Many people are sceptical about feeding their dogs raw meat and bones, but it benefits them. There are many benefits to feeding your dog a barf diet, including better skin health, improved digestion, enhanced mental acuity and even weight management! Read on for more information on the same!
What is a Barf Diet?
Barf diets are a type of diet that requires your dog to eat foods that are not processed or cooked. They may include raw meat, vegetables and fruits and bones. There are many different ways to prepare a barf diet for your dog.
Benefits of Barf Diets
- Improved digestion. Dogs that eat kibble struggle with absorbing the nutrients in their food because of how it’s processed and the ingredients used in its production. This can result in a lack of energy, poor immune system function, skin or coat issues, digestive problems and even obesity. A raw diet allows dogs to eat whole foods, which promotes better digestion throughout their entire body and improved absorption of vitamins and minerals compared with kibble diets.
- Improved skin and coat quality. While not always noticeable after switching to a raw diet, many pet owners report improvements in their coats within a few weeks or months after starting them on this type of food plan!
Start Slow
If you decide to try a barf diet, start with a small amount of raw food and watch to see if there are any adverse effects. If your dog has no adverse effects, increase the amount and continue monitoring. If your dog experiences an adverse effect, stop the diet and speak with your vet before continuing.
Variety is a must in Barf Diets.
The diet should be a variety of plans. While dogs are omnivores, they can’t handle the same foods in the exact quantities as humans. One of the main reasons for this is that some dogs have allergies to certain foods, which makes them sensitive to certain ingredients or even a specific food type. Ingesting even small amounts of an allergy-causing ingredient can lead to inflammation and irritation throughout your dog’s body, but it is especially prevalent in their digestive tract. This stress on their system can cause pain and discomfort when eating food with these allergens, so you must take care when choosing ingredients for your dog’s barf diet.
How to Choose a Commercial Raw Dog Food Service?
If you decide to feed your dog a commercial raw diet, you must find the right company. The best raw dog food services will use high-quality ingredients and have been in business for at least five years. The following are some questions you should ask:
- What type of meats do they use? The meat used as the main ingredient should be human-grade and never treated with antibiotics or growth hormones.
- Do they use vegetables that are fresh or frozen? Fresh is always better than frozen because raw vegetables contain enzymes that help promote healthy digestion. If possible, avoid companies that use canned vegetables because these may contain preservatives that could harm your pet’s health over time (most canned products have been heated and treated at least once).
- What kind of supplements do they provide with their meals? Look for probiotics like lactobacillus acidophilus, which helps restore balance within the digestive system and promotes healthy absorption of nutrients from food sources; omega fatty acids like DHA/EPA—these are essential fats found primarily in fish oil supplements but can also come from other sources such as flaxseed oil; vitamin C—this is an antioxidant nutrient needed by dogs during times of stress (such as travelling) when their immune system needs extra support.; amino acids—these building blocks form proteins necessary for muscle tissue repair after exercise or injury; glucosamine sulphate glucosamine hydrochloride chondroitin sulphate sodium hyaluronate MSM natural vitamin E—these nutrients may help prevent arthritis by improving joint function.; herbs such as garlic, clove, ginger, mint parsley, rosemary, thyme oregano, turmeric, cinnamon, clove, cayenne, pepper, nutmeg, sage, coriander, fennel and tarragon.
