The BARF (Biologically Appropriate RAW Food) diet or BARF feeding program is about feeding dogs and cats the diet they evolved to eat over millions of years of genetic adaptation. BARF also stands for “The Bones And Raw Food”… diet. Species appropriate diet.
This food philosophy was made famous in the 90’s by Dr. Ian Billinghurst with his book ‘Give Your A Dog A Bone”.
Another vet Dr. Lonsdale published his own book “Raw Meaty Bones” shortly after.
The BARF model focuses on:
- Using whatever you can find in the way of Whole, RAW, healthy foodstuffs… meat, bones, vegetables and organ meats etc. – that mimics the diet of a wild or feral animal.
- You can enhance the diet you produce with healthy supplements such as vitamins, essential fatty acids, probiotics, kelp, alfalfa powder, nuts, kefir, fermented vegetables, various herbs etc.
- The emphasis was initially around Raw Meaty Bones comprising of 40% to 60% of the diet.
- The BARF model today has now evolved and calls for a ratio of:
- 70% Meat
- 10% Bone
- 10% Organs
- 10% Vegetables and fruit
This model is suitable for raw feeders that:
- Feel comfortable with supplements
- Comfortable with using commercial or DIY grinds
- May or may not feed nose to tail animal parts
