The million dollar question:
WHAT IS BARF?

What does BARF stand for?

The acronym BARF stands for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food.

Why BARF?

The whole idea behind the growing popularity of BARF food is about feeding dogs and cats the food they have evolved on for over millions of years of genetic adaptation – a species-appropriate nutrition.

Does BARF come in many forms on the market?

Air-Dried, like our Finnish brand PALA Pets
Frozen from shops (we have a variety of options to shop from)
DIY: Prepared at home from raw materials
Fresh and unfrozen

The most widely known, which grew significantly in popularity over the last decade or so, is the frozen one. Through the years there have been new alternatives of a raw diet added to the frozen option, including Air-Dried Raw. While not all air-dried options are of the same quality, this option that requires no freezing, is becoming all the way more popular, given the simplicity of feeding and handling it.

Others, more kitchen savvy pet owners, love the preparation of the BARF from scratch in their kitchen.

The choices are available for the raw feeders to determine if it's one or the other or a combination that suits them and their pet, best.

Is BARF a balanced diet?

When you buy any raw food for your pet, you must read the information on the label.

Balanced or complete recipes: they pretty much do not need anything to be added; at least not necessarily. Your pet's life stage, health issues etc. should always be taken into account to determine whether additional nutrients, supplements or foods should be added. Additionally, your veterinarian specializing in food nutrition or pet nutritionist/ expert may advise you accordingly. In any case, adding some toppers or add-ons for palatability or additional nutrients is generally a plus, as long as it is not too much of anything that, if used in excess, is not beneficial.
Individual components: you may find in freezers at shops stand-alone frozen meat or fish. These options do not constitute a balanced raw diet, and one should consult a veterinarian specializing in food nutrition or pet nutritionist/ expert or seek guidance in general on how to prepare a balanced diet for their pet. Many ingredients and supplements should go in pet's bowl when on BARF, in order to make sure they don't lack of any important nutrients.

Benefits of a raw diet

Researchers and dog parents alike find that a BARF diet can result in:

Better digestion
Better weight control
Decreased stool odor and volume
Fewer allergies and food intolerances
Healthier coats (less shedding and fewer “hot spots”)
Improved dental health
Improved urinary health
Increased energy
Lower risk of developing health complications, like diabetes or kidney disease
Lower stress and anxiety levels

Note: It is very important to never ignore genetics/ DNA and other attributes of each pet. Although a healthy, balanced diet will significantly impact on a pet's overall quality of life, other factors like exercise, external environmental aspects, genetics/ DNA and more, will also impact the overall health and longevity of a domesticated animal.

Do I have to feed a BARF-only diet?

Although you will commonly find a significant percentage of BARF advocates to be very strict and on the BARF-only side of things, there is a more liberal group BARF advocates of international recognition who claim that you do not have to stick to a strict all-raw diet, as long as you keep some parameters satisfied.

BARF should form a substantial percentage of your pet's diet in order to be receiving a significant part of its benefits and it should ideally not be mixed with excessively processed food.

Apart from the obvious support of own beliefs, the do-not-mix advocates support that the pH of the gastrointestinal system will be negatively affected, as processed food, high in carbohydrates, is absorbed and processed at a different rate than fresh food. Many world-wide famous, great veterinary nutritionists, do not support the idea entirely, although they stretch out that one should opt for kibble or canned food that is (a) less or minimally processed, (b) high in protein content and (c) low to none complex carbohydrates content (such as rice or corn) when one would choose a mix diet.

Although dogs, cats and humans are obviously different species and have different needs, the idea of mixing fresh with processed, follows more or less the same principle: better to choose a healthier combo than sticking to junk food entirely.

Always take into consideration the individual animal and their health issues, sensitivities etc when choosing what to feed them, whether to mix and the transitional phase between diets. We've seen dogs switching from kibble brand to kibble brand just like that and face no gastrointestinal issues whatsoever, while others would get GI issues by the slightest change at all (even an increased quantity of the same food they are used to). Individuality is key.

Reasons why a pet owner may not be able to stick to a BARF-only diet include:

budget-conscious
short on prep time
storage space
multiple pets

Depending on your restriction(s), you may elect to feed frozen or air-dried or a mix of the two. Alternatively, someone may opt for a mix of BARF of any kind with dry food or wet food (do not forget: opt for top quality dry/ wet food only, to remain as close as possible to BARF, in terms of its natural aspect.*).

In any case, if you are going to mix raw with other types, try to ensure you will incorporate minimally processed, nutritionally complete formulas to your dog’s raw food, and not just anything off the shelf.

When choosing your pet's food, do not forget, like with anything else, not all things within the same category are of equal quality.

Yes, you certainly can. A "however" follows nonetheless.

You should make sure you have a very good idea of what you do, incorporating all the micronutrients and absolutely necessary ingredients in order to provide your pet with a perfectly balanced, full nutritional diet, that lacks of nothing that shouldn't.

Some raw meat with a couple of veggies and turmeric (off the top of the head example) does not constitute a balanced diet; a fresh one yes, but definitely not a balanced one.

Pets not taking in all the nutrients they should will most likely end up with deficiencies and possible health issues, whether in the short or long run.

*not all food branded as super premium/ natural etc. is of the same quality. Pay special attention to the ingredients and fillers to determine if it is appropriate or up-to your expectations and standards. High protein, low to none complex carbohydrates and minimally processed choices are the best choice for a mix diet).