Dog Food Ingredients And The B.A.R.F. Philosophy
As pet owners we are constantly looking for the best diet that would provide the proper dog food nutrition. Most dog owners today have chosen to feed their pets a commercial dog food brand believing that this will provide the necessary nutrients their pets need. Raw dog food diets, however, are gaining popularity. Dog owners and breeders who use the B.A.R.F. diet have testified to its effectiveness in keeping their animals in good health and disease free.
Conceptualized by Dr. Ian Billinghurst of Australia, B.A.R.F. is a diet based on what dogs as canines should be naturally fed – uncooked meat, organic foods, fat, and offal. The goal is not to bring dogs exactly what their ancestors ate, but to at least offer them an identical diet. True enough, scientific observations conducted by some groups show that pets on a raw food diet look healthier, live longer, are more vigorous, and have healthier appetites.
Billinghurst said that the most “appropriate” way to feed our pet dogs is to give them raw whole foods with ingredients of the same nutritional balance as those in food consumed by their ancestors in the wild. B.A.R.F. meals consist of bones, muscle meat, fat, dairy products, eggs, grain, fruits, vegetables, organ meat, and other food products.
Advocates of the B.A.R.F. Philosophy say that it is not harmful to give a dog these food items. They believe that their bodies naturally yearn for them. It is primarily recommend that chicken bones should be used in combination with specific ratios of raw meaty bones of rabbit, beef, pork, venison and turkey. The important thing to remember is to never give the dog cooked bones.
Backers of B.A.R.F. maintain that commercially prepared dog foods lack enzymes and other dietary components needed by dogs. Processed pet foods may even contain dog food ingredients some dogs can get allergic to. They would much rather feed their dogs home-prepared raw meals, with dog food recipes varying each day, making feeding time all the more interesting for their pets.
Dog food nutrition experts who advocate the B.A.R.F. Diet say that it gives the proper dog food ingredients for sound dog health. B.A.R.F. tries to imitate wild animals’ type of dietary system. According to backers, dog food recipes that use this type of diet help prevent the need for veterinary intervention in the course of your dog’s lifetime.
