Barfing On The Barf Diet

[cheekycairn]

Hello All

I regularly receive media updates about health and welfare issues for animals. A recent one I received was about the Barf diet...as I thought people may be interested in reading it I have pasted it below.

Regards

CC

BARFBLOG: Barfing on the BARF diet

16.aug.08

barfblog

Michelle Mazur

http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/2008/08...diet/index.html

A raw diet for pets is quite a controversial subject. Processed pet foods are processed with heat, making vitamins and nutrients less available http://www.urbancarnivore.com/uc_online/pages.cfm?ID=33 compared to raw diets. Raw diets are also generally free from additives and preservatives found in traditional pet foods.

However, raw diets cost more money per day and require more time and labor in order to prepare the meal. There is also a risk of contamination with bacteria such as Salmonella http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/2008/03...nts-human-risk/ and E. coli with raw pet food diets. A study conducted by Joffe http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/consumer...ternatives.html found that 30 percent of dogs on raw food diets had salmonella in their stool. "Dogs eating raw chicken will secrete salmonella into the environment," explains Joffe. "It can cause everything from mild flu-like problems to life-threatening illnesses."

The most popular version of the raw diet is called the BARF diet, short for Bones And Raw Food or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food. http://www.animalhealthcare.ca/contents/co...p;keywords=food BARF diets are composed mainly of raw meat and vegetables. Most veterinarians are not happy http://www.animalhealthcare.ca/contents/co...des2.asp?id=140 about these diets because there is no guarantee http://www.avma.org/press/releases/070717_...cooked_food.asp that the pet is receiving a properly balanced and nutritionally complete http://www.animalhealthcare.ca/contents/content.asp?id=71 meal, and there is also the problem of bacterial contamination.

The Canadian Veterinarian Medical Association doesn't recommend feeding pets raw food, and neither does the American Veterinary Medial Association. http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/jan05/050115ww.asp

If pet owners are looking for an alternative http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/consumer...ternatives.html to store bought pet food, the optimal word according to the CMVA is "cooked." Make sure to use recipes that call for cooked meats. A healthy recipe includes cooked meat, such as hamburger or chicken, with potato or rice and a mineral supplement. Proper cooking practices, http://www.fda.gov/cvm/foodbornetips.htm such as using a meat thermometer and handwashing, are also essential to ensure the safety of the meal.

[Guest Tess32]

So there's "no guarantee" the dog is getting a 'balanced diet', but then it's advocated to feed 'cooked' but you must add a supplement...ironic!

[Jey]

Billinghurst writes extensively on how to achieve a balanced-as-possible diet. And heck there's no guarantee on your dog getting a balanced diet with any other foods. Further who the heck gets a perfectly balanced diet anyway?

[Papi_Searcher]

I thought potatos were poisonous for Dogs - why are they reccomending that?

[Cosmolo]

I find that quite absurd.. And i am also curious about the balance of dry foods- if i feed my dog less of the recommended quantity of a dry food (because they put weight on easily) doesn't that mean they get less of the vitamins and minerals they need? So the diet is not balanced and complete anyway?

My dogs have never been healthier or happier than on a raw diet so i will continue to feed them in this way

[Nekhbet]

I think they mean the fact that a lot of BARF feeder do not add a commercially produced supplement powder to the food and hence you cannot guarentee the dog is receiving the minimum daily requirement. Although I think a diet composed of boiled mince and potato/rice is inadequate for a dog as well.

Cosmolo they mean a diet is balanced as in the ration of vitamins and minerals is optimum (eg Ca:P ratio in a food) I think through clinical trials they realise that the guide on the pack is not the be all and end all. If a dog is starved of nutrients its body will force it to either pick objects around the yard or eat more food, so if you have a dog requiring more food then its body needs (ie growing into a porky pig!) then a change of food would be required until the right formula is found. Horses for courses.

[westiemum]

I'm with you Cosmolo - mine have never been healthier or happier than when they are on a raw/prey/barf diet - in fact I think they get more dietary variety than I do! And historically its about overall nutrition - daily variation is normal for humans as well as animals - so I don't get too fussed on a daily basis. And the suggestion to cook and process food at home instead of buying the bought cooked processed stuff seems very odd to me.

And what is with this 'it takes time and effort' to prepare meals?? Huh?? Yes of course it does!! And its worth every cent and second! And with a little forethought (remembering to get stuff out of the freezer!! How hard is that?) and 5-10 minutes of preparation at night or a little longer of you pre-prepare, its not time-consuming or difficult, particularly once you get into the swing of it. You don't feed your kids out of a packet everyday (I hope!) so how is it any different to a little thought and effort for your pets?? This feeding out of packets and bags for purely convenience and dubious nutrition reasons I find odd (to put it politely!).

And yes I know others see it differently!

Cheers,

Westiemum

I find that quite absurd.. And i am also curious about the balance of dry foods- if i feed my dog less of the recommended quantity of a dry food (because they put weight on easily) doesn't that mean they get less of the vitamins and minerals they need? So the diet is not balanced and complete anyway?

My dogs have never been healthier or happier than on a raw diet so i will continue to feed them in this way :rolleyes:

[puggy_puggy]

What a load of hyped up crap.

