The BARF Diet

If you think the BARF diet is about your dog vomiting and eating it, think again. The BARF diet is actually a rawfood diet which is supposed to resemble the way canines used to eat before they evolved into the adorable domesticated creatures they are today. While the word "BARF" may mean something very different to many of you, most people in the pet food world know that "BARF" means Biologically Appropriate Raw Food. And for dog and cat lovers who have experienced the amazing results of this raw food diet, the word BARF has also come to mean Perfect Health!

Today more than ever concerned pet owners are searching for answers...for a way to overcome the multitude of problems that their pets are suffering from. And it seems they have found the answer...the BARF diet!

Is your pet always on antibioticsor steroids fighting chronic skin infections or bacterial problems? What about such devastating viral diseases like feline leukemia or the parvovirus? Veterinarians today face more cases of pet cancers in one form or another - in both our dog and cat populations. While theories abound on why these diseases and problems are now manifesting themselves with such devastating regularity, it appears the commonality is most definitely a compromised immune system - meaning your dog or cat's natural defense system is down. And one of the first things we must look at is the food we are feeding our pets.

Remember, our dogs and cats survived for centuries by hunting in the wild and feeding on raw and natural foods for which their systems are well designed. It was not until the introduction of cooked, canned, dry kibble and semi-moist pet foods that we began to see the escalation of degenerative disease and skin problems. Most of these highly processed commercial foods expose our pets to artificial flavorings, colorings, preservatives and additives, as well as to chemicals that their bodies cannot handle. It may be that the continuous, daily ingestion of these artificial agents over time also reduces longevity.

Some people wonder if the modern dog's digestive system can handle raw foods and the bacteria that might be present. A dogs stomach acid(hydrochloric acid) is 15 times greater than in humans allowing raw meat and other raw animal products to digest easily and efficiently. For this reason they are able to handle bacteria and microbes that might injure a human. It is important to realize that microbes and pathogens are everywhere and that they are needed for the process of dealing with decay.

Yes, our pets can definitely handle a wide variety of raw food and the mixture of fruit, vegetable, organ meats and ground bone, along with other pro-biotics and antioxidants found in the BARF diet, mimics the natural prey that nourished them through millions of years of evolution.

A startling discovery and a major difference between BARF, the natural, raw meat diet and a heat-processed diet is the content of live enzymes and phyto-nutrients found in the fruit, vegetables and meat contained in the BARF diet. The presence of living enzymes and phyto-nutrients in the natural raw diet is a canine's advantage. This can offer improved immune system function to improve the digestion, aid in the metabolic processes in the body and help to rebuild cellular mechanisms. By supplementing the live enzymes and having them contained in the fresh raw food diets, we are relieving stress from the enzyme producing organs and therefore extending life itself.

Imagine that your pet's body is like a vehicle - if you feed it the wrong fuel and don't keep the maintenance up you'll run into problems. You may not see the problems at first; they do take time to manifest. Junk food for humans is no different than junk food for animals. In the end or over time they both will do their harm. Feeding a natural and raw food diet is not only what our pets are designed to dine on but also is the best bet for a long and happy life.

For more information, visit Barfworld.com.

Note: Part of this article was written by the folks at Barf World exclusively for Bobbi Leder (aka the Houston Dogs Examiner).