Feeding dogs a raw or BARF diet?

Question

I am looking for proven facts rather than opinions of why I should NOT feed my dog the supposedly "dangerous diet" of raw meat, bone and natural suppliments such as Fish oil, Kelp, grated Brazil nuts, Apple cider vinegar etc.

madison

You may wish, as is your choice, to feed a diet based on what the "scientists" from the commercial pet food companies tell you is right. I have studied their "facts" and I believe them it be wrong. Instead, I feed my dog as close as practisible the whole prey/scavanger diet that the wild canine would find in it's natural habitat. In other words a food source that the dog has evolved with.
I do recognise that modern farming practices might reduce the amount of certian nutrients in the prey type food I feed my dog, which is why I suppliment her diet with the above.
I have a strong, healthy, active, inquisitive, bright and alert dog when "working" but who is also calm and relaxed at home.

Answer 1

I can not give you any proven facts against feeding a raw diet because I feed the same way.( I have started supplementing the diet with solid gold holistic blends because I got a little lazy) The vet I use also feeds raw to his dogs and he breeds GSD and he starts the pups off with raw. I do not think I will ever go back to feeding only dog food. Picking up after my dogs is not as nasty as it use to be and with 5 dogs it could be really nasty. I think it is funny that people always tell me how bad it is to feed raw, but I can tell you this my 5 1/2 year old GSD has white teeth like a pups and he is never sick, none of my dogs are for that matter. My brother told me that the dog could get sick from eating raw meat and like I told him since I feed my dogs the same food I would feed my family I doubt it would happen. If you want to feed raw do it and do not let people change your mind. Many people are narrow minded and they heard it was bad so they preach what they hear.

EDIT: For all those that think raw is only meat look it up. Also, when I was a kid there was two brands of dog food and most people didn't use it nor did my family, we fed the barf diet( it was just called feeding back then). Almost every dog we ever had lived well into the teen years and my family did not have small dogs we had collies and shepherds. Now there are all these different dog foods on the markets and dogs have more health, allergies and teeth problems then ever before. What changed?

Answer 2

I'd feed it whole....and I'd love to have a friend like that, LOL. In fact I have fed whole animal carcasses on a couple of occasions. Some dogs may be hesitant about eating whole prey if they're not used to eating whole prey. A couple of my dogs act picky about feathers or fur; I may cut the meat into pieces to get them to eat but I'll still serve "everything" if possible. If it were a very small dog and/or a very large rabbit I'd probably divide everything up into appropriate sized meals and feed over the course of a day or 2, but again the whole animal would eventually be consumed. As far as heads & feet, etc are concerned.....I have no qualms with any of it. In fact I have a job processing gamebirds during hunting season. And last year I ended up bringing home several large plastic grocery bags stuffed full of pheasant heads and feet, so I could feed them along with muscle-meat & maintain the correct bone ratio. After season ends I'm able to take home any "leftover" birds not claimed by the hunters as well- frozen, gutted with heads on. We eat the good ones that aren't all shot up and bruised, and the dogs get the ones that are too shot up to eat- after we thoroughly check & remove any remaining shot pellets. Wild game actually makes up the bulk of my dogs' diet. And the humans' diet, now that I think of it. LOL.

Answer 3

The verdict is still "OUT" on this subject. I have some very close personal friends that are feeding the raw diet and are doing fine. I am feeding a combination diet. Some of the big arguments of this being a harmful diet are being sent down to the consumer from all the major dog food companies. They do not want us avid "readers" with brains to dislodge them from their million dollar businesses. I am enclosing a few sights for you to check out. Again, I believe it is a personal preference along with "how much time do you want to spend" making dogie dinner!
OMA'S Pride natural canine and feline raw food. 1-800-678-OMAS. PRIMAL PET FOODS,INC. primalpetfoods.com
Northwest Naturals www.nw-naturals.com
Also, if you really new what was in the food you get at the store, the decision might be a real easy one! Pick up a book called "Foods Pets Die For", by Ann N. Martin....shocking!!!
Hope this is some help.
A product that I do use daily is Monzie's Organics(www.monzies.com) it is organic muesli for dogs. blend of grains, nuts, herbs and veggies. It is wheat-free and corn-free and recommended by holistic vets and nutritionists. My dogs love it. It resembles oatmeal with veggie in it. It comes either as an additive or you can get it in cookie form.

Answer 4

Unfortunately the most accurate answer to your question is that no one knows whether there is any benefit to feeding a raw meat diet. At the present time the one or two studies of any quality that have been done to attempt to answer this question have addressed whether the diets meet nutritional needs rather than provide some sort of additional benefit. The home made diets have not fared well when compared with known nutritional needs when studied but it is possible to design a home made diet that does meet the pet's nutritional needs. People just tend to make substitutions without thinking about the consequences. You can't do that and realistically hope to keep the diet well balanced.

Answer 5

what to feed your dog is your personal choice the trouble with a barf diet is are you sure they are getting the right amount of protein..vitamins i feed mine a diet that sientists have tested and proven to contain all the nutrients needed in a dogs diet but if you feel confidant you can supply those on a home made diet try....you will soon see if it is working as if not your dog will be lacking in nutrient have runny stools and digestive problems .....

Answer 6

I saw something very interesting the other day about what all is really in dog food, (dead animals, including other dogs, without even taking off the collars, bags, and ect., animals that have been euthanized, which the medicine does not brake down in the process of making the dog food.)I have listed a place where you can get some info., but it's not the one I saw the other day, sorry, I can't find it. Hope this helps!

Answer 7

Have you ever used Eating for Energy (120 raw food diet recipes) strategy? Proceed on this site : http://www.StayEatingRaw.com/Free . This can surely teach anyone!

Answer 8

Well I'll only be able to tell you why it's GOOD, not bad.
My folks show dogs and feed a variation of it. They've had some of the top winning dogs in the nation.

Answer 9

Your dog can get many food borne illnesses humans can.

Answer 10

oh .. i dont no