BARF: "Biologically Appropriate Raw Food"
For 10 years, we fed our dogs and puppies kibble, good quality, colorant-free and GMO-free. It was very convenient, and we felt we were giving our dogs the best!
But today, after a long period of hesitation due mainly to the high price, but also to storage difficulties, we have finally decided to switch to a "Barf" diet: a natural diet based on raw meat intended for carnivorous animals.
How does it work?
How does it work?
The Barf diet is not about giving only meat or table scraps todogs. A balanced portion is made up of 70 percent meat and bones.(including about 15 percent bones), 15 percent fruits and vegetables, 15percent of offal and fish oil.
It is also advisable to give themonce a week a fish meal (same weight as a classic portion) and
eggs once a week. Whole eggs including the shell.
As an adult, a dog will eat about 2.5 percent of its weight. More, if it is asporting dog, less so if it is a “couch” dog.
Generally speaking, untilAt 9 months old, it's unlimited. If the puppy completely empties his bowl, don't hesitate
not to give it to him, within reason.
Fortunately, there are ready-made mixes that are more convenient and perfectly balanced.
We opted for ready-made portions from Easy Barf. It's a French company, whose products are all made in France, using 100% French meats, fruits, and vegetables. All products are guaranteed to be free of chemical additives, preservatives, colorings, and flavor enhancers.
What are the benefits of Barf?
For us, it has become obvious, you only have to see our dogs throwing themselves at their bowl to be convinced that this food suits them better than any other.
Plus, their stools are reduced by 60%. No more huge mountains to scoop from the garden, but small, hard droppings that disappear very quickly. Why do they disappear so quickly? Because there are no preservatives! The stools dry quickly and disintegrate into a powder. Their odor is less strong.
No more need to provide water all the time, because the Barf is so complete (because it is not dry) that the dog no longer needs water to digest properly. No more putting clean water 3 times a day. No more following our dogs around the house with a mop to wipe the water that runs from their beards. No more having to take the dogs out every 4 hours for pee, as they drink less, they urinate less! QED!
Finally, their teeth are more beautiful, their breath is perfect, their coat is shinier, and their general health is simply improved.
And the cherry on top is seeing your dog snub the new vet who's trying to befriend him by offering him a kibble. The vet's reaction: "Oh yeah, that's right, she's on barf. So my kibble..."
Why isn't there a special puppy BARF?
Once the weaning period is over, the puppies eat the same food as adults, like other breeds of animals: fish, tigers, wolves, etc. ... only the proportions change.
So why puppy kibble? Simply because adult kibble only contains the bare minimum, so it's not rich enough to allow for good growth. Hence the need to make richer puppy kibble... No need for that with Barf, as the food is more complete, there's no need for a special puppy type. Just increase the proportions. Well thought out, well balanced, Barf is complete in itself.
WARNING: Feeding your dog BARF does not in any way mean giving your dog only meat or table scraps!
What if I don't want to give BARF to my puppy?
Nothing could be easier, just stop feeding him BARF COMPLETELY and give him kibble. Above all, do not mix BARF and kibble, as the pH for digestion is not the same.