Partial BARF – the right balance
BARF/Raw feeding is popular and that’s great for dogs. Many dog owners respect their dog’s wild origins and the natural needs of their pets.
Meat is the main part of a dog’s appropriate diet. This clearly shows his descent from the wolf. The four-legged friend is a carnivore, but likes to eat fruits and roots in the wild and does not scorn the stomach contents of its prey that it consumes. This is exactly where raw feeding comes in, the dog receives raw meat as the main component of its food, together with fruit, vegetables and herbs. If you implement the BARF nutrition concept conscientiously, your dog will benefit from it.
What is partial BARF?
What is a good way to get started with natural and species-appropriate feeding? What is the perfect balance between industrially produced dog food and raw meat? Like all nutritional feed methods, the partial BARF feeding has advantages and disadvantages. Neither whole and nor half, this is not the way of feeding. We will show you how to feed partial BARF and how your dog can succeed.
Naturavetal Information
BARF – what does this mean?
The acronym BARF first appeared in Canada, where it was invented by the dog owner Debbie Tripp from the born-again raw feeders. The term has undergone a change since the 1990s, originally BARF meant bones and raw food but has since been changed to Biologically Appropriate Raw Food. If you BARF, you feed your dog with raw ingredients that are species appropriate for the animal.
Partial BARF = raw meat and?
Partial BARF means replacing part of the feed with raw meat, vegetables, herbs and fruit. However, the term does not mean adding a bare bone to the wet food or to mix three corn kernels to the dry food. Partial BARF requires detailed knowledge of the dog and its natural, species-appropriate food.
Meat
- Lean meat, raw bones and beef offal
- Rabbit, lamb, goat, game without parts of the digestive tract due to possible parasitic stress
- Whole poultry including muscle meat, raw bones and offal
- The udder, testicles, breast, skin, skin and ears of an animal are less suitable due to the low nutritional value
- Bones and premium meat (50% meat, 50% bone)
Fish
- Whole fish
- Heads
- Fillets
Vegetables
- Cucumber
- Pumpkin
- Carrot
- Corn
- Leafy vegetables such as iceberg lettuce, lollo rosso, rocket, chicory ...
Fruit
- Apple
- Banana
- Watermelon
- Strawberries
- Plums
Herbs
- Garden herbs or watercress
- Dandelion
- Fennel
You can find a detailed list of BARF ingredients here.
Please note that raw peas, lentils and beans as well as unripe nightshade plants such as green peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, avocados and onions are generally not suitable for the dog and therefore have no place with BARF feeding.
When it comes to fruit, physalis, star fruit, quince and grapes (also as raisins!) are taboo. A detailed report on harmful foods and other sources of danger to dogs can be found here.
Naturavetal Tip
In general, do not let your dog eat alone. Bones can splinter – watch your pet and only feed under supervision. Never give your dog warmed bones and avoid long bones, as they could very easily break.
First steps to Partial BARF
If you have previously fed your dog with industrially produced feed and want to try the BARF feeding, under no circumstances should you immediately switch to raw meat. A sudden change would be fatal for the gastrointestinal tract. Slowly test whether your dog can tolerate BARF. The digestion of extruded dry food takes much longer than that of raw meat. This can cause diarrhea and bloating in sensitive dogs. Cold-pressed dry food such as Canis Plus can be combined much better with BARF, and wet food such as meat pots, meat rolls or complete menus can also be easily fed in alternation with raw meat. It is particularly beneficial here that Canis Plus meals are without synthetic additives – you can therefore give it as a pure natural food in conjunction with BARF. As an optimal amount of food, we recommend three percent of the body weight per day for a healthy, adult dog. So if your dog weighs 15kg, 450g of food are considered to fulfill its needs. The animal/protein portion of the total amount of feed should be 70 to 80 percent. Using the high-quality dry or wet food from Canis Plus®, you can add raw meat, vegetables and fruit in a purely natural and sensible way.
To try BARF or partial BARF, you can read more about the first steps here.
Our team of experts will be happy to answer all your questions: Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm on 0208 – 531 7804
or by email to: info@naturavetal.co.uk
