BARF - Biologically Appropriate Raw Food or Bones And Raw Food
Did you know The "BARF" diet, an acronym for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food or Bones And Raw Food. For a natural diet, cooking the meat or offal is not necessary, this would only ensure the loss of valuable ingredients.
Wiki: Raw feeding is the practice of feeding domestic dogs, cats and other animals a diet primarily of uncooked meat, edible bones, and organs. Supporters of raw feeding believe that the natural diet of raw meat, bones, and organs is nutritionally superior to cooked meat and commercial pet food. They argue that a careful plan of a raw diet gives the animal numerous health benefits, including a healthier coat and cleaner teeth and elimination of bad breath. Critics of raw feeding assert that the risk of nutritional imbalance, intestinal perforations and foodborne illnesses posed by the handling and feeding of raw meat and bones outweigh any benefits. The assertion that raw feeding is inherently better because it is natural has also been criticised.
What benefits are there to feeding the natural way?
- It can help reduce bad breath and nasty odours from your dog.
- The meat supplies natural minerals keeping your pet healthy inside and out.
- Your dog's teeth, tongue and gums will be healthier; reducing bad breath and tarter
- Your dog's immune system will naturally be stronger.
- Feeding raw helps reduce vet bills.
- Its economical to feed.
- You can feed it to puppies; it gives them the best start in life.
- It helps to keep your pet’s weight stable, preventing obesity and arthritis.
- It can help on-going problems with your pet’s bowel and skin problems.
- Your dog's feces will be smaller, easier to pick up, less sloppy, and with much less odour.
- Your dog will have healthy skin; and a healthy, shiny coat with reduced chance of skin conditions.
BARF Feeding Guidelines
The following guidelines and quantities are calculated as a guide for the average healthy dogs with moderate activity per day. As with humans, individual circumstances and needs may require changes to these guidelines.
Feeding Quantities: Overall daily food should be between 2% and 3% of bodyweight. 2% would perhaps be for a dog with low exercise or overweight. 3%+ would be for a dog with high exercise daily, perhaps sports dogs and also puppies. Somewhere around 2.5% suits most average adult dogs. Large breeds have slower metabolisms so they tend to need the lower % and small breeds have a high metabolism so often need far more than 3% even.
Size of Pieces: The size of the pieces should always be appropriate to the size of the dog and the bigger the better! for example, don't feed a Great Dane as they will swallow it whole because it is so small, these types of bones are only really suitable for small breeds.
How to prepare the meals: For best results, simply soak the frozen packs in their wrapping in hot or boiling water for 10 minutes before serving. Food should be room temperature, never frozen.
Many owners feed a couple of eggs a week either raw or cooked (we prefer cooked). You do not need to worry unnecessarily about sticking to this exactly, this is just a guide.
We buy our meat from online raw food suppliers which is from animals for human consumption and this usually comes frozen in around 454g bags from most suppliers. There is no need to do anything with the main frozen meat apart from defrost on the day you feed your dogs.
We purchase our offal/liver from local organic butchers who charge very very little for this as it is surplus to their requirements. This part of their diet comes fresh and unfrozen and needs a slight amount of preparation.
Buy in bulk from a butcher, co-op, restaurant supplier etc. An extra freezer for your pet's food is optional, but that one-time investment definitely helps cut costs dramatically, especially if you have more than one dog! If you are new to the raw food diet and are trying to save costs, i highly recommend a search on eBay, Gumtree or Preloved for a used freezer and an undercounter freexer will usually fit in a standard size hatchback so easy to collect. Most dogs do not mind their meat a little ripe, and are perfectly capable of handling it. Cats can be a little pickier, but if you buy meat the day before it expires (when it is marked 'Reduced for Quick Sale'), it should still be fresh enough to feed that day or to freeze for later feeding.
Stock up on freezer bags and package each day's meals in a separate bag. This involves a peak of time and energy once a month to prepare the food. The rest of the month is an easy cruise as you just pull the day's meal from the freezer and defrost. The beauty of a raw diet is that you can mold it to fit both your dog's specific needs as well as your own.
