Bones and Raw Food Diet (BARF)
by veterinary
expert Marge
Chandler on February 27, 2014 category Foods and Nutrition
Is it the
Healthiest Choice for Dogs?
Fresh wholesome foods sound like a wonderful thing to feed our pets, and
many dogs appear to do well on these diets, but are there hidden risks? If
feeding bones and raw foods is your choice for feeding your dog, you should be
aware of the potential problems as well as the benefits of these diets.
What are the
benefits of a bones and raw food diet?
By choosing the foods to feed, you are in control of the ingredients fed
to your dog. There are not likely to be preservatives or additives if you are
feeding organic foods. Some people enjoy preparing foods for their pets and
find this a rewarding part of their bond with their pet.
Do be aware that there are a lot of false stories about the ingredients
of commercial pet foods. They do not contain dead animals! They may contain
“offal”, or the guts of animals, although this is what wild animals will eat.
They do contain antioxidant preservatives to prevent them from becoming rancid.
Some of them also contain textured vegetable proteins that appear to be meat
and are not, and some of them do contain colourings to make them appear more
appealing. These are the same colourings added to processed human foods and
must be generally considered safe, although each of us need to decide if we
want to eat them or feed them to our dogs.
Is it a balanced
diet?
The feeding programme for some of the raw food diets is meant to balance
the diet over a couple of weeks, rather than for each meal. This is similar to
the way many of us feed ourselves and our families, and with the right blend of
ingredients this can work; however, in years as a veterinary nutritionist I
have checked many homemade diet recipes and programmes and none of them were
balanced for the essential nutrients.
A nutritional study of the bones and raw food diet (the ‘BARF’ diet)
published in 2001 showed the diet to be deficient in calcium, phosphorus,
potassium and zinc, and excessively high in vitamin D. Another study of
homemade diets showed that even combining three recipes over a week resulted in
deficiencies, so varying the foods may not balance out the deficiencies,
although the dogs may not show any signs of this in the short term. It is
likely that some adult dogs could cope with some of these calcium and
phosphorus imbalances, but they may affect the strength of the bones of growing
dogs. The zinc deficiencies may cause skin disorders.
It’s natural, but
is it safe?
Several studies have looked at bacterial contamination of raw foods and
shedding of bacteria in the faeces of dogs fed raw foods, and have shown that
20-35% of raw poultry tested and 80% of raw food diets for dogs tested positive
for Salmonella and 30% of stool samples from these dogs were positive for
Salmonella. Raw food diets have also tested positive for E. coli and Yersinia
enterocolitica (bacteria that may cause gastrointestinal upset). Otherwise
healthy dogs may be able to cope with ingestion of these bacteria, but very
young, old, or immuno-compromised dogs may not be able to do so. Further, the
faeces contaminate the environment with these bacteria.
Parasites that may be present in raw meat in include Toxoplasma gondii,
Sarcocystis, Neospora caninum, Toxocara canis (round worms), Taenia and
Echinococcus (tape worms).
When handling raw
foods, either in preparation for human consumption or for the dog’s dinner, the
cook must be scrupulous in hygiene, washing all surfaces and hands before touching
anything or anyone else. Small children, the elderly, and the immunocompromised
(e.g. anyone ill or on immunosuppressive medications) should not be handling
the raw meat.
Some advocates of feeding raw meat and bones diets claim that the bones
are beneficial for oral and dental health. Studies in wild dogs, found that 41%
had evidence of periodontitis, although only 2% had dental tartar, so while the
teeth may appear cleaner, the gums are not necessarily healthier.
Are raw bones safe?
Raw bones are usually added to the diet as a calcium source and for
dental health. Chewing on a large meaty bone does seem a great source of joy
for many dogs, and if it is large enough that it cannot be chewed up is
generally considered safe. Analysis of the BARF diet has not confirmed that
feeding bones is an adequate source of calcium.
There is a conception that feeding raw bones is safer than feeding
cooked bones but there have been no objective studies on this. Bones that
become stuck in the stomach, or more likely in the intestine, may perforate the
gut, causing a potentially fatal peritonitis or abdominal infection. The only
way to remove a bone stuck in the intestine is by surgery. Sometimes a segment
of the intestine may need to be removed as well if it has been damaged by the
bone. A bone stuck in the oesophagus is an emergency and may require an urgent
appointment with a specialist to remove it. This can be a fatal condition and
the longer it is stuck the worse the prognosis.
Summary
- In summary, if you chose to feed the BARF diet
or any other diet involving raw foods, we recommend that very special
hygienic care is used in handling the food and the dog’s faeces.
- Remember to de-worm your dog regularly, and
tell your veterinary surgeon what diet you are feeding so that if your dog
develops gastrointestinal disorders they will know to look for the
bacteria and parasites mentioned above.
- Ideally, the diet should be balanced by a
veterinary nutritionist and supplemented as necessary.
- If you feed bones, either raw or cooked, that
can be ingested by your dog, you are running the risk of oesophageal or
gastrointestinal obstructions. It may be possible to chop or grind the
bone up small enough (e.g. less than 0.5 cm) that they are less likely to
get stuck. Alternatively, consider consulting a veterinary nutritionist to
determine the amount of calcium (and other nutrients) to add to your dog’s
diet and skip the bones.
About Marge Chandler
Dr Marge Chandler is a Consultant in Small Animal
Nutrition and an Honorary Senior Lecturer in Small Animal Medicine and Clinical
Nutrition at the University of Edinburgh. After qualifying from Colorado State
University she was in general practice for 4 years before returning to do a
double residency in small animal internal medicine and clinical nutrition at
Colorado State University and Massey University in New Zealand.
