Dogs Barf – How Does It Work Properly?

BARFing is currently in vogue: Many dog owners switch their four-legged friends to fresh food because they want to feed their dogs as naturally as possible. This means choosing a diet that is based on what the wolf, as the ancestor of the domestic dog, eats. To ensure that the dog is supplied with all the important nutrients during BARFing, a number of aspects must be taken into account.

Dogs barf – what is that?

Barf is a pet feeding method based on a wolf’s original prey pattern. The term BARF originally comes from the USA and was initially an abbreviation for “Born-Again Raw Feeders”.

BARF now also stands for the following abbreviations:

• Biologically Appropriate Raw Food = Biologically appropriate raw feeding and;
• Bones and Raw Food = bones and raw food.

The essentials quickly become clear in all three variants: If you barf your dog, you feed it raw feed. There are different variants: Either the BARF feeding method is strictly followed and the four-legged friend does not get anything cooked anymore, or he is also fed with cooked feed, such as potatoes or rice.

The most important ingredients in BARF are meat, bones, and offal, plus small amounts of fruit and vegetables. As with food intake in the wild, all components are fed raw. BARF is a good and healthy alternative to commercial ready-made feed, as it is free from unwanted additives and the natural needs of the animal can be taken into account.

Barf is not a new invention but has actually been practiced for thousands of years. Nevertheless, BARF is currently becoming increasingly popular, as many pet owners are attaching more and more importance to natural feeding. The focus is on the animal owner having an influence on the individual components of the feed when barfing. Another aspect is that industrially manufactured ready-made dog food has increasingly fallen into disrepute.

What does barf mean?

The term BARF stands for “Biologically Appropriate Raw Food” and means biologically species-appropriate raw feeding.

Which BARF types are there?

BARF has become a very popular feeding method for dogs. Nevertheless, BARF is not always the same as BARF, because there are different ways of BARF. They differ in the type of feed and the proportion of feed additives.

Full barf

With full barf, the four-legged friend is only fed raw food. Vegetable mixes and noodles can also be a part of this, as well as green tripe, omasum, abomasum, and liver and muscle meat. Raw breast core bones or oxtail bones can also be fed.

Semi-barf

As the name suggests, semi-barf uses dry food in addition to the BARF feeding method. This usually happens in equal parts. However, both variants must not be mixed with each other, as there are different digestion times.

When semi-basking, you should always feed two meals. One meal consists of dry food, the other of meat, vegetables, and other raw vegetables. Cold-pressed dry food is best suited for dry food, as it is relatively similar to raw food in terms of digestion.

Grain-free BARF

With grain-free BARF, the dog does not get any grain-containing food. This method is mainly used when the animal does not tolerate grain in any way. This can be an allergy, a change in behavior with regard to grain feed, or an intolerance.

Whether grain-free BARF is an option should be decided based on how the four-legged friend reacts to grain. Grain-free BARF is often supplemented with irregular feeding of millet, rice, or amaranth.
BARF with feed additives

Feed additives should always be used with BARF so that the dog does not show any signs of deficiency. The weighting of these additions may vary. What matters is how balanced the BARF is and whether all the important nutrients are included in the meals. Vegetable oils or vitamin K are often used as additives. The latter is also contained in the fresh liver.

Other barf species

In addition to the barf variants listed, there are other types of barf. These differ from the above mainly in the mixing ratio of raw food and dry food.

A BARF variant for puppies is that most of the raw food is fed pureed.

BARFing for Beginners – How do I BARF correctly?

BARF is much easier than you might think at first. All that is required is an honest interest in the healthy and species-appropriate nutrition of the four-legged friend.

The ideal division of a species-appropriate BARF menu amounts to 80% meat and 20% vegetables, alternatively, the division can also be in a 70/30 ratio.

Acclimatization and conversion

Every four-legged friend reacts individually when switching from ready-made food to natural raw food. Many dogs like the new food immediately and enjoy eating soft meat and cooked vegetables. However, like us humans, some have special preferences and refuse certain types of meat or vegetables. In such cases, tact is required to find out step by step how the changeover works best.

