Starlitt Australian Shepherds - BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food)

I have added this page because of my personal belief in feeding a raw diet. The following articles have alot of helpful information if this is a feeding you are interested in or if you are just curious about this type of feeding. I want to give credit where credit is due, to those who have written these articles or provided links. Thank you...

Because of the amount of information available about BARF and commercially prepared pet foods, another page full of great links seemed appropriate. A link to the BARF links page is below.

BARF is an acronym which stands for "Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods" Diet. The BARF diet is one of several alternatives to feeding commercial pet food that was developed by an Australian vet named Ian Billinghurst. Dr. Billinghurst, among other proponents of raw and natural diets (such as Schultze, Volhard, Levy, and Pitcairn), discovered that feeding dogs a 'biologically appropriate raw diet' (ie. the kind of foods that dogs and wolves have survived on for thousands of years) made much more sense and was much healthier than feeding commercial pet foods (many of which contain harmful additives and chemicals) that have been around for less than 50 years! Something many people do not realize about their domestic 'house' dogs is that they are classified as the exact same species as the wolf, with the exact same digestive system. They were not designed to eat cooked foods!! BARF is a way to avoid the dangers and health-risks involved with processed, cooked, chemical and grain-laded commercial foods that many people find to be less expensive than the premium food they were feeding their dogs. Below are some of the benefits and challenges of feeding a BARF diet.

~	You have control over what your dog eats
~	You save your dog from the chemicals and other disgusting, harmful things in most commercial foods.
~	Clean teeth that never need to be brushed or scaled.
~	Fresh smelling breath possibly fresher than your own!
~	Less poop; pooping less often and less in quantity
~	Poop that doesn't smell (yes, this is true, believe it!)
~	Healthier dogs with more energy
~	A shinier, healthier coat; and many people report less allergies and skin-related problems
~	Your dog will be less prone to bloat since raw foods dont swell in the stomach like kibble
~	Most people report that feeding BARF is less expensive than the premium kibble they previously fed. Once you find a good source for your RMBs, this is usually the case.
~	Challenges of a BARF diet:
~	The diet does require you to educate yourself on the natural diets available and attune yourself to your dog's digestive system.
~	Finding inexpensive and reliable sources of raw meaty bones and veggies close to home.
~	Dealing with people (family, friends, vets) who know nothing about BARF and try to convince you to feed kibble again.

Its OK to be nervous about feeding bones for the first time. We have been told over and over throughout our lives that we should never feed bones to dogs, so it feels strange to go against something you have always thought to be true. The thing to remember is that only COOKED bones are harmful to dogs; they were designed to eat RAW, MEATY BONES however, so RAW bones are safe to feed. Any hesitations you feel will probably pass when you see how well your dogs handle eating bones. If you just don't feel comfortable with it at first, try one of the following alternatives to get you started: grind the RMB (raw meaty bone) in a meat grinder; break the bone up by whacking it with a meat cleaver; hold on to one end of the bone while they learn how to chew.

You may feel the desire to 'hang on' to kibble for awhile. Most people recommend a direct change to BARF (cold-turkey) and not a transitional one. However, if you feel that you MUST continue to feed some kibble while getting used to BARF, keep it separate from the meals where you feed BARF. Your dog will digest raw foods very differently than she digests kibble. So perhaps feed a BARF day and then a kibble day. It is not advisable to do this for a long period of time.

Its OK to feel totally clueless about what to feed and how much to feed and when. It will all come together. Read the books (see end of article for book list), participate in the mailing lists (there are many BARF lists at http://www.onelist.com) and ask questions. Your feeding plan will evolve.

RMBs is an acronym for 'raw meaty bones', which is the mainstay of the BARF diet. Chicken wings, necks, and backs are good because they have the proper meat-to-bone ratio. Chicken necks and wings are best for puppies because the bones are so soft. As they grow, chicken backs may be a better choice, especially for those who realize they can swallow necks and sometimes wings without chewing. You want them to have the benefit of chewing those RMBS (sparkly, clean teeth and fresh breath).

The majority of the RMB meals that you feed should be chicken (wings, necks, backs) because they have the appropriate meat-to-bone ratio and they are generally easy to come by (and inexpensive). Here is a list of other possible RMB meals to feed for variety in addition to chicken wings, necks, and backs: turkey necks; pork necks; pig feet; chicken feet; whole, fresh fish; lamb off-cuts; ox-tail; etc.

