Because
you have a choice! An Insider's Guide
to Choosing the Right Food for Your Pet
Barf - Feeding Raw Food
The BARF (“Bones and Raw Food” or “Biologically
Appropriate Raw Food”) diet is a system of feeding championed
by Australian veterinarian Dr. Billinghurst.
The philosophy behind using BARF is that the diet a dog or cat
evolved to eat - over many millions of years of evolution - is the
best way to feed it.
If you want to feed your dog BARF, it means not feeding your dog
cooked and or processed food. That is, not feeding your dog a diet
based on cooked grains. Artificial grain based dog foods, it is
claimed cause innumerable health problems.
Advocates of raw diets claim that the diet has been tested positively
for centuries on wild dogs, and that the increase in allergies,
dysplasia, and other health conditions is as a result of dogs being
fed commercial dog food.
Commercial dog food fans point to the millions spent each year
on testing products. They believe that commercial dog food contains
all of the nutrients that a dog needs to grow and be healthy. Also
that since the BARF diet is complicated, many people do not properly
understand or use it appropriately.
Recommended books on Raw Feeding for your pet
Grow Your Pups with Bones: BARF Programme for Breeding
Healthy Dogs and Eliminating Skeletal Disease
by Ian Billinghurst
For the price of a fifteen minute consultation with your vet this
book provides hours of reading pleasure. In 391 easy-to-read pages
you can discover masses of information not available in the libraries
of veterinary textbooks. If you are a pet owner this book will likely
be one of the best investments that you have ever made. Big savings
in vet bills and feed bills are likely to be measurable benefits.
But how can you measure the benefits of pain-free happy pets? How
can you measure your feelings? -- knowing that you have done the
best for the pets in your care. You can't. But you and your pets
can experience those feelings -- because Raw Meaty Bones: Promote
Health.
Raw feeding advocates believe point to the intense heat used to
process commercial pet food which can reduce nutrient values. Studies
with rats apparently showed that the digestibility of amino acids
in cat food is changed significantly by heat processing. Taurine,
an essential amino acid for cats, is reduced or eliminated in heat
processing. Pet food manufacturers must add taurine supplements
to cat food, which it is claimed by Barf proponents is generally
unnecessary in a raw diet.
To quote the UK
Barf Club (which appears to be industry sponsored by Natures
Menu so not necessarily unbiased!)'Dogs and cats in the wild lived
off whole carcasses including the internal organs, and the content
of the stomach which usually contains ground down, partially digested
vegetation containing essential nutrients....A BARF feeding diet
is as close to nature as we can get with the right mix your pets
will live a happier healthy life. '
Dr Billinghurst himself has written '“BARF is about
feeding dogs properly. The aim of BARF is to maximize the health,
longevity and reproductive capacity of dogs and by so doing, minimize
the need for veterinary intervention. How do you feed a dog properly?
You feed it the diet that it evolved to eat. ... Artificial grain
based dog foods cause innumerable health problems. They are not
what your dog was programmed to eat during its long process of evolution.
A biologically appropriate diet for a dog is one that consists of
raw whole foods similar to those eaten by the dogs’ wild ancestors.
The food fed must contain the same balance and type of ingredients
as consumed by those wild ancestors. This food will include such
things as muscle meat, bone, fat, organ meat and vegetable materials
and any other foods that will mimic what was those wild ancestors
ate.”
A pet on a Barf diet will eat as varied a raw diet as possible,
with lots of raw meaty bones, e.g. chicken wings, chicken necks,
rabbit, oxtail, minced meats, lamb shanks, eggs and their shells,
liver, heart, fish, yoghurt, veg (pulped), fruit, garlic, etc.
Health benefits are claimed for this type of diet:
Reduced doggy odour.
Naturally cleans teeth - no need for toothbrushes, de-scaling
jobs, helps prevent gum disease.
The time it takes for a dog to chew a raw meaty bones give
their stomach time to get the acids moving.
Produces firmer stools with reduced quantity.
Can reduce vet bills (healthier dogs)
Economical to feed in comparison to commercial dog foods.
Mirrors what nature intended them to eat in the wild.
