Pros and cons of feeding the BARF diet.?

Question

I would like to know the pros and cons of feeding BARF diet to dogs. Does anyone have any experience with feeding this diet? Could you please give me some testimonies if you have, and if you are against it please tell me why. No sracastic, rude, critics please. I am looking for helpful information only!

Answer 1

I've fed primarily raw for 15 years ( I say "primarily" because I use high quality kibble as training treats).

Pros- High quality food at a less expensive price than a comparable kibble diet
Healthier dogs-less vet expense- no: teeth cleaning, ear issues, anal gland issues, skin issues
Dogs with STRONG intestinal systems
Less POOP- no yard clean up (I live in the Seattle area.. it melts into the grass)
My dogs look fantastic and win at the shows.

Cons- You need to do a LOT of studying so you learn to balance the diet well
You have to actually THINK about what you're feeding
You need an extra freezer or two
Some dogs go through a de-tox phase (mine have been raised on it since birth so I don't have any real experience with this).

*I* have never had an issue with any bacterial contamination.. I'd say I'm on the middle to low end of the "keeping things clean" scale.

Favorite link: http://www.eastwooddanes.com/Getting-Started-101.htm

I hope Freedom answers!!!

Answer 2

pros cons feeding barf diet

Answer 3

It's a great diet. My dogs have been on the diet since they were 1 year old. They love it and have done extremely well on it. Before they went Raw, we fed them high quality dog foods (organic/himan grade). Raw is better.

Before switching to Raw, they would get heat sores (they are smooth fox terriers) in the summer. After switching, no more heat sores. Their coats are nice and shiny and soft.

One of my dogs got really sick at about 6 months old and we thought we were going to have to put him down. But we stuck with him and he recovered. But even after a couple of months, he just wasn't himself. He had low energy and just wasn't happy. After we switched to the Raw diet, he perked right up. He's doing great and you would never know that he had been sick.

He's a Type 1 diabetic (caused, in my opinion by Frontline). Type 1 diabetes is caused by the pancreas being damaged and not being able to produce insulin. The pancreas aslo produces enzymes that aid in the digestive process. Because the food is raw, it retains all the natural enzymes that aid in the digestive process. The more food is cooked, the fewer the enzymes in the food and the harder it is for a dog (even healthy dogs) to break the food down. And the meat in dog food is typically cooked to a very high temperture.

The one draw back to the barf diet is the time it takes to prepare it or the cost of buying raw dog foods. But the upside is that your dog will have a healthier life.

Go raw, your dog will love you for it.

Answer 4

There are no cons except for the time and expense involved. The BARF diet is the best choice if you have the time and are willing to do it.

Answer 5

I heard it was best, and so I experimented with it when I had only one dog (I have 3 now!) I could afford to feed him steak. But he would only take it cooked! Once I bought him one of those really huge beef bones--he was not in the least interested in it until it got ripe in the yard and a turkey buzzard started sitting on our fence. Then there was something to bark about, so he wanted his bone then, lol!

On the rare occasions that I give my dogs meat, they prefer it cooked. They won't eat fruits and vegetables, other than apples, and that's usually only for something to gnaw on. Most of the time, they get dog food and that's what they like. They are spoiled. But I tried.

Answer 6

I looked into it rather in depth and decided against it.

The meat you use is intended to be cooked for human consumption, so there is a higher incidence of bacteria. Racing greyhounds eat raw and tend to have a slightly increased risk of E.Coli.

For most people this shouldnt be a big deal as the risk is minimally raised.

For this reason alone we decided to do a homemade cooked diet for our dog. However, our risk of E.Coli is already greater than most as we also have goat (they are carriers for it) that regularly plays with our dog.
____

With proper research it is the best thing you can do for your dog.

Answer 7

Friends of mine tried the diet on their dogs, but quit after the dogs had problems.

I feed my dog/companion Innova adult dry food, and boiled ground lean turkey. 2 ounces of turkey twice a day with one half cup of the Innova twice a day.
She is a whippet and thrives on this diet. She is very healthy and active.
Innova is expensive, but in my opinion, one of the best out there.

Answer 8

Barf Diet Pros And Cons

Answer 9

The best thing ever you can do for your dog.
NO cons! (perhaps a messy kitchen time to time)
Late Entry : getting a shitpoint from a "true expert" is always a pleasure :)))) But in this case : You are a *****!!! :)