Feeding Quantities: Overall daily food should be between 2% and 3% of bodyweight. 2% would perhaps be for a dog with low exercise or overweight. 3%+ would be for a dog with high exercise daily, perhaps sports dogs and also puppies. Somewhere around 2.5% suits most average adult dogs. Large breeds have slower metabolisms so they tend to need the lower % and small breeds have a high metabolism so often need far more than 3% even.
Size of Pieces: The size of the pieces should always be appropriate to the size of the dog and the bigger the better! for example, don't feed a Great Dane as they will swallow it whole because it is so small, these types of bones are only really suitable for small breeds.
How to prepare the meals: For best results, simply soak the frozen packs in their wrapping in hot or boiling water for 10 minutes before serving. Food should be room temperature, never frozen.
Many owners feed a couple of eggs a week either raw or cooked (we prefer cooked). You do not need to worry unnecessarily about sticking to this exactly, this is just a guide.
We buy our meat from online raw food suppliers which is from animals for human consumption and this usually comes frozen in around 454g bags from most suppliers. There is no need to do anything with the main frozen meat apart from defrost on the day you feed your dogs.
We purchase our offal/liver from local organic butchers who charge very very little for this as it is surplus to their requirements. This part of their diet comes fresh and unfrozen and needs a slight amount of preparation.
Buy in bulk from a butcher, co-op, restaurant supplier etc. An extra freezer for your pet's food is optional, but that one-time investment definitely helps cut costs dramatically, especially if you have more than one dog! If you are new to the raw food diet and are trying to save costs, i highly recommend a search on eBay, Gumtree or Preloved for a used freezer and an undercounter freexer will usually fit in a standard size hatchback so easy to collect. Most dogs do not mind their meat a little ripe, and are perfectly capable of handling it. Cats can be a little pickier, but if you buy meat the day before it expires (when it is marked 'Reduced for Quick Sale'), it should still be fresh enough to feed that day or to freeze for later feeding.
Stock up on freezer bags and package each day's meals in a separate bag. This involves a peak of time and energy once a month to prepare the food. The rest of the month is an easy cruise as you just pull the day's meal from the freezer and defrost. The beauty of a raw diet is that you can mold it to fit both your dog's specific needs as well as your own.
Feeding a raw diet doesn't have to be complicated - How to prepare raw dog food
Stage 1:
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1) Step one is as simple as ordering your meat online. We tend to order either a minced meat and bone mix or just minced meat. As we add our own extras we do not order anything with a tripe mix.
There are many of online retailers but the ones that deliver in Cambridgeshire are as below. This list is in no way exhaustive and should be used as a guide only. ALL THE BELOW ARE FREE FROM ARTIFICAL COLOURING, ADDITIVES, FLAVOURINGS. 2) Call a local butchers and order your liver/offal. We usually order 3kg at a time.
