Barfing on the BARF diet

Posted: August 15th, 2008 - 10:31pm by Michelle Mazur

A raw diet for pets is quite a controversial subject.  Processed pet foods are processed with heat, making vitamins and nutrients less available compared to raw diets.  Raw diets are also generally free from additives and preservatives found in traditional pet foods.

However, raw diets cost more money per day and require more time and labor in order to prepare the meal.  There is also a risk of contamination with bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli with raw pet food diets.  A study conducted by Joffe found that 30 percent of dogs on raw food diets had salmonella in their stool.  "Dogs eating raw chicken will secrete salmonella into the environment," explains Joffe. "It can cause everything from mild flu-like problems to life-threatening illnesses."

The most popular version of the raw diet is called the BARF diet, short for Bones And Raw Food or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food.  BARF diets are composed mainly of raw meat and vegetables.  Most veterinarians are not happy about these diets because there is no guarantee that the pet is receiving a properly balanced and nutritionally complete meal, and there is also the problem of bacterial contamination.

The Canadian Veterinarian Medical Association doesn't recommend feeding pets raw food, and neither does the American Veterinary Medial Association.

If pet owners are looking for an alternative to store bought pet food, the optimal word according to the CMVA is "cooked." Make sure to use recipes that call for cooked meats. A healthy recipe includes cooked meat, such as hamburger or chicken, with potato or rice and a mineral supplement.  Proper cooking practices, such as using a meat thermometer and handwashing, are also essential to ensure the safety of the meal.
 

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Comments

Susan M. Traynor says:

Good Grief. So if a raw diet for a canine or feline who's a house pet is so fraught with bacteria then just how have canines and felines survived in the wild for eons without cooking their food over a campfire?Salmonella and ecoli have been found in commercially processed pet foods as well as in cereal products intended for human consumption sold through Aldi food stores.An biologically appropriate diet, whether raw or cooked, is the optimum for human and beast. Remember to wash your hands and all utensils and surfaces when handling raw meat so as no to cross-contaminate. As far as nutrients are concerned, the best rule to follow is "balance over time".

Posted on August 16th, 2008 - 6:05pm

Simian says:

The short answer is that canines and felines in the wild did not, in general, survive in the wild. The mortality rate is high. How much of the death is food poisoning/infection related, I don't know. I do know that canines and felines have litters, yet the typical population patterns in the wild are flat.I am curuious why cross-contamination is a concern in a raw food diet (if the foods are consumed at the same time). If the chicken is salmonilla/E. coli/whatever contaminated, does it really matter if you cross contaminate the salad to be eaten with it?

Posted on August 20th, 2008 - 10:10am

karim says:

the little dog with big bone is very funny pics. can i have it?

Posted on February 15th, 2009 - 11:47pm

J Weeks says:

I've done a lot of research on this topic and feed my cats raw food. I do not worry about food poisoning because if cats and dogs got sick from raw meat in the wild then they would eat something else. Who looks at a wild carnivore and says they have food poisoning because they eat raw meat??? Population patterns are flat in wild dogs and cats not due to food poisoning but due to the fact that don't have vets to cure defects and they are hunted by other animals. Not to mention the fact that many starve to death because there isn't enough food for them. Also, making a cooked homemade diet is not good either because when you cook the meat you cook out many of the nutrients that your dog or cat needs.

Posted on March 16th, 2009 - 2:56pm

Michelle Mazur says:

Just a quick clarification, the felines and canines that live in our houses today are not the same as the wild dogs and cats that they evolved from. Assuming that wolves have eaten raw meat for centuries without side effects and applying this logic to a domesticated dog is not an appropriate assumption.

Posted on March 16th, 2009 - 10:31pm

Ben Chapman says:

A proper raw food diet is safest and healthiest for pets. The problems with a raw diet come from pet owners' inability to properly select and prepare the food. Bones must have a certain ratio of meat to bone, for example, and the vegetable selections must be ground up and include a very wide variety, including supplemental "medicinals" like herbs and minerals; animals must also have fat and salts, which is uncomfortable for many people... Many people do not know enough about nutrition or have enough time to feed themselves adequately let alone whip up a balanced diet for their pet - thus the saying "don't feed your pet table food." Additionally, spoiled or contaminated food is just that, and should not be consumed by humans or animals. Much is to be gained by those willing to invest in feeding a pet a proper raw diet - education, vitality, bonding, broadened perspective - as is the case with any sensitive life-affirming practice.

Posted on July 29th, 2009 - 3:39pm

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