Lewy
Very Well-Known Member
i
I can say it no better so I will begin with a quote from Dr Ian Billinghurst who pioneered the BARF diet
"Because the BARF feeding program is based on the diet our pets have eaten for millions of years, it is in no way a radical change for our pets. BARF is actually a return to the biologically appropriate method of feeding that was abandoned a mere 60 to 70 years ago when processed pet foods took over from more traditional methods." Billinghurst (2001) pg 4
"When our pets were forced to abandon their evolutionary diet and were switched to processed pet food, instead of undergoing instant adaptation, they suffered biological damage and body breakdown on an enormous scale. This continues today. Our pets' basic physiology cannot be changed by a few decades eating processed food. Such a rapid change is a biological impossibility." Billinghurst (2001) pg 4-5
Humans just aren't as great as you give them credit for. Sure we have selected dogs for temperament, size, colours, confirmation, etc (domestication) but we have by no means changed their basic physiological mechanisation.
I beg everyone out there to read the BARF book. I borrowed it from the library first, tried it, then bought the book as I saw the old dogs 'incurable' skin dramas disappear and both dogs bloom. So many commonly accepted modern degenerative diseases, skin, eye and ear problems, etc disappear with good nutrition.
I went to uni and got my degree, majoring in animal production, anatomy and physiology. I understand how animal feeds are developed and believe me, it has little to do with the long term true health of your pet. They simply provide the basic minimum needed to keep your pets alive. Some add afew good oils to bloom the coat but this wont last forever. These foods (in particular those containing excessive Omega 6) can create imbalances in the dogs body which lead to many more health problems in the long term.
I also ran an Inghams broiler production farm for a while and there are NO STEROIDS in the chook food. This is a myth. The chickens were selectively bred for high growth rates then are fed a food which supports rapid growth. They can do this as you eat them at a max age of about 56 days so they dont need to support their bulk into old age.
Sue
Some of what Lewy wrote makes sense. Unfortunately, fad diets for animals usually miss out on a few points.
- Dogs, as we know them, are not wild animals. That is why they are referred to as 'domestic'. Therefore, when we speculate what they may eat "in the wild", we are probably dangerously off the mark. Most dog breeds have had the "in the wild" well and truly bred out of them over the past thousand years.
- Chicken carcasses generally contain high levels of potassium and sulfur, which is consistent with mass, cheap production. Unless you are killing yourself, there is the risk of these contaminants in your animal. Worse still, commercially bred chickens are generally fed a steroid-based diet (both meat birds and layers) which will affect your animal in many ways, mostly unknown ones. Just as genetically modded foods may affect us, the cost is still unknown.
The BARF diet certainly has some good points, but please do your research. Sometimes the obvious solution can be the right one! Sorry to muddy the waters
I can say it no better so I will begin with a quote from Dr Ian Billinghurst who pioneered the BARF diet
"Because the BARF feeding program is based on the diet our pets have eaten for millions of years, it is in no way a radical change for our pets. BARF is actually a return to the biologically appropriate method of feeding that was abandoned a mere 60 to 70 years ago when processed pet foods took over from more traditional methods." Billinghurst (2001) pg 4
"When our pets were forced to abandon their evolutionary diet and were switched to processed pet food, instead of undergoing instant adaptation, they suffered biological damage and body breakdown on an enormous scale. This continues today. Our pets' basic physiology cannot be changed by a few decades eating processed food. Such a rapid change is a biological impossibility." Billinghurst (2001) pg 4-5
Humans just aren't as great as you give them credit for. Sure we have selected dogs for temperament, size, colours, confirmation, etc (domestication) but we have by no means changed their basic physiological mechanisation.
I beg everyone out there to read the BARF book. I borrowed it from the library first, tried it, then bought the book as I saw the old dogs 'incurable' skin dramas disappear and both dogs bloom. So many commonly accepted modern degenerative diseases, skin, eye and ear problems, etc disappear with good nutrition.
I went to uni and got my degree, majoring in animal production, anatomy and physiology. I understand how animal feeds are developed and believe me, it has little to do with the long term true health of your pet. They simply provide the basic minimum needed to keep your pets alive. Some add afew good oils to bloom the coat but this wont last forever. These foods (in particular those containing excessive Omega 6) can create imbalances in the dogs body which lead to many more health problems in the long term.
I also ran an Inghams broiler production farm for a while and there are NO STEROIDS in the chook food. This is a myth. The chickens were selectively bred for high growth rates then are fed a food which supports rapid growth. They can do this as you eat them at a max age of about 56 days so they dont need to support their bulk into old age.
Sue
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