Puppies develop at a more appropriate rate and quick growth
spurts are avoided. A GOOD breeder will want to stop fast growth
in any pup.
The ripping and chewing involved in eating raw meaty bones
develops the jaw, neck, and shoulder muscles of a dog.
Better weight control which helps to reduce the symptoms of
arthritis and obesity.
There is plenty of advice on the web regarding feeding of puppies,
kittens and adult pets on a raw food diet (a Google search for BARF
brought up 4 million references) if this is something that interests
you.
It would seem however that neither the American Veterinary Association
nor the British Veterinary Association endorses the health benefits
of raw food. Both organizations caution that animals fed raw meat
run the risk of contracting food-borne illnesses. The BVA declares
that "there is no scientific evidence base to support the feeding
of raw meat and bones," and warns humans they risk exposing
themselves to bacteria like salmonella."
It is worthy of note that not everyone is in favour of BARF, and
particularly within the expert Veterinary field, warning shots have
been fired regarding the nutritional adequacy of these diets (see
below.)
Ann Wortinger LVT, VTS (ECC)of Michigan Veterinary Specialists
has written and lectured extensively within the US on the subject.
The following is a transcript from an American Veterinary Conference
in 2006 where Ms Wortinger spoke and sought to address what she
considers certain myths concerning raw feeding.
INTRODUCTION
It is generally accepted that dogs were domesticated from wolves;
the period of this evolution ranges from 10,000-135,000 years ago.
Accordingly, some recent DNA research shows that this occurred in
stages in different areas, not all dogs breeds came from the same
wolf or from the same geographic area.¹ The primary ancestor
of the domestic cat is believed to the African wild cat, Felis libyca.
Domestication started for cats much later then it did for dogs,
~8,000 years ago with full domestication taking place only 4,000
years ago.² The time difference is reflective in what these
animals were domesticated for, dogs were hunters, cats were vermin
killers on the farms.
As we evolved from a hunting society to a farming society, our
needs changed also.
With this history in mind, we need to look at what food these animals
have consumed since they joined us in our homes. Dogs did not continue
to hunt and eat raw foods once domesticated; they primarily ate
our leftovers and scraps. Since we have not consumed a raw food
diet since fire was discovered, our dogs did not eat raw food either.
Since cats were domesticated for their ability to control small
vermin, they have continued to eat a raw food diet for a much longer
period of time.
MYTH: Raw food diets are nutritionally superior to processed
diets, and is “what nature intended dogs and cats to eat”.
There is no scientific evidence showing that raw food diets are
nutritionally superior to processed foods. All processed foods are
required to conform to AAFCO (American Association of Feed Control
Officials) standards for sale in the United States. These standards
can be met in one of two ways. The food can be “formulated”
to meet AAFCO standards, or feeding trials can be done. Feeding
trials are the preferred method of substantiating AAFCO certification.³
This takes into account not only nutrient content, but nutrient
loss due to processing and digestibility.
Raw food diets overall are not marketed as “complete and balanced”
and therefore not need to meet AAFCO standards. Some of the frozen
diets however are marketed as “complete and balanced”
and have AAFCO statements on the labels, but have not undergone
feeding trials. The claim is that these diets are “complete
and balanced” over a period of time, but not for each meal.
There are three main types of raw food diets.
Commercially available complete raw food diets. These diets are
intended to be complete and balanced without the need for additional
supplements. They are typically sold in frozen form.
•Homemade complete raw food diets, many recipes for homemade
raw food diets are available in books, article and on the Internet.
These diets expect the owner to balance the diets out in the long
term as each meal is not in itself balanced.
•Combination diets. These consist of commercially available
mixes of grains and supplements. This mix is in turn combined with
raw meat. (4)
Granted, raw food diets may be nutritionally superior to some commercially
processed foods. Those would be the poor quality foods that have
not gone through feeding trials, use lower grade ingredients, and
have high cereal contents. Feeding any premium quality food would
show an improvement just due to the increased quality of the ingredients
used.
Since raw food diets have not gone through feeding trials, it is
difficult to know if they are nutritionally balanced or not. One
study has been done looking at the nutrient content of a variety
of raw food diets, both home prepared and commercially available.
