SuffolkBullBreeds

What is a BARF Diet?
A BARF diet provides a range of benefits. These benefits include:
• Reduced doggy odour.
• Naturally cleans teeth - no need for toothbrushes, de-scaling jobs, helps prevent gum disease.
• The time it takes for a dog to chew a raw meaty bones give their stomach time to get the acids moving.
• Produces firmer stools with reduced quantity.
• Can reduce vet bills (healthier dogs)
• Economical to feed in comparison to commercial dog foods.
• Mirrors what nature intended them to eat in the wild.
• Puppies develop at a more appropriate rate and quick growth spurts are avoided. A GOOD breeder will want to stop fast growth in any pup.
• The ripping and chewing involved in eating raw meaty bones develops the jaw, neck, and shoulder muscles of a dog.
• Better weight control which helps to reduce the symptoms of arthritis and obesity.

What do animals on a BARF diet eat?
As varied a raw diet as possible, with lots of raw meaty bones, e.g. chicken wings, chicken necks, rabbit, oxtail, minced meats, lamb shanks, eggs and their shells, liver, heart, fish, yoghurt, veg (pulped), fruit, garlic, etc.

Can I feed puppies and kittens on BARF?
You most certainly can. They can be weaned onto a raw food diet - this is, after all, what they did for 300,000 years before 'puppy and kitten' diets came along! Of course, you won't want to feed that little puppy huge marrow bones! So use common sense in your feeding.

How do I start?
Some people start gradually while others do a straight swap. The former is advised. Most people start with minced meats and when the animal is used to this then add raw meaty bone eg. chicken wings and veg. then offal, eggs etc. It is usually not advisable to feed dried food and B.A.R.F at the same meal as they take differing times to digest.

I fed a raw meaty diet and my cat was sick immediately - should I continue or revert back to the food that I have fed for years?
Try introducing the raw meat more gradually. Also, the cat may have a problem with one meat more than another, so vary what you give it.

Isn't it dangerous to feed dogs chicken bones?
Never ever feed cooked bones as they are more likely to splinter and cause problems in a dog’s digestive system. People have been feeding dogs raw bones for years and rarely report problems. Chicken wings are the best bet, also a minced chicken with bone content. Try Prize Choice minced meats or the wings from the Chunks range.

Why is my dog drinking less water daily ?
Should I be concerned ? No, there is absolutely no reason to be concerned. Raw food is full of naturally occurring water. All the moisture needed to digest raw food is contained in raw food. Although a lower sodium intake is part of the reason that our BARFing dogs drink less water, the real reason is that raw food has not had the water removed like dry food has.The difference between dry and canned dog food is the water content they leave the water in the canned and bake it out of the dry. It takes a lot of water to re-hydrate those little nuggets!

How much does it cost ?
With the convenient range of frozen products available from AMP changing your pet’s diet from a processed pet food onto BARF is cheaper and cost effective. When buying fruit and veg for the family you could add a bit extra so that this can be blended and frozen into meal size chunks for your pet. Alternatively try Natures Menu with minced meat, vegetables and cooked rice; this will take all the hassle out of preparing meals for your pets. It’s ready to serve once defrosted with no fuss or preparation. Raw meaty bones are easily available from the Prize Choice Chunk range.

What about things like salmonella ?
The digestive tract of a dog is much shorter than a humans and the concentration of hydrochloric acid in their stomach is much higher. Consequently, they can deal with bacteria that humans can't. Just think of the things that a dog will eat if allowed.... imagine the things they can pick up or lick, these can contain bacteria but they don’t harm them.

