Raw feeding

I'm posting this as part of a set of helpful 'easy reference' articles for common questions and problems. Feel free to add additional info on raw feeding in this thread, but please start a new thread for specific questions relating to your dog.

Thank you @excuseme for your help with this article

Raw feeding/BARF

What is raw feeding/BARF?

A raw food diet consists of, mainly, raw meat, bone and offal. BARF stands for Bones And Raw Food.

Why would I want to feed my dog raw food?

Dogs have evolved to be scavengers, so can do well on all sorts of different foods, including grain. But they are descended from wolves – not the same wolves that we know today, but a common ancestor – which was carnivorous. The digestive system and teeth of a dog have not changed all that much since then. Many commercial foods contain a lot of grain, but dogs do not digest grain well, so it acts as a filler, resulting in huge smelly poos.

The raw food company Honey's has undertaken a scientific study into the benefits of a raw diet: https://honeysrealdogfood.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Honeys_Raw-Proof-Report.pdf

Anecdotally, many owners have reported many benefits in switching to raw, such as:

· a softer, shinier coat

· healthier skin

. less 'doggy' body odour

· reduction in allergies

· smaller, firmer poos

· cleaner teeth and healthier gums

· reduction in stinky wind

· healthier, leaner build

· more energy

· calmer behaviour.


There are many myths about raw diets for dogs - there's an interesting list, that assesses these risks, here: The Many Myths of Raw Feeding

Isn’t it dangerous?

There are two main concerns about raw diets: bacteria and bones. As far as bacteria are concerned, as long as you use the same hygiene measures as you would when handling raw meat for humans, there should be no risk. Yes, the dog may come over and lick you after eating, but then they also lick their own bums and lick you afterwards! I’ve talked to many raw feeders over the years, and not one has reported a stomach upset that they think could be connected with their dog’s diet.

There's an interesting article about samonella in dogs here: https://www.rawdogfood.co.uk/raw-feeding-safe-salmonella-e-coli/

Although I wouldn’t recommend it, dogs can even eat meat that is past its best – they have much shorter digestive tracts and stronger stomach acids than humans, and any bacteria in their food is usually in and out of their bodies before it has time to multiply and make them ill.

As for bones – wolves, foxes, big (and small) cats, alligators, and any number of other predators eat raw bones without problem. Why should dogs be any different? Note, though, that the bones should be an appropriate size, so the dog won’t try to swallow one whole and choke on it. A large dog shouldn’t, for instance, have chicken wings or necks for this reason. You should also only ever give raw bones, NEVER cooked ones, which will be brittle and likely to splinter.

So how do I start?

There are different opinions on whether you should phase in a raw diet gradually or switch all on one go. In fact, there are different opinions on almost every aspect of raw feeding. Let’s face it, there has been a lot of research and little consensus on what is the healthiest diet for humans, and advice seems to change all the time, so we can’t expect there to be a clear consensus on the best diet for dogs. What I’ve detailed below is what I was advised by my raw food supplier.

· Start off by feeding just one type of minced meat and bone – chicken is usually cheap and economical, so is a good place to start. The dog’s stomach acid will adapt to the bone content, becoming stronger, so have no problem adjusting to whole bones.

· After a week or two, introduce meaty bones – maybe chicken wings or carcases. Leave the skin on chicken wings & carcases - these are a useful supply of fat.

· You can then also introduce other types of meat – rabbit, lamb, venison, tripe, oily or white fish. whatever. It is best to wait a few days in between introducing new protein sources so if your dog should be intolerant to any it’ll be easy to identify the culprit.

· Gradually introduce offal, e.g. liver, kidney, heart, lungs... Only add tiny amounts at first, particularly with liver, as too much too soon can result in a very runny bum!

You want to aim for a ratio of 80% muscle meat, 10% bone, 5% liver and 5% other offal. But you don’t need to be exact – I just aim for ‘a lot of meat, a bit of bone, and a bit of offal’. And you don’t need to balance every meal, or even every day’s meals – some people can give their dogs a whole meal of liver every so often, for instance, but if I did this with my dog my carpets would never recover... Observe your dog’s poos – if they are too soft, reduce the offal and up the bone content, and if they are uncomfortably hard and/or crumbly, reduce the bone content and up the offal.

You can also buy ready-made complete raw foods, with a good balance of meat, bone and offal and added fruit, veg, and other supplements. (Nutriment do a good range.) They tend to be more expensive, and whole bones are still important for dental health, but are a good way of starting out.

How much should I feed?

The usual guideline is 2–3% of your dog’s body weight a day. As an example, if your dog weighs 20kg, this works out as 400–600g a day. Start somewhere in the middle, and keep an eye on your dog’s weight to see if you need to adjust.