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Reviewed by us: 10/10
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Berriewood Champions Choice Tripe 32x454g
Berriewood Chicken & Tripe 12x454g Berriewood Tripe 12x454g Berriewood Chicken 12x454g Berriewood Turkey 12x454g Berriewood Beef & Tripe 12x454g Berriewood Lamb 12x454g Berriewood Beef & Tripe Free Flow 4x2kg Berriewood Chicken Free Flow 4x2kg Berriewood Customized Mixed Case Free Flow 4x2Kg Berriewood Fish Fillet Chunks 4x2kg Berriewood Poultry Liver Chunks 4x2Kg Berriewood Whole Chicken Wings 4x2kg Berriewood Beef Free Flow 4x2kg Berriewood Lamb Free Flow 4x2kg Berriewood Beef Chunks 4x2kg Berriewood Ox Tripe Chunks 4x2kg Berriewood Poultry Neck Chunks 4x2kg Berriewood Customized Mixed Case Meat Chunks 4x2Kg Berriewood Prime Beef 12x454g Berriewood Chicken & Tripe Free Flow 4x2kg Berriewood Tripe Free Flow 4x2kg Berriewood Fish Fillet Chunks 1x2kg Packet Berriewood Poultry Heart Chunks 4x2kg Berriewood Roast Chicken Chunks 1x2kg Berriewood BARF Chicken & Tripe Mince 25x454g Berriewood BARF Meat & Tripe Mince 25x454g Berriewood BARF Chicken Mince 25x454g |
Berriewood BARF Ox Cheek Mince 25x454g
Berriewood BARF Lamb Mince 25x454g Berriewood BARF Tripe Mince 454gx25 Berriewood BARF Diet Whole Chicken Carcasses 4x2Kg Berriewood BARF Raw Bones Medium x 20 Berriewood BARF Raw Bones Large x 10 Berriewood BARF Vegetable & Herb Mix 500g Berriewood BARF Diet Whole Chicken Wings 4x2Kg Berriewood BARF Whole Chicken Necks 4x2Kg Natures Menu Beef Dinner Complete 12x300gNatures Menu Chicken & Salmon Dinner Complete 12x300g Natures Menu Chicken & Tripe Dinner Complete 12x300g Natures Menu Lamb Dinner Complete 12x300g Natures Menu Premium Just Tripe 12x300g Natures Menu Traditional Dinner 12x300g Natures Menu Country Hunter Assorted Case 8x1kg Natures Menu Country Hunter Duck with Plum Nuggets 8x1kg Natures Menu Country Hunter Rabbit with Cranberry Nuggets 8x1kg Natures Menu Country Hunter Salmon with Raspberry Nuggets 8x1kg Natures Menu Country Hunter Venison Blueberries Nuggets 8 x 1kg Berriewood charge £4.99 Delivery with DPD or local delivery If you do order, do not change delivery date or food will defrost in transit. Recommended in the summer months pay extra £2 for before 12 delivery To vist the Berriewood Website Click Here |
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Manifiold Valley Meats Minced Chicken Carcasses
Manifiold Valley Meats Minced Turkey Carcasses Manifiold Valley Meats Minced Duck Carcass (inc wings) Manifiold Valley Meats Minced Chicken Carcasses & Lamb Manifiold Valley Meats Minced Pheasant Carcasses Manifiold Valley Meats Minced Beef & Duck Carcass Manifiold Valley Meats Minced Lamb Breast Manifiold Valley Meats Minced Beef & Chicken Manifiold Valley Meats Minced Beef & Heart Manifiold Valley Meats Minced Tripe & Beef Manifiold Valley Meats Minced Tripe & Chicken Manifiold Valley Meats Minced Tripe & Duck Manifiold Valley Meats Minced Lamb & Beef Manifiold Valley Meats Minced Lamb Tripe Manifiold Valley Meats Minced Beef Tripe Manifiold Valley Meats Minced Turkey Breast Manifiold Valley Meats Minced Best Beef (no bone) Manifiold Valley Meats Economy Beef - beef trim, beef heart and beef lung Manifiold Valley Meats Economy Lamb Manifiold Valley Meats Economy Pork – Manifiold Valley Meats 5kg (5 x 1kg) Turkey Thigh Chunks |
Manifiold Valley Meats Whole Chicken Hearts
Manifiold Valley Meats Chunked Buffalo Liver Manifiold Valley Meats Chicken Livers, Free Range (approx. 454g) Manifiold Valley Meats Chunked Lamb Liver Manifiold Valley Meats Chunked Pig Liver Manifiold Valley Meats Minced Pancreas, box of 10 x 1lb Manifiold Valley Meats Whole Lamb Breast Manifiold Valley Meats 5kg Chicken Carcasses Manifiold Valley Meats Chicken Necks, 10kg Manifiold Valley Meats Chicken Wings, 3kg Manifiold Valley Meats Pig Trotters Manifiold Valley Meats Pig Ears, Pack of 10 Manifiold Valley Meats 3 x Half Pig Heads Manifiold Valley Meats Venison Necks, 5kg Manifiold Valley Meats Venison Ribs, 5kg Manifiold Valley Meats 10 Whole Lamb Hearts Manifiold Valley Meats charge £15* Delivery with FedEx *£5 is refunded for return of box FedEx To vist the Manifold Valley Meats Website Click Here |