Adult and young dogs without health problems or allergies should ideally be switched over overnight. For this purpose, one or two days of fasting should be inserted before the change and then the BARF food should be fed directly. The fasting days serve to empty the intestines before the changeover, a kind of detoxification from the industrial feed.

For dogs that do not tolerate these fasting days so well, the changeover can be made gradually. This method is also used for fussy dogs as well as older dogs. A little of the finished food is replaced daily with raw meat, offal, eggs, bones, and pureed vegetable food. If the dog does not eat the food, it is sometimes helpful to lightly sear the meat.

Depending on how well the dog accepts the new food, the ration is increased more and more until the industrial food has been completely replaced. This is how the four-legged friends get used to the BARF after a few weeks. This change takes longer and the gastrointestinal tract is only completely detoxified after some time.

It also often helps if the dog is given the usual dry food already soaked before the changeover. This way the digestive system gets a taste of the new texture and is better prepared for the change.

How often should I barf my dog?

Anyone who decides to use the BARF feeding method should completely switch their dog over so that it does not suffer from stomach problems. However, BARF does not mean that the dog is no longer allowed to eat dry food or the like. There are different types of barf.

BARF for puppies, pregnant dogs, and seniors

For a full-grown or adult dog, the amount of food depends on its activity level. The rule of thumb is to use 2-4% of your current body weight as a guide. Extremely active animals can be supplied with additional energy with an additional source of animal fat.

BARF in pregnant dogs, puppies, or seniors works a little differently than in adult dogs.

Barfing in puppies:

Puppies can be accustomed to raw feeding appropriate to their species very quickly and easily. This is also the case if the puppy has not yet been familiarized with the BARF feeding method by the breeder. The feeding of raw meat can be easily changed.

Because puppies are growing, they have higher energy requirements than adult dogs. In order to cover this, 5-7% of the current body weight should be fed to the fur nose. Large dog breeds get a lower percentage than smaller dog breeds.

Barfing of senior dogs:

As the dog ages, its bones also age, which is why it needs an additional supply of calcium. In addition, the dog’s urge to move may decrease. As the urge to move decreases, so does its energy requirement. For this reason, the amount of food fed to senior dogs can be reduced to 2-3% of their current body weight when barfing. If the dog is overfed, this can lead to impairment of its cardiovascular system. In addition, his general well-being and the musculoskeletal system could be affected. Since senior dogs may also experience dental problems, they should be given softer raw meaty bones.

Barfing of pregnant females:

In the first three weeks of pregnancy, a bitch needs more food than before. Here it must be supplied with all minerals, vitamins, trace elements, and essential fatty acids with particular care. From the fourth week, the embryos are also supplied via the mother’s blood vessels and the amount of food should be increased by up to 10%.

Be careful of being overweight during pregnancy, as this can lead to complications during childbirth. From the 5th week of pregnancy, the protein content should also be increased by 40-70%, and products with particularly good protein utilization should be used. A good product is beef muscle meat, for example.

The right amount of feed when BARFing

The right amount of food for a dog varies depending on its size and weight. In addition, the external living conditions are decisive for an optimal daily ration, for example, the exercise and the activity of the dog.

A senior dog needs less energy than a very young dog, and a dog that moves little needs less food than a sporting or hunting dog.

The number of treats per day must also be taken into account. The treat ration should be deducted from the BARF menu. The dog should be able to utilize everything from the BARF meal so that there is no excess energy supply, which then accumulates as fat deposits.

Calculate BARF ration

The rule of thumb for the daily requirement of a healthy, adult dog is 2% of the total body weight for the feeding amount. For very slim and active dogs it can be up to 3%. For an adult animal weighing 25 kg, that would be 500 g of total feed for the BARF ration per day. If you calculate with 3% due to the dog’s higher activity, that would be 750 g of food for the daily ration.

The BARF daily ration is divided into 80% meat and 20% fruit, vegetables, and herbs. If the grain is added to the meal, this proportion must not exceed 10%, since the dog cannot digest larger amounts.

There are also many sites on the Internet where the barf ration can be calculated free of charge using a calculator.

How much BARF per day in dogs?

The BARF daily ration depends on factors such as weight, age, state of health, and physical activity. Therefore, the ration varies from dog to dog.