None of the diets studied were balanced, and all had nutrient deficiencies
or excesses. These deficiencies and excesses may have been balanced
out in the long term, but this is not guaranteed. (4)
Pet food manufacturers know what changes occur with their foods
with the various processing methods, and supplement as needed to
maintain optimum nutrient levels. As with any science, we continue
to discover every day new ways to use diet to modulate various disease
or conditions-and the manufacturers continue to change and improve
their foods.
MYTH: Domesticated species tolerate bacterial contamination
in food without problems, even if they are pediatric, geriatric,
or critically ill animals.
There is not scientific evidence to support this claim, and in fact
three studies have found either bacterial contamination in the food
or dishes, or death related to pathogenic bacteria directly related
to the diet being fed.( 4, 5, 6)
The study looking at nutrient content of the diets also looked at
microbial analyses. One of the five diets yielded growth of E. Coli
0157:H7. (4) This strain of E Coli has been connected to E Coli
infection in people, and is one of the more pathogenic strains.
Another study presented in JAAHA reported two cats presenting for
necropsy that died from septic Salmonellosis. In one of the cases
it was directly traced back to the raw food diet fed. The two cases
were 9 months apart in presentation, but from the same household.
Healthy adult cats appear to have high immunological resistance
to the development of clinical Salmonellosis. Cats that are immune
compromised or otherwise ill would be at increased risk of infection
due to contaminated food stuffs. (5)
Animals that are not sick themselves can also pose a public health
concern due to shedding of bacteria into the environment. There
are a number of bacteria that can be found on raw meat and transmitted
to animals and subsequently to their owners or others in contact
with the animal or their stool.
20-25% of poultry carcasses intended for human consumption test
positive for Salmonella organisms, the raw meat used for feeding
dogs is even more frequently contaminated. Most raw poultry is also
contaminated with Campylobacter species, primarily Campylobacter
jejuni, so food borne infection is highly probable for dogs fed
raw chicken.
Shiga toxic Escherichia coli strains are routinely isolated from
fresh ground hamburger. Escherichia coli 0157 has been identified
in dog feces.
Yersinia enterocolitica, can frequently be isolated from raw meat,
especially pork. As much as 89% of the commercially available raw
meats may be contaminated with this organism.
Numerous food-borne parasitic infections can also affect dogs and
cats. Feeding raw fish can result in infection with a variety of
organisms including Diphyllobothrium latum, the fish tapeworm; Opisthorchis
tenuicollis, a trematode that infects the bile duct, pancreatic
ducts and small intestines; Dioclophyme renale, the giant kidney
worm; and Nanophyetus salmincola, the vector for Neorickettsia helminthoeca,
the agent responsible for salmon poisoning in dogs. (6)
Dogs routinely fed raw meat are commonly infected with the protozoan
Sarcocystis spp., and infected dogs may excrete sporocysts in their
feces and contaminate the environment. Dogs can become infected
with Toxocara canis and with the raccoon ascarid, Baylisascaris
proconis as a result of eating raw meat. Infected dogs can develop
enteritis and shed infective eggs into the environment. In humans
these two parasites cause visceral larval migrans. Dogs are also
susceptible to infection with Trichenella spiralis whose larvae
in found encysted in meat. Undercooked or raw pork is occasionally
contaminated with this parasite. (6)
MYTH: Raw food diets improve the health of their pets
The primary claim from raw food proponents is that this diet improves
the health of their pets. While this is fairly nebulous and hard
to prove, very few medical conditions can be directly traced back
to nutrition.
On average a wolf in the wild only survives to 8 years old, wolves
in captivity can survive up to 16 years. Most deaths are attributed
to predation, disease and starvation. As Darwin showed us, life
in the wild is survival of the fittest. An animal with many of the
diseases we treat for commonly in small animal medicine would not
survive in the wild. That, to our pets would be the benefit of domestication.
Until fairly recently, we did not have the medical knowledge to
treat these conditions either, but as human medicine progresses,
so does veterinary medicine.
