The BARF diet is based on the premise that dogs in the wild, pre-domestication, consumed raw meat and bones as their primary sustenance. When I first heard of it, my first thoughts were.......choking and salmonella!!! Those who support it, including some vets I've spoken with, say that only cooked bones present a choking hazard, as they do not splinter when raw! EVEN chicken bones!! And salmonella and other bacteria, as might be found in some commercial raw chickens and meats, does not affect a dog's digestive system in the same manner as humans. They say that if the "raw" part concerns you, that cooking is an option. Often, the diet is suplemented by other "raw" foods such as carrots, apples, etc.
There is a terrific new pet supply establishment near me. She carries primarily the high, high end commercial foods, such as Wellness, Gold Star, Innova, Fromms, Flint River Ranch, Wysong, Bil Jac and many "hollistic" brands. There is one brand called Sojourner Farms. It is a dry, flaked product that you soak in water for 15 min before adding to raw OR cooked meat. The ratio is 2/1, flakes to meat, e.g. one cup soaked flakes to 1/2 cup meat. It consists of nothing processed or artifical what so ever. It contains crushed pecans, rolled oats, rye, wheat germ, kelp, nettle, spriulina and parsley. Amazingly, The protein content is 13.0%, the same as found in most premium dry dog foods! Raw or steamed veggies, fruit, yogurt, can be added as you wish. And they absolutely encourage you to cook the meat if you feel at all uneasy. Of course they recommend, as with any change in a dog's diet, that it be gradual. They recommend a transistion stretched over the course of appx. two weeks, gradually adding larger and larger amts. of this meal to the one you are already serving. (10% additions per day) The woman who owns the store uses this product, and adds cooked or raw ground turkey meat and steamed veggies to it.. She breeds and raises Boxers and they are in fabulous shape, with the shiniest coats!! Anyway, it is a very personal decsion! I have some links discussing the BARF diet, and will post them when I find them! Hope this helps!
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