What is Raw?
Raw feeding for dogs and cats is also known as Bones and Raw Food or Biologically- Appropriate Raw Food (BARF), or Natural Rearing. These are all terms used to describe a way of feeding companion animals that mimics nature. Meat, bones, offal, vegetables and fruit offer the purest forms of essenial vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes, ensuring the ultimate in nutrition. These foods are more valuable nutritionally when fed raw.
How to Feed Raw
The raw diet is based on what cats and dogs have evolved to eat throughout evolution. Cats have hunted and eaten mice for generations and wild dogs and wolves have eaten small pey and other scavenged foods to survive. Clearly as their caregivers, we are not expected to hunt down prey on their behalf though we can do the next best thing by preparing meals that mimic the components of prey in our own homes.
When peparing meals for your companion, it is not important that each meal be complete and balanced but rather that the overall diet be complete and achieve nutritional balance over time.
Fortunately there are now many books written by veterinarians and animal nutritionists and also the Internet hosts a wealth of greatt information relating to raw food diets. We recommend that you use these as a resource to help empower you to make an informed decision about the health and well being of your companion.
Here are a few we recommend:
"Switching to Raw" by Sue Johnson
"Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats: The Ultimate Diet" by Kymythy Schultze
"Give your Dog a Bone" and "Grow your Pups with Bones" by Ian Billinghurst
"Back to Basics, the Natural Diet, a Guide to a Balanced Home-Made Dog Food" by Wendy Volhard
If you start to feel confused by the sometimes overwhelming advice that bombards you from books, magazines, websites and fellow raw feeders then tune out the recommendations. Instead, home in on the advice that's most applicable to the health and well being of your companion and remember that preparing meals at home can be a fun and rewarding experience.