What is BARF
BARF stands for Bones And Raw Food or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food, depending on which books you read. The basic principle is to feed a diet that the animals have evolved to eat, or to put it another way AS NATURE INTENDED.
Some people disagree with BARF, but the more information you gain the more it makes sense. It is advisable to do your own research in order to make up your own mind.
Dogs & cats survived for thousands of years without a pet food manufacturer in sight there are records of wolves living to in excess of 35 years of age! We all imagine dogs living pampered lives in modern civilized countries, but believe it or not they are also thriving in African villages, wild in Oz as Dingoes, still hunting prey in deserts, and so on and no, they don’t have yellow, filthy plaque-encrusted teeth or gingivitis.
Dogs and cats in the wild lived off whole carcasses including the internal organs, and the content of the stomach which usually contains ground down, partially digested vegetation containing essential nutrients.
A BARF feeding diet is as close to nature as we can get with the right mix your pets will live a happier healthy life. We hope this information helps you on your way.
We have listed answers to some questions that you may ask, but if you are interested in finding out more about feeding BARF here are some books & sites that you might find helpful. . .
• "Give Your Dog a Bone" - by Dr Ian Billinghurst
• "Grow Your Pups with Bones" - by Dr Ian Billinghurst
• "Raw Meaty Bones" - by Tom Lonsdale
• "Hostilic Guide for a Healthy Dog - by Wendy Volhard & Kerry Brown
A Guide to Natural Feeding
It’s vital that the ingredients are recognisable as real food and when AMP talk about meat they mean real pieces not by products that some manufacturers describe as the meat content of their pet food.
A balanced pet food is often achieved for the consumers convenience by bulking out the food with lots of added vitamins, minerals and vegetable protein. It can also be achieved with a little care and by considering the right combination of best quality ingredients so that nothing else is needed.
Meat used as the main protein source is the most compatible for your dog or cats biochemistry. The over processing of the meat damages the potential nutritional content, which in some forms of processing means that up to 70% of the nutritional value of the food can be lost through the processing.
The honest labelling of AMP foods and ingredients allows the customer choice. Natural feeding is not a chemical mix and although the labels look empty in comparison to some alternative products the aim is to provide simple pre-packed ingredients for a natural feeding diet. This is achieved in pre-cooked, raw fresh or pre-dried forms.
The ultimate aim in natural feeding is to provide a diet that is as close to what animals were physically and behaviourally designed to eat. Whilst AMP offer a convenience range, natural feeding with PRIZE CHOICE means that you have the choice.

Natural Feeding - Part 1
Any kind of cooking process will damage the nutritional content of food. This is made worse still if the ingredients that went into the food weren’t much good in the first place. Vitamins, proteins, and fats are all damaged during processing, and food can lose as much as 70% of its nutritional value before it gets to your pets bowl.
Feeding raw food gives your pet access to the full nutritional content of food. You need to feed smaller amounts and your pets digestive system has a lot less work to get the goodness out of the food. Raw feeding is new to most people, but it is quite straightforward as long as the balance of ingredients is right. For a range of recipes and information try one of the books about raw feeding. "Give your dog a bone" by Dr. Ian Billinghurst and "Home prepared dog and cat diets" by Donald R. Strombeck are both excellent.
Is it ok to feed raw meat to dogs and cats ?
Pre-prepared pet food is a relatively modern invention. Forty years ago most pet dogs were fed on cooked scraps, and this is still the case in many countries. Only a little further back in time dogs were fed on raw scraps and cats had to fend for themselves! Dogs and cats evolved to eat and digest raw food and there is plenty of evidence that a raw diet has health benefits.