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Reviewed by us: 9/10
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Landywoods Beef & Kidney (20 x 454g)
Landywoods Best Minced Meat (20 x 454g) Landywoods Chicken & Bone (20 x454g) Landywoods Chicken & Tripe (20x454g) Landywoods Chicken & Veg Mix (20x454g) Landywoods Economy Mince (20 x 454g) Landywoods Lamb & Veg Mix (20x454g) Landywoods Lamb (20 x454g) Landywoods Meat & Tripe (20 x 454g) Landywoods Meat & Veg Mix (20x454g) Landywoods Minced Beef Puppy Tripe (20 x 454g) Landywoods Minced Beef Tripe (20 x 454g) Landywoods Minced Lamb Tripe (20 x 454g) Landywoods Minced Oily Fish (20x454g) Landywoods Minced White Fish (20x454g) Landywoods Tripe & Lamb (20 x 454g) Landywoods Turkey with Bone (20 x 454g) Landywoods Veal ribs 4.9kg Landywoods Chicken Carcasses 2.3kg Landywoods Chicken Necks 2.3kg |
Landywoods Chicken Wings 2.3kg
Landywoods Chopped Turkey Necks 2.3kg Landywoods Chunked Hearts 2.3kg Landywoods Chunked Liver 2.3kg Landywoods Filleted Poultry Chunks 2.3kg Landywoods Kidney Chunks 2.3kg Landywoods Beef Tripe Chunks 2.3kg Landywoods Beef Bones (12) Landywoods Lamb Tripe Chunks 2.3kg Landywoods Marrow Bones (12) Landywoods Meaty Ribs (12) Landywoods Minced Coarse Chicken 2.3kg Landywoods Neck of Veal 4.9kg Landywoods Pigs Pancreas 2.3kg Landywoods Raw Pigs Ears x 1 Landywoods Trotters Landywoods Turkey Wings 2.3kg Landywoods charge £9.20 incl of service charge and are delivered in their own vans To vist the Landywoods Website Click Here |
*If you are a retailer delivering in Cambridgeshire and would like to be added to this list please contact us.
Stage 2:
Once a month we prepare our own offal collected from the butchers. Here is how to prepare it. This recipe will feed two Pugs for around 35 days with 115g per day.
Recipe:
Recipe:
- 3kg liver/offal (we try to have 1kg of heart, 1kg of liver and 1kg or kidney, but any variations are fine)
- 1kg chopped vegetables, such as carrots, peas
- 1 small clove of garlic
- Cooked rice if you require
- Supplements such as Seaweed Powder or fish oils can be added to the meal at this point.
- Chop up your offal into appropriate sizes for the breed you are feeding. If they are new to this diet you may find it best to start with it chopped quite small. Once chopped mix in your chopped up garlic and divide up the offal into the amounts you need per day to feed your dogs and place each daily amount in a freezer bag.
- Cook up your veg and do the same process again dividing equally between the freezer bags.
- Many people choose to supplement their dogs raw diet with fish oils, seaweed or minerals. We find this easiest to add directly into these freezer bags to save any preparation later on.
- Once everything is included in these freezer bags excluding the main raw meat. Seal up the bags and freeze.
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Stage 3:
Now in your freezer you should have two items. One being your meat that came pre-packed and two the offal mix you prepared.
Preparing the food this way and in advance, means there is no other preparation, keeping the diet simple. The only thing you need to do is defrost a bag of offal and vacuum packed meat a day.
Simply soak the frozen packs in its wrapping in hot or boiling water for 10 minutes before serving. Or remove from the freezer the night before.
Preparing the food this way and in advance, means there is no other preparation, keeping the diet simple. The only thing you need to do is defrost a bag of offal and vacuum packed meat a day.
Simply soak the frozen packs in its wrapping in hot or boiling water for 10 minutes before serving. Or remove from the freezer the night before.