RMBs should make up 60-80% of the dog's diet. The other 20-40% should be comprised of veggies, offal, meat, eggs, and possibly grain or dairy foods. Ian Billinghurst recently revised the BARF diet to exclude grains altogether because he feels that a dog does needs very little if any grain in the diet and many dogs are highly allergic to grains. Some dogs may also be sensitive to dairy products.

Any RMBs that do not have the right meat to bone ratio should not be fed as one of your primary RMBs, but many are OK to feed every now and then for variety, depending on how your dog's system is able to handle them. This includes weight-bearing bones such as chicken leg quarters and thighs. Generally, if a bone looks too hard or sharp for them to handle, go with your gut instinct.

Dr. Billinghurst has a 'veggie patty' recipe in the Grow Your Pups with Bones book. You can vary the recipe as much as you like to meet the needs of your dogs.

They are based on raw crushed vegetables - at least half vegetables such as carrots, celery, spinach, broccoli etc

The other half consists of raw lean mince (ground meat) -beef, chicken, lamb (pork)

PLUS OTHER HEALTHY FOOD SCRAPS, eg: small amounts of cooked veggies, rice, cottage cheese, etc

*Any surplus - not fed on the day - should be formed into patties, frozen and thawed out as required

Just about any vegetables you can get are good except for veggies in the nightshade family which can be dangerous for dogs. The majority of veggies you feed should be green, leafy veggies like kale, collard greens, mustard greens, spinach, etc. and other veggies like carrots, zuchini, brocolli, parsely, etc. can be added to them. Veggies must be fed pulped or pureed for your dog because dogs cannot digest veggies that are whole or cut up. So we use either a food processor or a juicer to grind the veggies into a mush that resembles contents of the stomach of a prey animal. It is very important to serve the veggies this way; if the cell walls in the veggies aren't broken, the dog will not be able to get the nutrients from them.

You should feed a diet that is 60-80% RMB with the rest of the diet being veggies, offal, meat, milk, eggs. To this we add supplements like Vit C, kelp, alfalfa, Vit E, garlic, etc.. While this sounds daunting at first, there are a few simple principles to remember that will help you get started with your feeding plan.

Principle 1: The diet should be 60-80% RMB This means that for every 10 meals you serve, 6-8 should be RMB meals (ie. a few chicken wings or a chicken back with some necks)

Principle 2: Balance over TIME; not every meal or every day This means that you could serve your dog two or three RMB meals in a row and then a veggie meal. In fact, you could even feed your dog nothing but RMB meals for more than a week without any ill effects. Its what you do the majority of the time that counts.

This is probably the hardest question to answer since it absolutely varies according to the individual breed, dog, and level of development and activity. It is not as easy as reading a weight chart from the back of a dog food bag. The general rule of thumb is to start feeding them and watch them closely. If they start to gain, cut back. And if they start to get too thin, feed a little more. The important thing with large breed pups is to grow them very lean, with a thin covering over the ribs and the last 1 or 2 ribs showing. Growing them lean reduces possible problems as they grow and develop. The wisest decision is probably to start out with smaller amounts of food and then work up from there if your dog seems hungrier or is losing weight.

There is no 'one way' to switch your dog to a BARF diet. Depending on our background, comfort levels, knowledge, etc., we have changed to this diet in many different ways. Following are some possible ways to consider switching; keep in mind, though, that it may be better to switch 'cold turkey' and not make a slow transition from kibble to BARF.

Cold turkey: This means making the switch from kibble to BARF immediately (and then donating your leftover kibble to the humane society or local rescue organization). To prepare for a 'cold turkey' switch, read one of the 'BARF' books (Give Your Dog A Bone, by Ian Billinghurst is one of the most popular). Then develop a feeding plan for your first week. Your best plan for the first week is to keep it simple. Don't worry about supplements just yet, and stick with basic meals like the RMB meal and the veggie mix meals.

A good plan to start out might be two RMB meals followed by a veggie mix meal, alternating throughout the first week of feeding. If you have not yet found a source of chicken backs/necks, turkey necks, pork necks, or some other common RMB source, you can still begin feeding BARF using chicken wings you can buy from the grocery store. The downside to starting with chicken wings from the grocery store is that they are more expensive than the chicken backs/necks, turkey necks and other RMBs that many of us have found at local poultry distributors ranging from 19 cents a pound to 75 cents a pound. Once you have fed this way for a few days and see how your dog adjusts, you can start thinking about what supplements you want to add to the diet and also about whether you want to feed other types of BARF meals (meat, offal, milk, grain, etc.) in addition to the basic RMB and veggie rotation.