It would be presumptuous to think that the conditions that we see
and treat our cats and dogs for do not exist in the wild, and that
this is solely due to the diet they consume. Furthermore, what would
be the hunting ability of many of our current breeds? Could a Persian
administer a cervical bite to a mouse, or is their breeding induced
malocclusion too severe to do this? What are the chances that a
Yorkie would be able to catch and kill anything to eat, and considering
the variety of foreign objects that a Labrador eats, would it be
able to find the right food to kill and eat?
MYTH: Uncooked food is more easily digested because it
contains enzymes that cooking destroys.
Some nutrients are destroyed by heat, but not all heat-sensitive
nutrients are eliminated during cooking. This is dependent on what
the nutrient content of the food was initially and how the food
is processed, stored and cooked. (7)
Heat can also affect proteins. Proteins can be “denatured”.
Their physical and chemical properties can be changed or altered.
This happens with egg whites when they are cooked, the albumin becomes
denatured and easier for the body to digest. Some proteins in meat
also exist as enzymes, proponents of raw food diets contend that
these enzymes become inactive when the meat is cooked. These proteins
would also become inactive in the stomach when they meet up with
the digestive enzymes. There are also other enzymes that are resistant
to digestion (digestive enzymes) and may or may not be affected
by stomach acid or heat from cooking. For the enzymes that are affected
by heat, there is little evidence to suggest that they are more
beneficial to animals that eat them raw. (7)
Due to the cellulose layer found in all plant based compounds, digestibility
of these nutrients is difficult until the cellulose layer is broken
down. This can be accomplished either through chewing, grinding
of the food or cooking. Plant based materials are the primary source
of carbohydrates for the body; these carbohydrates in turn are used
for glucose production. If insufficient carbohydrates are available
for energy, the body can also use glucogenic amino acids or glycerol
from fats. If adequate dietary carbohydrates are not available,
amino acids will be directed away from muscle growth, fetal growth
and milk production to be used for glucose production. (3)
As carbohydrates are heated or cooked with water the starch contained
within the cells undergoes a process called gelatinization. The
greater the degree of gelatinization, the greater the degree of
digestibility. The central nervous system and the red blood cells
required glucose for their energy needs. Glucose consumed in excess
of energy needs can be stored as glycogen. After glycogen stores
are filled, any extra carbohydrates are converted into long-chain
fatty acids and stored as fat. (3)
CONCLUSION
Since feeding trials have not been done on the majority of raw food
diets, their nutrient content, digestibility and supplementation
levels are for the most part unknown. By using raw meats, clients
are leaving their pets and themselves open to bacterial and parasitic
infection from possibly tainted meats. And there is no guarantee
of improved health, what are the options in treating these pets?
First and foremost, do not ostracize these clients; most people
opting to feed a raw food diet are conscientious owners looking
to do the best thing for their pets. They, unfortunately, do not
have a nutritionist in the kitchens. Most importantly, try to get
them to cook the food being fed to their pet-this will at least
address the bacterial and parasitic problems. Find out what they
don’t like about commercially available diets, if they are
misinformed on any issues gently guide them in the right direction.
If clients insist on continuing to feed raw food diets, or homemade
cooked diets, recommend 2-4 yearly visits for complete physical
exams and blood screens to detect any problems before they become
severe.
References
1) Derr, M: DNA identifies dog breeds with 99% accuracy. New York
Times News Service. May 20, 2004
2) Oates, JC: Domestication. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles
County. www.lam.mus.ca.us/cats
3) Hand MS, Thatcher CD, Remillard RL, Roudebush P: Small Animal
Clinical Nutrition IV. Topeka, KS, Mark Morris Institute, 2000
4) Freeman LM, Michel KE: Evaluation of raw food diets for dogs.
JAVMA 218 (5): 705-709, 2001
5) Stiver SL, Frazier KS, Mauel MJ: Septicemic Salmonellosis in
two cats fed a raw meat diet. JAAHA 39(6): 538-542, 2003
6) LeJeune JT, Hancock DD: Public health concerns associated with
feeding raw meat diets to dogs. JAVMA 219(9) 1222-1224, 2001
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