[Joypod]

I stopped reading when I got to this sentence:

"However, raw diets cost more money per day and require more time and labor in order to prepare the meal."

...because if they think that then they obviously don't know what they're talking about.

Feeding Gus and Daisy a raw diet cost SO much less than if i were to feed a quality dry and only takes me maybe 30 minutes every two weeks or so to bag up their meals for freezing.

[Cavandra]

That was great, I needed a laugh for the day

Potatoes & RICE........too funny............and all the nasty bacteria too, makes you wonder how I & all my dogs are still alive after all these years!!!

The only dogs I know of to die of Salmonella & ecoli poisoning have been fed contaminated dog food from a well known brand canned food........and hundreds if not thousands die every other year from renal failure from dry food contaminations & products recalled due to it all to often......... :rolleyes:

[Aly]

What a load of hyped up crap.

I agree. Aly has never been healthier since I I've started her on Barf patties...

BTW how come dogs can bury a bone leave it for days retrieve it covered in sand and and smelling rotten,, yet they dont get sick??????

Do wild dogs light the camp fire to cook their meat? so why should we cook it for them

[westiemum]

Hi Cheekycairn,

Thanks for posting - its an interesting read to say the least - hence the reaction you've got.

I've just realised you're a newbie - hope the negative reaction hasn't put you off DOL. Things do get a bit heated here occasionally - and diet, 'designer dogs' (or more appropriately deliberate/commercial cross-breeds) and training are the three topics I've noticed people get quite 'hot under the collar' about!

When it comes to diet there seem to be three camps - raw/barf feeders, prey feeders and those who use commercial foods - and I doubt you'll ever get any of them to agree!! (Me included!)

So welcome to DOL - and thanks for posting - even if it ended up a tad controversial!

Cheers,

Westiemum

Edited August 18, 2008 by westiemum

[stormie]

So why is it costing me $32/month to feed my Dane, as opposed to more than $132??!!! Can't imagine how they could say it costs more to feed raw. Unless maybe they were comparing it to a no label brand of dry food!

[Jey]

Hi Cheekycairn,

Thanks for posting - its an interesting read to say the least - hence the reaction you've got.

I've just realised you're a newbie - hope the negative reaction hasn't put you off DOL. Things do get a bit heated here occasionally - and diet, 'designer dogs' (or more appropriately deliberate/commercial cross-breeds) and training are the three topics I've noticed people get quite 'hot under the collar' about!

When it comes to diet there seem to be three camps - raw/barf feeders, prey feeders and those who use commercial foods - and I doubt you'll ever get any of them to agree!! (Me included!)

So welcome to DOL - and thanks for posting - even if it ended up a tad controversial!

Cheers,

Westiemum

Yes, Cheekcairn. We're certainly not having a go at you and the article was interesting to read. The fact that I could find so many flaws on it even though I've only read one small book on BARF helped me reaffirm what I've learned in the last few weeks.

So thanks for the article.

[poodlefan]

I won't argue against the point that it IS more labour intensive to feed raw than to open a can of crap canned food or to scoop some kibble into the bowl.

For me it's not about how easy it is to feed my dogs but about what's best for them.

The studies are starting to show the advantages of feeding a balanced raw diet. I only have to look at my dogs to see it.

Not all dogs will do well on a raw diet diet, nor will all owners agree what's best in a raw diet. There's more than one way to feed a dog well. Why make "the best diet" some kind of competition.

Edited August 18, 2008 by poodlefan

[J...]

I wonder if they'd care to let me know how my dog was going to get everything she needed out of 1/2 a cup of light food, because thats all I could feed her and she was still on the chunky side

I had some initial hesitations on going to full raw, but I won't go back to even the SP foods. My dog is healthy, shiny and in great condition for a sporting dog. She no longer itches and you don't feel the need to wash your hands after you pat her because she doesn't stink anymore either

Her coat is pitch black instead of that awful sh*tty brown.

Check out the coat

Edited August 18, 2008 by Jess.

[cheekycairn]

Hi Westiemum and Jey

Don't worry about me, I have been around for a while...a bit of a lurker. I need to get my posts up though so I can check out this mysterious OT forum.

I do not myself support what I posted, I simply thought people might find it interesting reading...nothing like a bit of healthy debate/discussion and a little light entertainment. I have not taken any responses personally especially as none have been directed at me and more at the article.

Thanks for enquiring though.

Cheers

CC.

Hi Cheekycairn,

Thanks for posting - its an interesting read to say the least - hence the reaction you've got.

I've just realised you're a newbie - hope the negative reaction hasn't put you off DOL. Things do get a bit heated here occasionally - and diet, 'designer dogs' (or more appropriately deliberate/commercial cross-breeds) and training are the three topics I've noticed people get quite 'hot under the collar' about!

When it comes to diet there seem to be three camps - raw/barf feeders, prey feeders and those who use commercial foods - and I doubt you'll ever get any of them to agree!! (Me included!)

So welcome to DOL - and thanks for posting - even if it ended up a tad controversial!

Cheers,

Westiemum

[westiemum]

Hi CC,

Oh good!! Thanks. Glad alls OK with you.

And yes Off Topic is fun!! So start posting!!

See you round.

Cheers

Westiemum