*Note: some people choose to buy digestive enzymes to add to their dogs meals for the first few weeks of BARF, especially dogs who have been eating kibble their whole lives, while their bodies re-learn how to digest real foods.

Transitional: Others are more comfortable letting their dog make a slow transition from BARF to kibble. This too is OK for a short period of time, but feeding this way for a longer time period is not recommended as it may cause imbalances. The most common mistake made by people who transition from kibble to BARF is feeding the kibble MIXED with new BARF foods. This is a mistake which in many cases leads to diarrhea. The reason for this is that kibble is digested very differently from raw meats and veggies; the time of digestion and the enzymes needed are both different. So if you do choose to transition slowly, it is important that you keep BARF foods and kibble separate. A wise choice is to have a 'BARF' day (where the dog eats BARF foods) and then a kibble day, alternating until you are comfortable enough to begin cutting out the kibble days. Develop a feeding plan for this approach also making sure that the BARF foods you feed are balanced (60-80% RMB, 20-40% offal/meat/veggies). A plan might look like this:

This plan alternates days yet keeps the BARF meals balanced. As you eliminate kibble days, you'll want to be sure that the BARF meals remain balanced. And you'll also want to start thinking about supplements.

~	Scour the meat and produce sections of your local grocery stores. You may be able to find discounted ox-tail (if it sits on the shelf too long), pork necks, chicken wings, chicken necks and backs, fish heads/parts (for soup stock), chicken liver/gizzards/heart, beef heart/kidneys/lungs, lean ground beef, turkey and chicken, sardines/mackeral on sale. In the produce section, look for deals on older produce (like overripe bananas)
~	Talk to the meat managers about ordering in quantities of chicken backs/necks for affordable prices (anywhere from $.19 - $79 per pound are reasonable prices). If they can't help you, ask where they would look if they needed these meats
~	Local butchers: butchers usually have to pay money to have RMB-type foods hauled away. They are usually willing to give it to you for free or at inexpensive prices instead of paying to have it taken away
~	Yellow pages: look under poultry and meat wholesalers, etc. And keep calling around. If people can't help you, ask for referrals
~	Business-to-Business guides: these are yellow pages for businesses to find suppliers and distributors
~	Farmers Markets: these are often a great source of inexpensive meat and veggie items
~	Produce Stands: buy something for yourself and while at the counter, ask if they ever have any older or bruised produce that they normally throw away. If you explain it is for your dog to eat, they may accomodate you
~	Try the International Purveyor's Index Web site; it lists purveyor's of meat and poultry! Just click on 'Purveyor's Index and then look up your state and area
~	Ask friends and neighbors if they know of any places that sell these items. They may surprise you!

Local health food stores will carry these items. If you don't have a local health food store, try an 'online' health food store.

Another difficult question that only you can answer since it varies with the needs of your dogs. Here are the supplements that many of us feed and why:

How to find economical food processors, blenders, or juicers for making veggie mix:

We know the importance of feeding veggies pulped to dogs since they are unable to digest the nutrients of the veggies otherwise. So how to find affordable equipment for the task if you don't already have a food processor, blender, or juicer. Try looking at garage/yard sales, flea markets, or thrift shops. Also try 'online' auctions like E-Bay. Stores like Walmart also carry some basic model food processors and juice extractors that are affordable.

About the author: Jenna Kutz lives in western Pennsylvania with her husband Rick where she is a professional Web Developer. She has a Bachelor's degree in Education, a Master's degree in English, and a Master's degree in Library Science. Her other interests include natural living, whole foods, homeopathy, and holistic medicine.

I have added an example of my feeding program. Due to availability of both vegetables and RMBs, this is not an exact feeding program. I also don't advise using this feeding guide for someone who has not read at least two of the suggested books.

The varieties of Raw Vegetables I use vary. I try to add mostly green leafy vegetables, along with vegetables with more fibre. A typical combination would be approx. as follows:

I have used a variety of others regularly as well, such as Broccoli, green beans, and various fruits and nuts.

I grind bird bones, in one feeding of RMBs 70% of the serving of bird would be ground. I am confident in feeding the other RMBs whole as I get the butcher to saw any bones I feel are to big, in half.

I have tried pork and turkey with out bones but my dogs didn’t seem to enjoy them as much. Which brings me to the RMBs (raw meaty bones) I feed.

I serve a “offal” with every vegetable meal. My main supply is livers, both beef and pork. I also feed chicken gizzards, liver and heart. Have fed beef kidney and heart but again my dogs didn’t seem to enjoy it, although I would feed it again for variety. All pork I purchase is inspected and I freeze for a MINIMUM of 3 weeks before feeding it.

