The Benefits of Natural BARF Feeding

We have all heard of the well-known way of feeding dogs on fresh or lightly cooked products, colloquially called the BARF diet. In reality it is not a diet for losing weight, but a different way of feeding a dog.

We are going to run briefly through what preparing this kind of food involves, so we can explain in depth all the benefits of the BARF diet that our dog stands to gain.

The BARF diet is suitable for puppies and adult dogs alike, it is the healthiest way of feeding there is and more and more people are using it, because on top of everything else it is very economical. Would you like to know its benefits?

What Does the BARF Diet Involve?

In short, we can say that the BARF diet is the name given to natural feeding for dogs, made up of meat, fish and plant foods such as fruit and vegetables.

Imagine for a moment that you had to eat the same prefabricated food every single day in the form of small kibbles, made from meat waste and packed with grains and unnecessary ingredients. Wouldn't you get bored? Wouldn't it be bad for your health?

Natural feeding means avoiding kibble or any prefabricated product and using only natural, fresh products, such as raw or lightly cooked meat (no spices, nothing), raw meaty bones, fruit and vegetables.

The difference between natural BARF feeding and commercial food is like comparing processed luncheon meat with a top-grade acorn-fed cured ham — there is no contest.

Your dog will go wild with happiness at being able to eat natural food (with no artificial preservatives or colourings) and it will suit them beautifully; you will be able to see the benefits in a matter of weeks.

Can I Give BARF to My Puppy?

Yes and no. While it is true that puppies can eat natural foods, it is advisable to wait until they are at least five or six months old and have already developed their adult teeth.

Once their teeth are strong, without those delicate milk teeth, they can be fed natural products without any trouble. Because puppies are small, in these cases it is best to blend the natural food completely.

That way they can eat it with no risk of choking. As they grow, we can gradually withdraw the puréed form and add larger pieces.

Even so, you can indeed feed them natural products to avoid falling back on commercial kibbles, which are industrially processed and barely retain the nutrients of their ingredients.

The Benefits of Natural BARF Feeding

Feeding a dog quality natural products bears no comparison to anything else: their energy, their coat, their smell and even their stools are entirely different. The higher digestibility of these diets produces better nutrition for the animal, as studies show.

The use of good-quality raw materials fit for human consumption makes it a very palatable food for animals, which means it stimulates the dog's appetite. Dogs who are generally very anxious and go about eating everything they find in the street, including other animals' faeces, settle down and start to seem less anxious.

Let's go step by step through everything natural BARF food can do for your dog:

1. A happier dog: Your dog will be amazed at mealtimes, going from boring kibble to an excellent plate of food; for the first few days they will be beside themselves with joy and over time they will simply stay happy eating naturally.
2. Their coat will look far better: Natural feeding has a great deal of influence on the condition of a dog's coat and skin, making it glossier and better looking.
3. They will be calmer: Plenty of restless dogs start to relax and lose their anxiety after switching to BARF, thanks as always to the great benefits natural food brings to their system.
4. Their stools will be very small and odourless: Yes — when our dog eats kibble, a great many ingredients cannot be absorbed in the small intestine (because of the low digestibility of the filler ingredients); those kibble ingredients reach the large intestine and are fermented by the gut flora, which causes wind and foul-smelling stools.
5. Their teeth will be free of tartar: Tartar comes from bacterial plaque that mineralises on the tooth surface. Eating natural products, meaty bones included, means that as your pet grips the meat they create friction between the tooth surface and the meat fibres, which unquestionably cleans their teeth and the tartar will disappear.
6. Their health will be more robust: A well-fed body is a body with strong defences, so our dog will be more resistant to illness. Dogs who tend to suffer allergies often show a striking improvement.
7. Our wallet will be fuller: This is no joke — feeding a dog high-quality natural products is cheaper than buying a sack of quality kibble.

These are the most significant benefits, but there are many more; we will even notice that our dog's mood is much better and more even.

Here are some recommendations that may help you prepare it:

• Simple natural BARF feeding recipes for dogs

Dogs with joint problems or sensitive digestion also show surprising improvements. Because there is nothing like being well fed to feel strong.

Possible Dangers of BARF Feeding

We should make clear that BARF feeding in itself poses no danger, since it is entirely wholesome, free of chemical additions such as preservatives, flavourings and so on. Free of extrusion processes and always using products of unbeatable quality — natural products.

We do need to take some care with the bones we give our dog, though. Dogs can eat bones, but always raw. We should never give cooked bones, because they are very harmful: the cooking process hardens them and they splinter when eaten.

There can always be a case of a dog choking on a bone, in the same way that you or I might choke while eating, but that does not mean the food is dangerous — it means accidents happen.

Bear in mind the certified quality of the products you buy for your pets' portions, that they are free of pathogens, antibiotics and so on, just as if you were going to prepare them for your own dinner.