Of course, not all raw food is safe for cats and dogs. Sharp bones can cause injury to the throat, stomach or intestine. You should always avoid meat that is spoiled by bacteria or is not clean and healthy looking. Cats should never be fed raw fish because enzymes in it can break down nutrients the cat needs. If your pet has a problem with chronic illness or a weakened immune system then you should discuss any change of diet with your vet first.
The choice of raw meat is important; AMP raw foods are made from the best ingredients and are guaranteed to be healthy and safe.
How should I introduce a natural feeding diet as I have been feeding complete processed pet foods ?
Gradually! Sudden changes in diet can cause digestive upsets no matter what new type of food you introduce. It is always best to introduce a little more of the new food mixed in with the animals old diet each day until after two weeks you are feeding only the new food. It is best to consult your vet or one of the books about raw feeding so you get the diet exactly right from day one.
Is it ok to feed my dog minced bones especially in the poultry product and what benefit will my animal get from receiving bone ?
In the wild, cats and dogs eat whole carcasses including the bones. Whole bone contains important minerals such as calcium as well as complex fats and vitamins. The only problem is that some bones, particularly in chicken, are sharp and difficult to chew up properly. Mincing makes the pieces of bone so small that it is easily digested and absorbed with minimal risk of an obstruction.
At what age can I start feeding my dog or cat on a natural diet and how should I introduce this diet at an early age ?
Wild dogs and cats begin to eat raw food as soon as they are weaned. You can begin to feed raw food to any weaned puppy or kitten. Both Donald Stromberg and Ian Billinghurst recommend a raw diet for puppies, and Ian has written a book about the subject called "Raise Your Pups with Bones".
Raw chicken carries salmonella - will this harm my dog or cat ?
Salmonella is everywhere, not just in raw food. Cats and dogs walk around and lick their feet. They find bits of old food to eat. Salmonella is even found in dried food! Fortunately dogs and cats have an intestine that is designed to kill and break down bacteria in the food they eat, including Salmonella. In fact there is an argument that a dog or cat that eats a diet that contains bacteria will be better able to cope when they do eat something that is really rotten. It is like a form of natural inoculation.
Will my dog get worms from eating raw products ?
Possibly, but the same argument as above applies. Worms are a part of normal life for all species except most humans in developed countries. Cats and dogs fed on anything will get worms. The solution is simple; regular worming prescribed by your vet.
I am told to feed chicken wings but I am not sure why ?
Chicken wings are a good source of fat, protein and minerals. The chewiness of chicken wings helps keep teeth clean without brushing.
What do I need to add to raw meat and how do I make sure my dog is receiving a balanced diet ?
If you feed a variety of meat and a variety of fruit, vegetables and raw bones, your dog and cat will manage very well just as we do.
We do not worry about whether we are getting enough vitamin E do we?
No, we just make sure we eat a good variety including lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. Any of the books mentioned by Dr. Ian Billinghurst or Donald R. Strombeck will give you recipes for a balanced diet, but if in doubt then you could give a vitamin and mineral supplement.
I am told that a high protein level in a product makes it better for my dog and I am worried that my dog is not receiving enough protein with simply meat and biscuit so I add the meat to a complete biscuit - is this ok ?
No! The proportion of meat in a complete biscuit is designed to give your dog the right amount of protein. If you add extra meat then the diet can become unbalanced. If you want to add raw meat, then feed less of the biscuit and perhaps give a raw food meal at the other end of the day according to the guiding principles for feeding a bones and raw food diet. This is then two balanced meals, rather than just upping the protein levels of one.
How do you know how much protein your dog needs?
How much protein do you need? If in doubt, consult the food manufacturer, your vet or one of the books mentioned above.

