The BARF diet – pros and cons

Giving a dog the same food as humans can be dangerous. Many things that are perfectly safe for us can be harmful to dogs.

https://www.bluecross.org.uk/advice/dog/food-and-weight/can-dogs-eat-onions-and-other-human-foods

Since garlic is from the same family as onions and shallots, it should be avoided too.

Lots of dogs are lactose intolerant, so it's best to avoid all dairy products.

Some dogs are sensitive to grains, so avoid those as well if that's the case for your pet.

Key things to remember for a BARF diet:

• Get advice from your vet or a canine nutritionist to learn how to put together balanced meals.

• Always stick strictly to the cold chain to prevent nasty bacteria from growing on the meat and offal. If you're freezing food, it's essential to defrost it in the fridge, never at room temperature. That goes for human food too, for that matter.

• Always poach fish. Some types of fish can contain microbes that are harmless to us but dangerous for dogs.

On top of needing a lot of organisation and a bit of prep, a BARF diet is more expensive than buying bags of dry food. We’ve managed to get around this a bit by doing bulk orders. Between one of my brothers, a nephew, and two friends, we have six dogs in total. Buying in those quantities means we can negotiate the price, especially as we get our own human food from the same two suppliers. But even with the discounts, it still costs more.

Hello

It might be a good idea, or it might just be a passing fad. You'd really need to try it for a month to be sure (to see the effect on the budget 🙂, and making sure their poo and digestion stay stable).

Our vet suggested we look into the idea. But just looking at the cost alone, I’ve already binned that idea. 👀❌

Personally, my approach is that the whole family eats the same thing, including the dogs. Since they’re part of the family after all.

This means I can keep a handle on my budget and benefit from economies of scale. Lbs of meat from the butcher = for everyone.

📌 For example: we're having couscous tonight. The dogs' portion for tomorrow's meal is already a given and is basically ready.

• Salt-free couscous

• Veg without spices, except for turmeric / ginger / celery / garlic, and no onions.

• Grilled lamb / beef

• Rapeseed oil and parsley.

In short, we only cook once. We just adapt it for the dogs by leaving out the salt and seasoning.

In the long run, it has to be practical and fit your lifestyle. In my opinion, it shouldn't be something you're too dependent on. Given the price of meat, it’s not a great plan. ♦️

That’s just my opinion! 👌

Otherwise, have a look at this link, it's quite informative.

https://www.clubvetshop.fr/blog/post/barf-chien.html