Feeding What Nature Intended: A Beginner’s Guide to the BARF Diet
What is BARF?
BARF stands for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food! A revolutionary approach to our pet’s diet that has transformed the lives of thousands of dogs and cats around the world. This concept became globally accepted and was introduced by an Australian veterinarian called Dr Ian Billinghurst. (https://drianbillinghurst.com/product/the–barf–diet/) His way of thinking was triggered with a question “What if we fed our pets what nature intended?”
What does a BARF diet for dogs and cats consist of?
BARF is a nutrition plan for your pet that mimics the evolutionary diet of canines and felines which focuses on uncooked meat, bones, organs and the odd fruit and vegetables. Dr Billinghurst has written numerous books on pet nutrition, and one in particular I love to recommend is called ‘The Barf Diet’. He has helped countless pet parents increase their pets’ quality of life and additionally he has sparked a global movement that challenges the status quo of commercial pet food.
How do you transition your pet to a healthier diet?
Firstly acknowledging the type of foods that our pets’ bodies are designed to eat and digest – meat, bones and organs. At Pet Wellness Hub, we provide a number of different balanced raw food diets, and they are all conveniently packaged and balanced for your convenience – we take the hard part out! Dogs are known to be easier to transition than cats due to cats being creatures of habit and they can sometimes be reluctant to try a new food, however persistence pays off. If you think your pet is suited to do a rapid transition, just switch straight over – go for it! If your dog or cat is older and has digestive issues or impaired immune systems, it is best to slowly transition. This can be done by introducing a raw diet in with the food you currently feed. Slowly increasing the raw food, and decreasing the old food, doing this will put less pressure on your pets’ digestive system. The beauty of the pre made raw food at Pet Wellness Hub is, it is also single proteins, therefore you are only introducing one type of raw meat at a time which can also eliminate any upsets (if any). Once you have completed the transition to the new food, you can introduce other proteins, bones, treats and supplements as desired.
What benefits will my pet have by feeding raw?
When we feed the body nutrition, our bodies thank us by being healthy, and the immune system strengthens. The same goes for our pets. There are so many benefits of feeding your pet a raw and natural diet, some will happen almost immediately, others can take a few weeks, months or more, but be guaranteed that even the smallest positive changes in your pets life makes a huge difference to their wellbeing all round. Here are just a few things you will notice after change switching to a BARF diet.
• Your dog and/or cat will have a new zest for life – energy levels will escalate.
• Your pet will lose unwanted fat and increased muscle mass.
• Many dental problems will disappear – your pets’ breath will improve, and tartar will naturally decrease.
• Many persistent skin problems will disappear – which in turn means that the allergy medications such as medicated washes, cortisone, antibiotics and umpteen vet visits will become a thing of the past.
• Yeast and fungal issues clear up – no more constant ear infections – no more nasty medications.
• Anal sac problems disappear – bone content firms up your pets stools in turn anal glands naturally secrete.
• Inflammation and arthritis gets better – healthy oils, vitamins and minerals in raw food and green leafy veges are nature’s medicine.
• You will also notice incredible improvements in behaviour – dogs fed a natural diet are calmer and more easily trained and are less prone to perform unpredictable behaviour.