If you want to give your dog a balanced diet, you should feed them BARF meals instead of industrial food. Feeding raw meat is particularly species-appropriate, organic and is based on the eating habits of wild animals. With BARF, the individual components, consisting of meat , bones, innards , fruit and vegetables , end up raw in the four-legged friend's bowl. If you want to BARF your dog or cat properly, you should pay attention to a few things that can easily go wrong. In this blog text, we have summarized how to serve meat correctly when BARFing and what you should definitely avoid.
1. No cooked bones or fish bones for dogs
Bones and fish bones are part of a natural diet. Bones should always be fed to dogs raw, however, because only when raw are they soft and can be easily chewed by the dog. If the bones and fish bones are cooked, however, they become hard and brittle. In this form, they can quickly splinter and have serious consequences for the animal. Eating cooked bones can cause internal injuries to dogs. Important organs can be damaged, for example, which can cause internal bleeding.
2. Fish for dogs
Fish and its bones are an important source of omega-3 fatty acids and calcium. Fish also contains many vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Fish is particularly rich in vitamin D, which means that dogs' needs can be met better than with meat. Fish for dogs should not be cooked, nor should the bones and fish bones. The substance of the fish bones changes from soft to hard and can cause internal injuries.
3. Never mix BARF with dry food
Dry and canned food have a different digestive cycle than BARF raw feeding, which can lead to problems in the gastrointestinal tract if fed at the same time. Therefore, BARF should never be mixed with dry food. If the food is changed frequently, this means more work for the stomach and digestion. Belching, gurgling noises in the stomach or flatulence can be the more harmless consequences. In the long term, however, the digestive function can be disrupted.
4. Do not feed frozen meat
If you want to BARF properly, you should make sure that the meat is thawed correctly, because BARF meat should never be fed frozen. Ideally, the portion should be slowly thawed overnight in the refrigerator. If this is not possible or you have forgotten, the meat can be thawed in the four-legged friend's bowl with lukewarm water for around 15 minutes. The portion can then be offered to the dog with the water. Rapid thawing causes the meat to change its structure and important nutrients to be lost. Therefore, it should under no circumstances be put in the microwave to thaw.