The rule of thumb for a healthy adult dog is 2% of total body weight.

Pros and cons of barfing

In addition to many advantages, the BARF feeding method also has some disadvantages, which are explained in more detail below.

+ The dog’s meals are put together by yourself when barfing. This aspect is of particular benefit in the case of food intolerances and allergies in the animal, as the feed can be adapted to individual needs. The composition of the feed can thus be adapted to factors such as health, breed, and age.

+ BARF is very natural. No heating is used, nor is anything artificial added to the meal.

+ BARF leads to better feed conversion. The higher the digestibility, the more efficiently the feed is used by the organism. With dry food, the digestibility is around 85-90%. With an optimally composed BARF ration, the digestibility is over 90%.

+ Due to the better digestibility, the animal has fewer feces. This is because the dog can use almost all of the food.

+ BARF leads to less body odor in the dog, better teeth, and a shiny coat.

+ Barf improves the health of the animal. These include a shiny coat, better teeth, less tartar, better fitness, and less body and mouth odor.

+ The intestinal flora becomes more robust and the animal usually has to be dewormed less often.

+ Overweight dogs lose weight well.

However, there are also some disadvantages associated with BARF:

– By preparing the dog’s own meals, there is a risk of malnutrition. It is therefore important to put together a really needs-based meal for the dog. Overdosing and underdosing are not uncommon, so an intensive examination of the animal’s individual nutrient requirements is essential for the health and well-being of the animal. Ideally, the dog owner creates a feeding plan in cooperation with the veterinarian.

– When barfing, the dog can become infected with microorganisms. Raw meat can be a carrier and breeding ground for bacteria and parasites that would normally have been killed by heating the meat. The pathogens can cause damage to health. Freezing the meat beforehand or buying it already frozen can reduce the risk of infection.

– By freezing the meat, some vitamins can be lost.

– BARF is very time-consuming since the meals are always put together and prepared by yourself.

– BARF is more expensive than conventional ready-made feed.

– Raw feeding is not always possible on the go because there are no storage or freezing options.

Risks for humans

A disadvantage of BARF is that the raw meat poses a risk of the dog becoming infected with microorganisms. When preparing the feed, humans can also come into contact with these germs. The germs can also be transmitted through close contact between humans and animals. Many scientists are therefore already advising against this feeding method.

Another risk that exists when barfing is that people are responsible for their four-legged friend when it comes to barfing. Only an optimally composed meal leads to a good health condition for the animal. These meals must contain the necessary nutrients that the dog needs.

How dangerous is BARFing?

BARF is generally not dangerous. It should only be ensured that the dog receives the necessary nutrients through its food. Otherwise, health problems and malnutrition can occur.
In addition, raw meat contains many bacteria and germs that can make both dogs and humans sick.

Cost of barfing dogs

The saying “fresh cooking is more expensive” is not only heard among us humans but also often in relation to BARF.

First of all, it has to be said that the costs for BARF, like the amount of food, are individual and differ from dog to dog. When calculating the daily ration, factors such as age, weight, physical activity, and health play a decisive role. Accordingly, the costs for a daily or monthly ration differ from dog to dog.

On average, BARF costs per month:

• For a small dog up to 10 kg = 20 €;
• For medium-sized dogs up to 30 kg = 35 €;
• For large dogs up to 60 kg = 80 €;
• For very large dogs from 60 kg = 160 €.

How much does it cost to barf a dog?

The cost of barfing varies depending on the amount of food the dog needs. This in turn is related to factors such as health, age, size, and physical activity.

The most popular BARF recipes

With barf, people have many different options for preparing food for their four-legged friends.

Common dishes are:

• Beef with vegetables and salad;
• Turkey meat with vegetables and fruit;
• Veal and beef bones;
• Offal and vegetables;
• Horse meat;
• Chicken necks;
• Beef tripe;
• Chicken thighs;
• Chicken back;
• Chicken wing;
• Lamb’s ribs.

What is BARF in dogs?

Barf is a pet feeding method based on a wolf’s original prey pattern. The most important ingredient in BARF is raw feed. In addition to meat, bones, and offal, there are also small amounts of fruit and vegetables.