BARF - yes or no...?

BARF – yes o no…?

more and more dog owners are now confronting this question. Our pets are  suffering from illnesses that did not exist in the animal world before, such as allergies, organ diseases, due, among other things, to inadequate nutrition. It is therefore good and important that we start to feed our pets on a healthier diet.

However, it is very difficult for the non-professional to find his way in the jungle of information.

Almost everyone has heard the term BARF. Many also know what this is about "approximately". But if you ask more precisely, they say: „aren't those the crazy ones who think their dogs are wolves?“, "Aren't they the ones who have too much money and feed their dogs with raw food?"

The term BARF was first used by the Canadian Debbie Tripp. She called the dog owners who wanted to feed their animals originally "Born Again Raw Feeders".  Over the years, terms such as "Bones And Raw Foods" and "Biologically appropriate raw food" have emerged.

The BARF concept is based on the nutrition of the wolf. You prepare your dog's meals yourself, feed them mainly raw, thus avoiding, for example, conservatives, antioxidants etc., as they can be found in commercial feed. Which sounds first of all species-appropriate and reasonable. Which sounds first of all reasonable and appropriate.

But then why do we have more and more dogs fed with barf in our nutrition consultancy?  Dogs that are in a poor condition?

You only have to think about what exactly a prey animal is made of. We have meat, fat, bones, blood, brain, thyroid gland, innards, fur and many other substances from which the wolf covers its needs for nutrients, vitamins and minerals. This alone is very difficult (if not impossible) to realize. Furthermore, most dogs do not tolerate bones, i.e. here we already have ONE of many deficiencies that can arise with raw food. the need for calcium is not covered and must be compensated in another way. If important nutrients, minerals, trace elements and vitamins are missing over a longer period of time, the organism and the animal suffers badly.

So what to do? How do you compose a sensible, balanced diet that meets your dog's needs?

To prepare appropriate rations, knowledge of feed science and animal nutrition is required. Barf is not limited to dogs, cats, ferrets and other animals are also fed according to this method.

It makes sense to use a professional nutrition consultation at the beginning. A trained animal nutritionist will provide you with an initial diet plan to cover your pet's needs, give you advice on what to keep in mind and show you how to prepare a healthy, demand-oriented diet even as a beginner.

This is the best way to protect your pet from health problems due to overprovision or nutritional deficiencies.

Sources:
Heidi Herrmann, specialist in nutrition and naturopathy for animals
Wikipedia
barfinfo.de