Feeding your Dog a Raw food Diet

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Giving Your Dog Raw Food: Is it Good or Bad?

This page is here to help you decide whether you'd like to feed your dog a raw food diet.

With the pet food scare that happened a couple of years ago, pet owners' concerns for their pets' health and nutrition skyrocketed, and the practice of learning more about raw food diets for pets became much more prevalent.

This raw food diet page will introduce you to some of the concepts behind this, and offer you some resources to get started on exploring this option for your pets. Be aware that even though this lens is technically about dogs, there are options for cats as well! I have included some links for a variety of resources to best suit your needs.

the B.A.R.F. diet

- an acronym that doesn't mean what it sounds like

Kind of a gross acronym for food, right? But it gets our attention pretty quickly. The B.A.R.F. diet stands for "biologically appropriate raw food", though some people may refer to it as "bones and raw food". What this means is people are feeding their pets raw meats, raw bones, and other raw items, and are saying goodbye to processed kibbles and canned dog foods forever. In this picture, we can see a group of Rottweiler puppies from the Carsal Rottweiler site.

There are thousands of websites that have been created to support this diet, and truly the only 'right' thing to do is what feels right to you. As with any diet change in people, significant diet changes in animals should merit a trip to the vet to discuss your options. If you find that your vet is more traditional and veers away from the BARF diet but you still want to try it, do your research online and get in touch with other people that have made the transition so that you can be informed and sanitary, and so that your pup can be happy and healthy!

Some books to help you get started

These books are great resources for getting started with the BARF diet as well as more holistic care for your dog or cat.
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Is the BARF Diet Unsanitary?

How can I feed my pet without spreading harmful bacteria this way?

This and many other questions are answered on messageboards and helpful BARF websites across the Web, but I thought it'd be helpful to at least include some information on this topic, because I think this is one of the first things that comes into people's minds when they hear about the BARF diet. As people, we're taught not to eat undercooked chicken or rare hamburger, and some people are still skeptical about eating raw fish in sushi (it's delicious, I promise!), so it only makes sense that we'd be concerned at the e. coli and salmonella clearly present in the raw food we'd be feeding our pets.

In actuality, cats and dogs' digestive systems are quite able to handle it. Their bodies are pre-programmed to be able to neutralize any seemingly hazardous bacteria that are found in raw meats. That said, it's still very important for you to wash your hands thoroughly after handling any raw meats, and to clean up any areas in your kitchen where the meat may have touched any surfaces you use like counters, sinks, or tables.

While dogs and cats are able to handle many of the bacteria involved in raw meats, there is still a possibility of harmful parasites or infectious bacteria, so always make sure that the meat you buy is very fresh and not of poor quality. If you have further concerns about these health issues, your vet will be happy to talk to you, or you can search through many forums and articles to help you decide what you'd like to do.

Preventing Pet Illness and Pet Homeopathy

If you're like me, you'll be paranoid about every little thing that could affect your pet and will want to get all the answers before you try anything new! If so, then these books can be a great help to get you informed and feeling like an animal nutrition expert!
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Controversy Surrounding the BARF Diet

As with any issue about health or nutrition, there are opposing sides. Some people swear by the BARF diet and claim it has made their pets infinitely healthier and happier, with gleaming coats, perfect teeth and a longer, more vivacious lifespan (and no more bad breath!!). Others are skeptical of the merits of the diet and are concerned about malnourishment, spread of disease and bacteria, and other factors.

I've put this lens together to help you be informed and make your own choices, and have tried not to take sides. Rather, you can have a look at the resources here and decide what's right for you! I think anything that you do that takes your pet's health into consideration before anything else is a great outlook to have. Just be sure that you approach it in a way with your pet's best interests in mind, and what's comfortable for you.

Exploring alternatives to commercial pet food is certainly becoming more and more popular since the infamous pet food recalls from a couple of years ago. This means that there is a lot more information being shared about methods to do this, and a lot of it is coming from people trying it out that aren't certified or medically trained. So please do be careful and make sure that you talk to a few different veterinarians, even if you decide to try something different from their suggestions, just to make sure that you get a well-rounded idea of your options.

Good luck and happy (and healthy) eating!

Do you BARF?

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Online BARF resources

These websites should be really helpful to you when exploring the possibilities of the BARF diet. I've included websites as well as interactive sites so that you can have a variety of information at your fingertips. An informed pet owner is a successful pet owner!
Barfworld.com
This site features products, informational resources, links to breeders and other organizational sites to help you find out as much as you can in one spot.
BARF for Beginners - Most Frequently Asked Questions
50 Frequently asked questions for the newcomer on the popular raw diet, BARF. There are some really unique questions on here that could be really helpful to read!
BARF Pictorial
This is someone's personal account of their experience with the diet, including some recipes!
Only Natural Pet Store
his site features raw-food and other healthy supplies for your dog or cat for holistic health care.
Dog breed, adoption, health & care information at Dogster. Photo, video, sharing community for dogs
There are a lot of posts about raw food on the forums at Dogster. You can also find information on adopting a new dog, local pet businesses, photo sharing, videos and stories.

Raw Diet Informational Video

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Can People eat raw diets too?

Perhaps you've been reading up on the benefits of raw feeding and are thinking you might like to try it. Or maybe you've heard of people talking about a raw diet for human consumption. WAIT!!

...ok whew! I had to catch you before you went off trying to eat raw chicken legs and gizzards (did you really want to eat those, anyway?) The good news? Yes, there is a raw diet for people, but it's different than the raw diet for animals (as I'm sure you could imagine, but you never know with some people...haha)

As with the BARF diet for pets, there is controversy behind the raw diet for people, but you just have to make sure you've taken all of the aspects into consideration, armed yourself with some great cookbooks (or not cook I suppose, since it's raw!), and be aware of your personal dietary needs in terms of protein, fiber, vitamins and other nutrients that are present in the foods you're currently eating.

I've included some helpful books for you to read more about going raw with your pet in a safe way. I'm actually a long-term tummy sufferer, and have yet to pinpoint what exactly triggers my stomach problems. I'm now seeing a doctor who is going to work with me to isolate some foods and see what works and what doesn't, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if we attempted a raw diet at some point. You can't really go wrong with fresh-from-the-ground veggies, but you do have to make sure you compensate for proteins and other nutrients that you often get from cooked meats or dairy products. If you're a raw diet eater, leave a note and let me know how it's been going for you! I'm interested to learn more about it.

I want to eat raw food, too!

Here are some books to help you learn more about the raw diet for people. You never know what recipes might look delicious to you!
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Up to the minute posts on Raw feeding from Google

Blogs are flourishing with material on topics like this. It's a great way for everyone to get talking about it without having to join forums. Check it out!
Are you being controlled by your cat's parasites?
In Tucson, as anywhere, outdoor cats, and those fed a BARF diet are more susceptible to the disease....

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southpaw23

I'm a professional PPC, SEO and Social Media Consultant, guinea pig artist, musical theatre composer, and all around tech geek with a big soft spot for... more »

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