Natural Feeding - Part 2
By Nick Thompson
My dogs overheat on dry foods and I'm told that a natural diet may help - what benefits will this change of diet result in?
A natural diet involving raw bones, meat, vegetables and raw fruit will have innumerable benefits. My own dog has lost weight and changed shape and now looks much fitter since changing to a raw food diet. His coat has improved and the mild itch he had every summer has disappeared. He now has no scurf and the coat is less greasy. The stools are firmer and he now actually enjoys eating!
My dogs seem very energetic and tear around the garden and house - I do feed him tit bits and a high protein chicken and rice diet, can diet effect behaviour ?
Very much so - dogs need about 30% of their diet as fleshy meat. The rest should be bones, fruit and veg. You may find this makes a great difference to your dog.
I want to feed a natural diet and have seen pre-mixed and pre-minced meats. Are these as good as chunks as I want something easy to use and store ?
There is no difference nutritionally between minces and chunks of meat. The important thing is to vary the type of meat fed, so that the animal can benefit from the mix of amino acids and fats in the meats. Both minces and chunks can be stored in the freezer and so are as convenient as each other. Chunks or free-flow minces are more convenient for feeding smaller animals as the appropriate quantity can be taken from the freezer each day.
My dogs have itchy flaky skin - what are the causes of this and how can I help my dogs ?
The three major causes of itch in dogs are parasites (fleas, mites, infection, bacteria, fungi, yeast) or allergy. Your vet would be able to conduct tests to help rule out the cause of the itchy skin. Help depends on what is causing the problem. If there are parasites, then these need to be eliminated - your vet will be able to advise you the best way to do this. If there is infection then a shampoo or even an antimicrobial drug may be necessary. If the problem is an allergy, then it could be due to pollen, house dust, food or any number of things. Your vet can do specific tests to establish the cause of the allergy. Changing to a raw food diet involving raw bones, meat, veg and fruit can help a lot in all aspects of canine health so can directly or indirectly help with all three causes of itch in dogs.
My cats seem to prefer cooked breast meat and minced beef but I'm concerned that I should be feeding a proper cat food to make sure that they get a complete diet - is this ok ?
No - they do need something to help balance the diet as it is important to ensure calcium intake. There is an excellent product called Pet Plus (ring 08700 111 340 for orders) that will balance a meat diet. Also you could consider getting some fruit and veg and pureeing it. Then put the puree into ice cube holders in the freezer and take one out at a time to de-frost before adding at a 9:1 ratio meat to veg to the minced meat. The Natures Menu vegetable & vitamin supplement will also give you the same results.
For years I've been told to buy expensive foods and now my friends are reverting back to traditional feeding methods - why is this ?
Dogs have been eating processed food for about 100 years and for the previous 300,000 they were eating a natural diet involving raw bones, meat, fruit and veg. Dogs have evolved to eat this diet, so why feed them anything else? They are more healthy and suffer less from common modern diseases such as chronic colitis, atropy and periodontal disease on this diet.
I fed a raw meaty diet and my cat was sick immediately - should I continue or revert back to the canned food that I have fed for years ?
Try introducing the raw meat more gradually. Also, she may have a problem with one meat more than another, so vary what you give her.
I am told that dogs and cats are immune to salmonella and bacteria - I am worried that a raw diet including chicken wings will make my dogs ill - is this so ?
Cats and dogs are no more immune to Salmonella than people. I do not consider Salmonella to be a significant risk factor in feeding small animals raw food. They will, for example, go out and walk around in all sorts of things, then come in and lick their feet. I think that we shouldn't be too worried what comes out of a quality modern meat plant with strict hygiene rules and bacteriological testing as long as our four legged friends continue to prefer to perambulate in bare feet. As for chicken wings - I've never had a problem with chicken wings. On the other hand I have seen thousands of dogs having problems with their teeth necessitating general anaesthesia and surgery.
Cats will often get kidney disease as a result of bacteria that build up in tartar then break off into the blood stream. These things, I feel, are a real and present danger to animals. Much more so than chicken wings fed as part of a raw food diet under the supervision of a veterinary practitioner.
When can puppies and kittens eat a BARF diet ?
They can be weaned onto a raw food diet - this is, after all, what they did for 300,000 years before 'puppy and kitten' diets came along.

