs fed raw tend to have almost odorless stools. This is because there are no by-products
and chemicals being passed. - When I started to feed my puppies raw they were happier, more content and calmer than they
were on kibble. - My puppies on raw do not have loose stool. Loose stool only occurs when we switch puppies
over to kibble for their new families. - My puppies on raw do not have worms. We have stool samples tested and while the pups are
on raw there are no worms. Once we switch them over to kibble, worms do show up on
occasion. Makes me wonder whats really in kibble.
You will hear all sorts of myths and falsities about raw feeding to turn you away.
The most popular one is that there is no scientific proof to back up raw feeding. Well of course not.
Raw is a natural diet. Who is going to fund it? Companies like Purina, Hills and Royal Canin have
billions of dollars to spend on testing. Of course when they test their own kibble they are going to
find out how wonderful it is. They wouldn't get paid to find out it's not good :)
So when you take the time to sit down and think about it, it starts to make a little more sense.
GOOD KIBBLES
Well no matter how many good things I have to say about BARF, there will be some people who are
just stuck on kibble. So I may as well offer a gentle guiding hand and help you choose the best
kibble you can find.
We've stated that dogs are meat eaters and that Grains, Corn and Fillers are not good for dogs. So
if your going to feed your dog kibble, it should be as close to a BARF diet as absolutely possible.
First thing I'll state is that PUPPIES DO NOT NEED PUPPY FOOD.
My puppies are sold on very strict contracts that state they are NEVER to have puppy food.
Puppy food was invented in the 1980's. Prior to that puppies seemed to grow up just fine.
Sit back and tell me how many species on this earth you can think of that feed their young a
different balanced diet than they eat themselves? Not one. Including humans. Canines and felines
make a kill and bring the carcass back to the den. Birds eat worms and seeds and regurgitate it
back to their young. Humans cook the same foods and just mash it up so it isn't chunky. The
common denominator is that all the offspring eat the same foods as the parents, so why do we feed
puppies a different food than their parents? Because it puts more money in the dog food
companies pocket, thats why.
So if your going to buy dog food. Buy ADULT dog food only. Stay away from puppy food.
The kibbles listed below are the kibbles we are the happiest with and are the only current kibbles
we will allow are puppies to eat. They are listed in order of our preference from personal
experience.
Now that your getting a dog it's natural to want to feed your dog the very best food. The big
question is what is the best food. With hundreds of different companies shoving products
brilliantly decorated with graphic arts under your nose, it can be over whelming.
At Stoverly Aussies we feed our dogs the way nature intended. We feed a BARF diet, the diet
familiarly known as “bones and raw food” but also known as “biologically appropriate raw food."
question is what is the best food. With hundreds of different companies shoving products
brilliantly decorated with graphic arts under your nose, it can be over whelming.
At Stoverly Aussies we feed our dogs the way nature intended. We feed a BARF diet, the diet
familiarly known as “bones and raw food” but also known as “biologically appropriate raw food."
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