Cheats Guide to BARF Raw food diet if you are just starting out
This method can work out slightly more expensive but is an easy way to guide you in to raw feeding. Its simple and easy as is already premixed with veg and is an amazing amount of choice. We still add fish oils or Yumega to their food on a natures menu diet as is amazing for their overall health. You can buy natures menu or natural instinct from many stockists online. If you are concerned about feeding bones to your dogs you can feed them items such as necks (listed below) which have a lower bone content to wings. You can still also buy items such as sprats from the local supermarket which are very cheap, freeze them and them use these as treats. The possibilities are endless.
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Natures Menu Beef Dinner Complete 12x300g
Natures Menu Chicken & Salmon Dinner Complete 12x300g Natures Menu Chicken & Tripe Dinner Complete 12x300g Natures Menu Lamb Dinner Complete 12x300g Natures Menu Premium Just Tripe 12x300g Natures Menu Traditional Dinner 12x300g Natures Menu Country Hunter Assorted Case 8x1kg Natures Menu Country Hunter Duck with Plum Nuggets 8x1kg Natures Menu Country Hunter Rabbit with Cranberry Nuggets 8x1kg Natures Menu Country Hunter Salmon wi Raspberry Nuggets 8x1kg Natures Menu Country Hunter Venison Blueberries Nuggets 8 x 1kg Natures Menu Blended Bite Size Fruit & Vegetables Nuggets 8x1Kg Natures Menu Chicken & Tripe Bite Size Nuggets 8x1kg Natures Menu Chicken Bite Size Nuggets 8x1kg Natures Menu Lamb Bite Size Nuggets 8x1kg Natures Menu Puppy Bite Size Nuggets 8x1kg Natures Menu Senior Chicken & Fish Bite Size Nuggets 8x1kg Natures Menu Beef Dinner Complete 12x300g Natures Menu Chicken & Salmon Dinner Complete 12x300g Natures Menu Chicken & Tripe Dinner Complete 12x300g Natures Menu Lamb Dinner Complete 12x300g Natures Menu Premium Just Tripe 12x300g Natures Menu Traditional Dinner 12x300g Natures Menu Active Dog Bite Size Nuggets 8x1kg Natures Menu Banquet Dinner Bite Size Nuggets 8x1Kg Natures Menu Beef Bite Size Nuggets 8x1Kg Natural Instinct Beef Tripe
Natural Instinct Chicken Natural Instinct Chicken & Lamb Natural Instinct Lamb Natural Instinct Tripe & Turkey Natural Instinct Senior Natural Instinct Puppy Natural Instinct Special Diet Natural Instinct Weaning Paste |
Treats:
Natures Menu Raw Beef Heart Natures Menu Raw Beef Knuckle Bone Natures Menu Raw Beef Liver Natures Menu Raw Beef Marrow Bone Natures Menu Raw Beef Paddywacks Natures Menu Raw Beef Ribs Natures Menu Raw Beef Trachea Natures Menu Raw Chicken Portion with Whole Bone Natures Menu Raw Duck Necks Natures Menu Raw Duck Wings Natures Menu Raw Lamb Hearts Natures Menu Raw Meaty Beef Chew Natures Menu Raw Turkey Necks 
(If you have small dogs such as Pugs i would recommend chopping necks in half or thirds. All the treats above can be fed straight from the freezer, making them more work for the dog and leave less mess)
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Percentage of bone in specific cuts of meat
This is a guide to the bone content in the below cuts of meat. Obviously due to variations from one animal to the next, these figures can vary.
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Percentage of bone in Turkey back 41%
Percentage of bone in Turkey neck 42% Percentage of bone in Turkey breast 10% Percentage of bone in Turkey wing 33% Percentage of bone in Turkey leg 17% Percentage of bone in Whole turkey 21% Percentage of bone in Cornish hen 40% Percentage of bone in Whole duck 30% Percentage of bone in Rabbit 35% |
Percentage of bone in Chicken back 44%
Percentage of bone in Chicken neck with skin 36% Percentage of bone in Chicken neck 75% Percentage of bone in Chicken breast 20% Percentage of bone in Chicken wing 46% Percentage of bone in Chicken leg 27% Percentage of bone in Chicken thigh 21% Percentage of bone in Chicken foot 60% Percentage of bone in Whole chicken 32% |
Your Questions Answered
My dog is drinking much less, should I be concerned?