Natural Feeding for Dogs
For thousands of years dogs roamed the ancient world. They made their homes on the Savannahs of Africa, the plains of India and the forests of Eurasia and the Americas. Packs of dogs swirled through every type of terrain in every climate. They ate what they could wherever they could. Food came from three sources – prey, scavenged and grazed items. Prey would be mainly herbivores – rabbits, deer, sheep or antelope. Scavenged food would be leftovers from the big carnivores; lions, bears and puma for example; dogs acting here as natural tidiers for the leftovers of messy carnivores. Coprophagia (eating faeces) would also offer nutritional scope. Grazed food would include nuts and apples, berries and other wild fruits in season. Grazing would only be a small part of the diet, but would be a significant proportion, especially in summer.
Dogs would hunt in packs. Prey would be devoured with nothing remaining of the carcase after the meal. The soft organs or ‘viscera’ were the first thing to be eaten. Herbivores (rabbits and deer) have a large gut continually full of chewed and partially digested vegetable matter. Cereals were present, but only as a small proportion. This would be eaten next. The muscle (meat) and bones would then be eaten. Bones, skin and hair would be the final course – nature’s way of cleaning the teeth after a large meal.
Man has fed dogs for about forty thousand years; dogs help with the hunt and man rewards them with some of the leftovers the dogs are only too happy to eat. Life is easier for both species with this arrangement; man gets a useful hunting companion, dog gets a pack mate who feeds them a broad ranging diet without them having to do as much work to catch it. All very cosy until man got busy with things like agriculture, then developing society then industrialisation and latterly caught up in the consumer society. When this happened, man kept a dog as a pet. He no longer hunted and so had less raw meat to share with his trusted friend.
Commercial Diets
Food producers in the USA, with lots of poor quality meat, gristle, viscera and cereal by-products that they could not hide in sausages, came up with a novel idea to sell it – put it in tins and call it ‘dog food’. For the first time in history, people could buy food specifically for their dog. The idea caught on. Soon people forgot that they just used to feed their dogs raw meat and bones and all the scraps – a broad range of foods minimally processed to maintain the food’s value.
Today we find ourselves bombarded by pet food advertisements for this tinned brand or that dry brand or this sausage preparation or that super-chew. There is so much processed food to choose from we don’t know where to turn! When I was at College, one of my old lecturers said ‘If there is more than one answer to a problem, then they’re probably all wrong’. Is this true with pet food? I think we’ve forgotten about the basics in our our drive for convenience. Admittedly, we all try to buy the best for our wonderful dogs, but have you ever asked yourself these questions: a) If this food is as wonderful as they say it is, why don’t they use it in people – for astronauts or prisoners, for example? And b) Would I eat this stuff?
Convenient Disease
So why do we feed it to our dogs? Convenience, in a word – convenience. But how convenient is it if your animal develops a persistent itch or eczema, dental problems or smelly breath, inhalant allergy/atopy, colitis, food hypersensitivity, lethargy, dull and scurfy coat, kidney disease or rheumatoid arthritis?
Raw Food
Dogs, in my opinion, should eat, as far as possible, a raw diet; raw meat, liquidised raw fruit and veg and raw bones. It is simple to feed and, logically, it is what dogs were, and are still are, designed to eat. Here’s how it works:
The Rules:
• Dogs should be fed on a variety of raw meat and bones. Just sticking to one meat source is no good – you don’t get all your nutrients. Do not feed pork. If your dog has a skin or bowel problem, do not feed beef initially until you know that this will not cause hypersensitivity.
• Quantities – for every 10kg weight, a dog should eat about 100-150g meat and twice this volume in fruit and veg. This is only a guideline to start. If your dog is gaining weight, reduce quantities, if they are loosing, increase.
• For every handful of meat, feed 2 handfuls of liquidised raw veg*. A bit like the old ‘meat and two veg’ adage! If you do not think you can feed the variety, contact the practice and we can supply a very good supplement called Pet Plus for Dogs (contact the practice to be sent some). Nuts, herbs and cooked beans should be added to the ‘veg’ portion. .
• Feed raw bones once or twice weekly.(RAW bones are easily chewed and digested. It is very unlikely, but not impossible that bones will get stuck in the gut. If you do NOT give bones to clean teeth, however, a general anaesthetic for dental work is very likely).
• Feed offal (either kidney, heart, lung or liver) once a week instead of meat. Remember, wild animals come with offal alongside the meat. It is a necessary part (however distasteful) of a balanced diet. Vary the organ meat weekly.
• Do not feed cereals (mixer biscuits or treats). * Take any veges, especially green leaved ones, fruit and salad items and place in the liquidiser. You can use just one or two ingredients at any one liquidising, but make sure you have variety from week to week. Blend to a rough broth. Add some water to give a liquid texture, if necessary. Pour on the meat in a 1:2 ratio by volume, meat to veg. If your dog is ill or old, you may take a few days to more gradually change the regime to raw.
How to bend the rules:
• If you cannot bear to feed raw meat, very light cooking in olive oil to ‘seal’ the juices is ok. Meat should be rare when served.
• Liquidised raw veg will last for 48 hours in the fridge, so you can do the blending only 3x weekly, but remember it looses it’s goodness pretty quickly after liquidising. If you cannot do this daily, consider using rice as an alternative. Pasta is no good as it is made from wheat. If you cannot give a variety of veg and fruit, let me know and I can supply a very good supplement called PET PLUS FOR DOGS
• An oven baked mixer biscuit can be used to fill out the diet once or twice weekly: feed 1/3 meat, 1/3 veg and 1/3 biscuit. e.g. Natural Choice Holistic Dog Food 01278 652 184. Do not use any cereals if you are trying to avoid grains.
• If you cannot bear the thought of raw bones, the AMP minces such as Chicken dinner, Turkey Dinner and Rabbit Dinner contain finely ground bone to give Calcium. Some chews are needed in the diet to clean the teeth though.
Further Reading.
The best book on the subject is ‘Give Your Dog a Bone’ (ISBN 0 646 16028 1) by Ian Billinghurst an Australian vet with 20 years practice experience. It can be found on the Internet or from some mail order houses in the UK. If you can’t find it, let me know and I can send you a copy. This sheet is basically a concise simplification of some of his thoughts.
Scares:
Certain authorities are concerned with feeding dogs raw food. They claim, without any good evidence that this can lead to the infection of dogs with pathogens that can pass to people. I believe that dogs are able to cope with a certain level of contamination of their food that cooking would otherwise kill. I believe they can eat such food and not be more of a threat to human health than a dog fed on a commercial diet. Indeed, if a dog is fed regularly on a raw food diet, I believe they will be healthier and better able to cope with bugs transmissible to people. If you have any concerns, or have very young or very old or immunodeficient people in your household, then your best advice would be to talk with your vet or other health professional.

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