What Exactly Is The BARF Diet?

How does a couple of raw chicken necks with raw carrots and yogurt sound? Not good? Well, how about a few uncooked ox tails with some cottage cheese? Not sounding too delectable? Well, these are just a few of the foods included in the BARF diet, which stands for the Bone and Raw Food diet. The technical name for it is the Biologically Appropriate Raw Food diet.

This holistic and natural diet for cats and dogs was created by Australian vet Dr. Ian Billinghurst as an alternative to the commercially-processed kibbles and canned foods so readily available for our animals. He felt that just as their ancestors did, dogs and cats should eat more of what they evolved to eat. If it’s good enough for the hyenas and bobcats, it’s good enough for our own family pets.

The diet consists of soft uncooked bones (chicken backs, necks, wings, thighs, rib cage, ox tails and pig feet), cooked cereal, cottage cheese, fruits, herbs, enzymes and supplements. It is believed that this approach to feeding is more natural to the digestive system, and that it also maximizes the health, longevity and reproductive capacity of the animal also creating less of a need for vet sick-visits.

And no, you don’t have to go hunting for your own foods, so put the rifle back in the attic, and the buck shots back in the box on the top shelf of the closet in the hallway. More and more, companies are emerging all around the world that help supply these foods including pre-made meals and pre-packaged meats.

A couple of the more common questions are whether to start cold turkey or not, and if it is okay to do a combination of store bought food and the BARF diet. The pet owner is advised to thoroughly research the BARF diet before starting with your pet. There are several websites and books, including several written by Dr. Ian Billinghurst, as well as your own veterinarian who can answer questions and help you decide what is best for you and your pet.

For more information on RAW feeding please visit the forum