Raw food is full of naturally occurring water! All the moisture needed to digest raw food is contained in raw food! Although a lower sodium intake is part of the reason that our BARF dogs drink less water, the real reason is that raw food has not had the water removed like kibble. The different between kibble and canned dog food is the water content. It takes a lot of water to re-hydrate those little nuggets!
Can I feed my dog fish on a BARF diet?
Yes, fish is the only item of food that contains bones that can be served cooked or raw. We bulk buy sprats twice a year and freeze. We use these as treats, given whole and still frozen.
Can I defrost BARF food in the microwave?
When using a microwave to thaw BARF, you must be extremely careful, as the microwave can begin to cook the food from the inside (the bones) out. Thawing BARF in the microwave is NOT the recommended method. NEVER give your dog a cooked bone, as it can splinter and cause severe internal complications. The safest method of thawing is room temperature or, if you're in a bit of a hurry, soak the BARF in hot water in the kitchen sink
How much does it cost to feed my dog a BARF diet?
This is a very difficult question to answer, as the answer depends on the size of your dog, how many dogs you have, their appetites, the price & availability of raw meaty bones in your area, as well as what veggies happen to be in season! The one thing you can be assured of...BARF will either cost the same as feeding kibble OR much less. We find it is cheap to feed a BARF diet but will come back with a more definite answer in the future.
What is Offal?
Offal is the term for organ meat. It usually consists of kidney, liver, and tripe or stomachs. Heart can be considered organ or muscle meat.
Are there really any benefits to including garlic in their food?
Yes. If given regularly, it is also known to keep the fleas away...they don't like garlic! Garlic is also a natural antibiotic and fungal fighter. When it comes to foods that really work, garlic is as good as it gets.
Which Raw bones are suitable?
Do not feed the big weight-bearing bones of large herbivores. These are well-known for chipping and cracking teeth! These include the ever popular "recreational bones" like cow femurs and soup bones. They are incredibly dense and hard, and can result in slab fractures and cracked teeth. Avoid them if you can and stick to MEATY bones that are edible.
How much does it cost to feed on a BARF Diet & is it as much work as it sounds?
Since when does convenience replace the welfare of our pets! Oh, that's right; kibbled foods are very "convenient" but also fill our pets with toxic additives and carbohydrates they do not need, creating a myriad of health problems and shortening the lifespan and reducing the quality of life for our pets. Yes, we trade "convenience" for the health and welfare of the very animals that depend on us for their care.
A raw diet is as convenient as you make it, but it will always be more work than pouring preformed pellets into a bowl. But your pet's health should be much more important than convenience. If not, then why do you own a pet?
Raw feeding can also be as expensive as you make it. It can be more expensive than kibble at first until you find a reliable source for meat. Or it could be dirt cheap to begin with. As your dog's protein sources diversify, your cost will also decrease since she can eat a variety of meats. This means you can get whatever is cheapest and on sale.
A raw diet is as convenient as you make it, but it will always be more work than pouring preformed pellets into a bowl. But your pet's health should be much more important than convenience. If not, then why do you own a pet?
Raw feeding can also be as expensive as you make it. It can be more expensive than kibble at first until you find a reliable source for meat. Or it could be dirt cheap to begin with. As your dog's protein sources diversify, your cost will also decrease since she can eat a variety of meats. This means you can get whatever is cheapest and on sale.
I have more questions can you help?
Yes of course we can. We don't know all the answers but am more than happy to help you with our knowledge of the raw food diet, regardless of how silly the questions you have may seem. Pop us an email at info@sweetpeapugs.com or you can contact is via the 'Contact' link at the top and bottom of this page.
