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This diet is sometimes referred to
as BARF (Bones and Raw food OR Biological Appropriate Raw
Food). There are many benefits of raw feeding and we believe
in a diet that makes sense, promotes health and encourage
all dog owners to do the same. Proper nutrition is vital
to good health. In nature, it is live foods that truly nourish
animals. If your animals are to thrive, they need the live
enzymes, phytochemicals, antioxidants, and unadulterated
amino acids, vitamins and minerals that only raw food can
provide. While commercial pet foods are convenient, most
contain sub-standard or condemned meats. And because they
are also highly processed at extreme temperatures, they are
devoid of many of the building blocks of good health, and
often full of questionable preservatives. So, commercial
pet foods may sustain life, but unlike raw diets, they do
not contain the life-enhancing nutrition that promotes health.
Cats and dogs are carnivores, or meat-eaters.
Yet ALL dry commercial pet foods are at least 60% (or more)
grain because the carbohydrates are needed to hold the food
together. Dogs and cats have "no dietary requirement for
carbohydrate." Does it make sense to feed our carnivores
a diet that contains at least 60% of a substance they don't
even need? Additionally, carbohydrates are metabolized by
the body to glucose (sugar) which is known to feed cancers,
diabetes and many other disorders that now plague our companion
animals. If grains and vegetables were a primary nutrient
source, you'd see cats and dogs stalking ears of corn and
heads of wheat. Raw diets simulate the menu that nature intended
carnivores to eat. When a carnivore eats an herbivore like
a rabbit, the carnivore eats some meat, some bone, some organ
meats (liver, heart, kidney, etc.), and some green vegetation
contained in the herbivore's digestive tract. That's nature's
perfect meal - the meal that raw diets replicate.
Dogs and cats
are NOT humans. They have a very different digestive tract
and process. For example, we can eat all the onion we want
without harm, but some dogs can get anemic from a single,
small portion of them. We can eat a pound of baker's chocolate
and merely get fat or nauseous, while dogs can die from
even a lesser amount. We can get very sick from raw meat,
while dogs thrive on it as their natural diet. Again, they
are NOT human. Compared to us, dogs and cats have a very
short digestive system, which means that foods are processed
quickly -- before harmful bacteria have a chance to multiply
and cause problems. Also, carnivores have a very high level
of acidity in their digestive systems. This high acidity,
which allows them to break down the nutrients in raw meats
and bones, is also hostile to bacteria. We've all seen
dogs eat true garbage (rotten foods, decaying squirrel
carcasses, etc.) without any ill effects. Nature did not
evolve carnivores to eat a diet that would kill them. And
remember, we aren't suggesting you feed spoiled, contaminate
foods. A raw food diet consists of good quality, USDA-inspected
and approved meats and bones.
However, finding a vet that supports
or understands the raw diet is very hard as most vets only
have the limited amount of knowledge they have been taught
in veterinary school about dog nutrition. Most veterinary
schools employ nutrition educators that work for or are supported
by commercial pet food companies. How can students get proper
nutritional training when they are being taught by commercial
pet food companies whose very products are very unhealthy
and contain poisonous preservatives?
If you want to know and understand
more about commercial pet foods you will be shocked by the
information you read. We finally realized that we needed
to get back to basics in dog nutrition. We came across the
natural way of feeding: the BARF diet. Be careful when doing
your own research as many sites and vets will say that feeding
a raw meat diet is bad and dangerous. The BARF diet is not
just raw meat, but raw meat, raw bones (NEVER feed a dog
cooked bones of any kind) and raw crushed vegetables. These
things, together with some supplements make up the foundation
of the BARF diet. Here are some benefits your dog or cat
may experience when switched to a Raw or BARF diet. There
may be other benefits as well that are not shown here. Every
dog or cat will be different with some showing a great deal
of improvement.
- Reduced "doggy" odor. The odor of
breath and stool will be greatly reduced.
- Reduced volume of stool. WHY? Because
the food they eat is almost all used (absorbed) by their
systems.
- Teeth will be whiter. The tooth-cleaning
action of chewing on bones is fabulous. Many vets do not
believe how white a dogs teeth can become and that they
have never had a teeth cleaning. No more paying for your
dogs teeth to be cleaned.
- Reduced Vet bills. Most dogs that
are on a natural diet are more healthy. They have stronger
immune systems and are not over weight like more kibble
fed dogs are. These all add up to less visits to the vet
and over all less medical costs.
- Less hyper. Some dog owners have reported
that after switching their dogs to a raw diet, their dogs
seem to be less hyper and more calm.
- Yeast infections in the ears will
disappear in most dogs that have this problem.
- Decrease in skin irritations and hot
spots.
- Greater ease in getting to and maintaining
a healthy weight.
- The dogs absolutely love it in all
its myriad forms.
- Increased muscle mass and improved
energy level.
- Dogs will love and enjoy eating again!
- No need for flea and tick control.
Why? because the garlic that most raw feeders use is
a natural anti flea / anti tick remedy
- Anal glands are usually expressed
naturally, no more messy job for you or your vet.
- Many pet allergies, such as skin scratching,
redness etc. go away when a raw diet is fed.
- Dogs with various digestive problems
often have their problems resolved, or at least controlled,
by eating a more species-appropriate diet.
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