Now for Tripe...I am a HUGE Tripe feeder. It has everything a dog can use in terms of minerals, vitamins, fibre’s etc.

So a typical feeding in our household, which is only once a day at the moment, is approximately as follows:

The additions (supplements, dairy etc) I use added to the veggie/ground mix are:

In addition, once or twice a week they receive a multi vitamin. I must admit, I adjust my feeding program as I learn and in seeing how my dogs react to a particular program, but this is one program I have come to truly believe in. Belief for me is in the seeing, and what I am seeing in my dogs, daily, truly does astound me. I can only hope I am doing them justice, and they live a long and healthy life!

Building a Good Foundation . . . Naturally
by Kymythy Schultze, Animal Health Instructor

There are many ways in which Nature can assist in one of the most natural processes; the miracle of birth. Before you breed your dog, she should be in excellent health and condition. Holistic health care works with nature and your pet's body to keep her in optimal health and an asset to your breeding program.

The foundation of health is diet. Food is second only to air in what your dog takes into its body most often. Food provides the energy for life. Good food provides lots of energy, poor food does not. Your domestic carnivore's body was shaped over eons of evolution to thrive on particular foods. The closer you can simulate the diet that your dog's body is designed to eat, the healthier your dog will be. The canine's short digestive system is equipped to thrive on raw food. Cooking damages many elements in food that are vital to good health. A balanced diet of raw meat, bones, vegetables, herbs, and oils provides an excellent nutrient profile. Balancing proportions of ingredients is made easier if one thinks in terms of "prey animal" proportions. What would one find in a mouse, bird or rabbit? A large part of any wild meal is raw bones...lots of them. There would also be some muscle and organ meat, hide/hair/fur/feathers, and stomach contents. The stomach contents would include grasses, plants, seeds, nuts, bark and/or fruit - no grains. "Pottenger's Cats: A Study in Nutrition" by Dr. Francis Pottenger should be required reading for anyone feeding animals, especially breeders.* The study demonstrates the health benefits of a raw food diet and follows a breeding program of several generations. The difference in health between the animals fed raw food and those fed cooked food is shocking. The raw food cats thrived generation after generation, with no reproductive problems. With the cooked food, cats had many health problems and were unable to reproduce by the third generation.

ALL nutrients are important for pregnancy and whelping: protein, vitamins, minerals, fats, enzymes. They can all be obtained from raw food. Abundant raw meat, fish and eggs provide good protein. Raw chicken or turkey backs, necks and wings provide important calcium. Cod-liver oil and flaxseed oil provide essential fatty acids. Raw pulpy green and root vegetables provide enzymes, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. A good quality powdered kelp is nutrient dense and can be added to meals daily as a vitamin/mineral supplement. Kelp also helps balance the glands, especially thyroid. Thyroid problems often lead to reproductive problems. Red raspberry leaf has been used for centuries as a fertility aid and pregnancy tonic. There are also homeopathic remedies that are very useful for pregnancy, whelping, and rearing puppies.**

A pregnant dog that is eating a nutritious raw diet will usually eat just slightly more than usual. After the pups are born, she'll consume more to keep everyone fed. Feeding her more raw poultry meaty bones will provide a wide array of nutrients and make almost instant milk for the pups. In the wild, at weaning time, Momdog would feed her youngsters the same things she ate; only in regurgitated semi-liquid form. Human care-givers can follow her lead by making adult meals mushy for weaning pups. Raw chicken necks can be put through a meat grinder. Raw knuckle bones (devoid of fat) in the whelping box can provide added nutrition, chewing practice and hours of entertainment. Adding buffered vitamin C to the pups' meal helps them build a strong immune system. As pups grow and develop, raw chicken necks can be just smashed and then eventually left whole. If feeding large pups, one can graduate to feeding larger chicken meaty bones as the pups grow.

My experience has shown me that pups ra ised this way are exceptionally strong and healthy. They have a high resistance to parasites and disease. Their bone is straight and of good substance and their teeth are pearl-white. They are bright and learn very quickly (I attribute this to feeling good!). Even my puppy families notice the difference!

Kymythy Schultze is an Animal Health Instructor, certified with the state of California, and teaches Holistic Care for Dogs and Cats at a local college. She is a published writer and promotes holistic care for pets through lectures and seminars worldwide. For lecture information, e-mail affenbar@adnc.com.

Kymythy has raised Newfoundland dogs for twenty years. Her dogs have championships, obedience, good citizen, draft and water rescue titles.

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