What is the B.A.R.F. diet?
The acronym stands for “Biologically Appropriate Raw Food.” This diet involves the use of natural foods that our dogs and cats have evolved to eat over time. In fact, industrial foods are a relatively recent invention and do not consider the evolutionary history of our four-legged companions (Billinghurst, 1993). For example, the first dog kibble was created by James Spratt only in 1860, and Mars introduced the first industrial cat food products during the 1950s.
Given the recent introduction of industrial food, the digestive systems of today’s pets have remained essentially the same as those of their ancestors thousands of years ago. In the past, they obtained food either through humans (who provided table scraps) or by hunting and catching whole prey. For this reason, our animals have the ability to consume and digest raw food, absorbing the proteins and fats found in meat. From these two macronutrients, they derive the energy to build the tissues that make up their bodies. Moreover, raw meat preserves all its nutritional properties, providing dogs and cats with the full range of B vitamins, which would otherwise be destroyed during cooking (including B9 and B12, which are essential for the creation of new red blood cells).
There is a difference between the digestive systems of dogs and cats. Cats are obligate carnivores (Bradshaw et al., 1996) and, in their natural habitat, consume small prey (such as rodents and birds) that are high in protein, moderate in fat, and low in carbohydrates. Dogs, on the other hand—while carnivores as descendants of wolves (Vilà, 1997)—can consume and digest a wider variety of foods. For this reason, the B.A.R.F. diet for dogs includes muscle meat, organ meats (liver, kidneys, brain, and hearts), bones, egg yolks, leafy green vegetables, fresh fruits, nuts and seeds, fermented dairy products (such as yogurt and kefir), and healthy oils (such as cod liver oil and sunflower oil).
Finally, as with any diet, the general recommendation is to consult with an animal nutritionist who can suggest the best solution tailored to your pet’s needs.
References:
• Billinghurst Ian (1993), “Give Your Dog a Bone: The Practical Commonsense Way to Feed Dogs for a Healthy Life”; Warrigal Pub edition; ISBN: 0646160281
• Bradshaw, J. W., Goodwin, D., Legrand-Defrétin, V., & Nott, H. M. (1996). Food selection by the domestic cat, an obligate carnivore. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Physiology, 114(3), 205–209. https://doi.org/10.1016/0300-9629(95)02133-7
• Vilà, C., Savolainen, P., Maldonado, J. E., Amorim, I. R., Rice, J. E., Honeycutt, R. L., Crandall, K. A., Lundeberg, J., & Wayne, R. K. (1997). Multiple and Ancient Origins of the Domestic Dog. Science, 276(5319), 1687–1689. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.276.5319.1687