Barf And Raw Food For Dogs
By John Burns BVMS MRCVS, Fri Dec 9th
Holistic Nutrition - The BARF Raw Food Diet
A critique by John Burns BVMS MRCVS
The BARF ("Bones and Raw Food" or "Biologically Appropriate RawFood") diet is a system of holistic nutrition which ischampioned by Dr Ian Billinghurst who is an Australian vet. Dr.Billinghurst has published several books on health andnutrition. The best known of these is called "Give Your Dog aBone". The BARF Evolutionary philosophy is at first glance anattractive one; it seems to be truly natural because it tries toemulate the lifestyle of the dog in the wild.
But, after due consideration I am of the opinion that the BARFtheory, like the emperor's new clothes, does not stand up tocritical inspection.
The BARF or "Evolutionary" Diet is based on the principle thatdomestic dogs should be fed on a diet which replicates asclosely as possible the diet of the wild dog. According to DrBillinghurst domestic dogs have been fed on processed (cooked)foods for only approximately 70 years and this is not a longenough time to adapt to cooked foods.
To replicate the diet of the wild dog he recommends that allcarbohydrate should be avoided and pet dogs and cats should befed on a diet based on raw meaty bones and raw vegetables . DrBillinghurst insists that because of this evolutionary historythe BARF DIET is the ONLY correct way to feed the moderndomestic pet dog.
The problem with the evolutionary argument is that domestic dogsbear little relationship to the original wild dog. Very early intheir association it is likely that man selected and bred thoseanimals which suited his purpose e.g. guarding, hunting, moredocile, less independent - even better suited to the foodprovided by man.
There are practical reasons why the diet of the wild dog is notautomatically suitable for the domestic dog. The modern dog andits lifestyle bear no similarity whatever to the wild dog. Weprovide shelter in heated houses, they do not have to forage orcompete for food, they eat every day, and they have littleexercise compared to a wild dog.
Many dogs have dietary sensitivity which means that they need ahighly digestible diet, low in protein and low in fat. I can'tsee how that
could be achieved with a BARF diet.
Modern farm livestock is reared in such a way that the fatcontent, even in "lean" meat is very high. So a diet high inmeat will inevitably be high in fat too.
The Carbohydrate Question
According to Dr Billinghurst dogs cannot digest carbohydrate. Inreality, the dog has very sophisticated, sensitive and efficientmechanisms for breaking down carbohydrate and ensuring itsabsorption. This could not have evolved if carbohydrate wasdetrimental.
But, according to BARF, carbohydrate causes so many healthproblems e.g. inflammatory disease such as pancreatitis. Whileit is true that low-quality or refined carbohydrate may beundesirable, my experience is that I have had excellent resultsin treating and preventing inflammatory disease using both homecooked and commercial diets which are based on whole grains i.e.high in carbohydrate.
On a simple level what vet has not recommended chicken and riceto treat gastro-intestinal disease?
There are other major flaws with the BARF philosophy. One whichflies in the face of the facts is the assertion that raw food ismore digestible and that cooking destroys that digestibility.Simple common sense and experience tell us that cooking actuallyincreases digestibility. Increasing the digestibility of thefood is an important way of treating bowel disease and problemsof malabsorption. Cooking does this.
I suspect that any success claimed for the Raw Food system isdue to a much more mundane explanation than its grandiose buterroneous philosophy. This is that any benefits are due to theavoidance of ingredients which cause dietary intolerance. Mymain criticism of the BARF philosophy is its self-righteousness.
BARFism puts forward a flawed theory with a certainty whichbears comparison to religious fundamentalism; it brooks nodissent. It advocates a system which is impractical and does notfit well into the lifestyle of present society, denying thepossibility of alternatives, thereby condemning those petowners, the majority, to feelings of inadequacy for failure tofollow its teachings. see http://www.burns-pet-nutrition.co.uk
About the author:Veterinary Surgeon and CEO of Burns Pet Nutrition Ltd, producersof Burns Real Food for Dogs and Cats.http://www.burns-pet-nutrition.co.uk
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