What else can I feed?

Again, different people disagree on what are useful additions to a dog’s raw diet. Some suggestions are:

· assorted fruit and veg, either lightly cooked or thoroughly pureed

· natural live goat yoghurt

· goat milk

· raw eggs

. fish, e.g. tin of sardines/pilchards.

You can also buy ready-made supplements, such as Easy-Green from Dorset, SmartBarf, or Fruit and Vegetable Nuggets from Nature’s Menu.

Is it time-consuming and messy?

No! It does help to have plenty of freezer space though. Each morning I get one chicken carcase, one or two packs of mince, and maybe some frozen veg from the freezer and let them defrost. My dog has a pack of mince for breakfast, and for tea he has a carcase, some more mince, some veg and a quail’s egg (hens’ eggs don’t agree with him). He has his tea outside in the garden as he tends to sling the carcase out of his bowl and eat the mince first. All bowls & containers go in the dishwasher.

Is it expensive?

Not compared to good-quality kibble, no. People buy their raw food from many different places – raw food suppliers, butchers, supermarkets, people who shoot game and rabbits... Suppliers range from the equivalent of Lidl to Fortnum & Mason’s, and even if the meats at the more expensive end look, and are, fit to give guests at a dinner party (cooked, of course!), the cheaper end will be absolutely fine. Brands to look for if you’re on a budget are MVM, Landywoods and Albion Meat Products. Other excellent suppliers are mentioned further down...

Can I mix raw and kibble?

Some people claim that because raw and kibble digest at different rates, you should never feed both - they will even ensure that treats are either raw or dehydrated meat. Some say it's fine as long as they are fed in different meals. Others mix raw and kibble in the same meal, and I've never heard anyone meet any problems with this. Personally, I feed 'just' meat and veg for meals, but use kibble for treats as it's much more convenient.

What about puppies?

A raw food diet is fine for puppies. They can start being weaned with new smells, tastes and textures, onto a soft raw mince from 2.5 to 3 weeks of age, and can be offered raw bones from 5 weeks of age.

Where can I learn more?

An excellent resource is Honey's Raw Food for Dogs They have a pdf booklet, Honey's Natural Handbook for Dogs, that you can download free of charge from their website. Also check out the advice at Nurturing by Nature (my supplier) Raw Pet Food Feeding Guide - Get The Best from The BARF Diet and Wolf Tucker Raw Dog Food | Raw Feeding The BARF Diet | WolfTucker.co.uk

There's a nice article here written by a vet who saw great improvements in her own pet when she converted to raw: Feeding Raw: A Vet's First Thoughts by Dr. Vicky Simon

Books:

As mentioned above, Honey's Natural Feeding Handbook for Dogs
Work Wonders, by Tom Lonsdale
Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats by Kymythy R Schultze
Why You Need to Feed Your Dog a Raw Food Diet by Amy Marshall (explains "WHY" quite well)
Give Your Dog a Bone by Ian Billinghurst
The Barf Diet by Ian Billinghurst

 

As you want to see if her itchiness is diet related, I'd be tempted to cut out everything apart from 100% meat - for treats & chews you could cut chicken into thin strips, and cook it on low till it's dry and firm (or dehydrate it if you have a dehydrator). Once you've seen if it has any effect, you can gradually introduce things again. Plenty of people feed both raw and kibble, either together or in separate meals, without any problems.

 

Quite. How many foods and 'natural remedies' do we consume that haven't been fully tested and therefore might carry a level of risk? These people are cheating, using lack of research to push their views because, in the lack of sound scientific studies, no one can dispute that there might be a risk. But there is a risk in everything we do, from crossing a road to trying peanut butter for the first time, to going on a walk in a quiet spot.

And where are all these cases of people and dogs falling ill as a result of raw feeding? Yes, there might be one or two, but then there's also cases of dogs falling ill or choking on kibble. And though I'm usually not one to give anecdotal evidence much weight ('I danced a naked rain dance and the next day it rained...'), the anecdotal evidence of the benefits of raw feeding is overwhelming.

 

Jasper has always been that way inclined. I think it's normal - the food they eat in the evening has all night to digest properly, but running around on the afternoon walk really pushes the poo through them so it comes out 'half baked'.

If you're feeding fruit/veg as well you could try cutting that out and seeing if it makes a difference, nad oyu could try reducing the amount of offal, particularly liver. Some foods are good for firming poo - tinned pumpkin springs to mind. I've also found that YuDigest, a prebiotic/probiotic, seems to help with Jasper's poos - but I don't suppose it would help Misty if there's nothing wrong with her gut flora, so I'd try the other tweaks first.

She might also improve when she matures and walks aren't quite as exciting as they are right now.