Does Your Dog BARF?
The Bones and Raw Food Movement

By Christie Keith

The following article is the personal opinion and experience of the author and does not reflect the views of the Pet Care Forum or the Doghobbyist.com.

In 1986, when I first began feeding my pets a raw, homemade diet, I was part of a very tiny new wave in pet care. I knew no one else who fed raw foods to their pets, and my only exposure to the concept was from a handful of books.

Today, thanks in large part to the Internet, the raw foods movement has grown beyond anything its proponents two decades ago could have predicted. Pet owners, breeders, people who show dogs and cats, and even some veterinarians are feeding their pets with foods fresh from the grocer or the farm, following the feeding plans and recipes in literally dozens of books. There are websites, email discussion lists, and online message boards devoted to "natural diet," and many companies, including those who produce conventional kibbled pet foods, are now producing raw foods as well.

Homemade and raw diets cover a very broad spectrum of approaches, but probably none is as controversial as the feeding plan known as "BARF," which stands for both "Bones and Raw Foods" and "Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods." The premise of this approach is, in short, to mimic as closely as possible the diet on which the canid evolved, including the feeding of raw bones.

Is such a feeding plan safe? There is certainly no shortage of cautions against the feeding of bones and raw foods. Concerns about bacterial and parasite contamination, bowel impactions from feeding bones, and choking on bones make this diet anathema to the majority of veterinarians. But those who have fed raw diets and diets containing bones claim that such concerns are overstated; if it's so dangerous, they ask, why are my dogs doing so great on it?

I have fed raw foods, including bones, to my dogs and cats since 1986. I have never had a problem with food borne illness or with bones. I am one who believes that the risks are generally overstated, and the benefits understated, while still acknowledging that risks do exist. I simply believe that the benefits of a raw diet outweigh the risks. Most veterinarians disagree, although some of the strongest proponents of the BARF diet are also veterinarians, leaving pet owners confused.

Australian veterinarian Ian Billinghurst was the first to formalize the feeding plan known now as "BARF" in his book Give Your Dog a Bone. Word of this new diet spread, largely among breeders and on a new Internet email discussion list called "Wellpet," which focused on natural and holistic pet care. It was probably on this list that the term "BARF" was coined, and Dr. Billinghurst himself began using it thereafter. His most recent book, Grow Your Pups With Bones, uses the term "BARF." Not all "natural" or "homemade" diets are "BARF." There are many options for those looking for alternatives to processed commercial diets.

If you are interested in feeding according to principles of natural diet, or making a homemade diet for your pets, it's essential that you not just read this article or a few websites and then throw something together for your pets. Canine and feline diets, like those of all predatory carnivores, are among nature's most precise and specific diets. Big cats and canids die and become ill in captivity all over the world, because their keepers cannot get their diets right. Don't make your cats and dogs the victims of the same problem. Unlike those trying to raise an endangered rare wild cat in captivity, we DO know what comprises a balanced diet for our cats and dogs. Don't turn your back on that information. Use it. Investigate several of the books on the subject, understand the concept behind the diets, select the one you are most comfortable with, and follow it precisely.

In addition, do not dismiss the fact that nearly all veterinarians will oppose this feeding approach. Veterinarians are quite naturally concerned about bacterial and parasite contamination of raw foods, as well as the potential dangers of feeding bones. It can be quite stressful for some pet owners to go against the wishes or advice of their veterinarian, and that has to be weighed into the balance as well.

I have never regretted the choice I have made for my own dogs. The benefit of improved dental health alone outweighs the risks as I see them; periodontal disease is one of the leading causes of bacterial infection, illness, and death in dogs and cats, and most pet owners find it difficult or impossible to brush their pets' teeth on a daily basis. None of my dogs or cats has needed their teeth cleaned since I switched to a raw diet in 1986, and that is not a small benefit. But the risks and benefits of this approach will vary from owner to owner and animal to animal, and no one but you can decide if it's right to give your dog a bone.

Resources:

BARF Diets:

Give Your Dog a Bone and Grow Your Pups with Bones by Ian Billinghurst

The Ultimate Diet by Kymythy Schultz

Homemade Cooked Diets:

Home Prepared Dog and Cat Diets: The Healthful Alternative by Donald Strombeck DVM Ph.D.

Homemade Raw Diets:

Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats by Richard Pitcairn DVM Ph.D. and Susan Hubble Pitcairn

The Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog by Wendy Volhard and Kerry L. Brown DVM

The Whole Dog Journal is a monthly, advertising-free, subscription-only magazine on holistic dog care. You can contact them at 800 829-9165.

Copyright 2000 by Christie Keith. Used with permission.