BARF Raw Dog Food Diet – What is it?
What is RAW 4 Paws and BARF?
A Background…
Many tinned and dried dog foods on the market (including expensive ‘premium’ brands sold in pet shops and Vets), contain a large amount of filler, meat by-products, preservatives and additives, and hence a low volume percentage of nutrients. Take a leading tinned brand and see how much you have to feed your dog compared to a proper raw diet…it can be over 3 times as much! Tinned dog food can contain 60-90% moisture. So when our eyes see a big tin we may think we are getting value for money, but in reality we are paying for water!
Many dry foods tend to contain a higher percentage of meat by-products and fillers such as wheat and corn which is hard for dogs to digest. Many nutrients are also lost through the processing and irradiation stages. Substandard protein fillers such as blood meal, dried egg product, chicken by-product meal, ground corn, poultry by-product meal, rice gluten meal and wheat gluten should be avoided.
Many don’t even use the name of the meat to describe the product as they do not contain a large enough percentage of meat. For example a pet food labelled:
- ‘Beef flavour’ means less than 5% Beef.
- ‘With beef’ is more than 5% beef but less than 25%.
- Beef ‘dinner’, ‘casserole’, or ‘stockpot’ etc is greater than 25%.
- Finally ‘Beef’ means over 25% and is the main ingredient in the product
Still, Meal could be as low as 6% or as high as 24% and if you have other meats in the feed, it could still be good. Read the label.
Most tinned foods result in large, loose and smelly stools due to the larger portions, the filer and by-products going to waste. Your dog’s organs also have to work 3 times as hard to digest all the food.
Dry food advocates sell the benefit of removing plaque from your dog’s teeth when chomping as one of the major benefits of this type of food. Of course, a healthy chew treat, bone, or raw chicken wing a few times a week will give the same results along with the joy it brings to your dog.
We have two miniature schnauzers and we always use a raw diet now. Our oldest left his biscuits all the time and we were a bit worried he had an eating problem. we started him on a raw diet and found that he ate this and still left his biscuits. After a while, we moved 100% to a raw diet for this and all the other benefits mentioned. They have great coats and a healthy energy to them.
We now sell RAW 4 PAWS® B.A.R.F
A natural, healthy balanced dog food made with dedication and only the freshest ingredients
The philosophy behind RAW 4 PAWS® BARF diet is to provide a healthy, natural, balanced and biologically appropriate diet of the highest quality for your dog. B.A.R.F stands for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food
The food is made with dedication and only the freshest ingredients, carefully selected and composed, to maintain healthy skin and joints, a shiny coat, healthy digestion and easy weight control.
RAW 4 PAWS® is a frozen product and comes in individually wrapped patties for convenience and easy use.
RAW 4 PAWS® does not contain any preservatives, fillers, chemicals or “by products”
The main ingredients are raw just like dogs would eat in the wild. What’s in it:
- Meat as the first ingredient
- Seasonal fresh vegetables & fruit
- Whole eggs incl. shell
- Omega 3 & Omega 6
- Natural vitamins and minerals
- Glucosamine and Kelp
- NO fillers or by-products
- NO preservatives or chemicals
- NO irradiated products
- NO artificial colours and flavours or enhancers
RAW 4 PAWS® does not contain grains and is yeast & dairy free, which makes it very suitable for dogs with allergies or “fussy” eaters. The aim is to maximise the health and longevity of dogs and to minimise the need for veterinary intervention.
Some of the changes you can expect after switching from a commercial (dry, cooked or canned) food:
- Improved hydration as raw meat, vegetables and fruit contain more water and much less salt then the specially treated dry and other commercial foods
- Enhanced immune system, reduced allergy disposition, fewer and less severe ear infections as there are no preservatives and additives in our food nor does it contain wheat, yeast or dairy products that have been linked to allergies which sadly have become more common in many dogs today
- Less smelly, smaller stool volumes and less anal gland problems since there are no fillers and by-products the food is easily digested and better absorbed by the dog’s body. That leads to firm dry stools that help anal glands to be emptied naturally
- Shiny coat and healthy skin as our raw diet contains essential fatty acids such as Omega 3 and 6, vitamins and minerals which are necessary to help maintaining great skin and coat condition
- Fat Reduction and increased Muscle Tone initially you will probably notice weight loss and your dog becomes more lean. When the weight starts to come back it will be in muscle form and your dog will look and feel great.
Feeding Recommendations
It is best to feed an adult dog two smaller meals instead of only one large meal once a day. This reduces scavenging for food all day until it’s meal time and it also will minimise the risk of bloat and twisted stomach, two serious conditions that are very painful for the dog and can end deadly.
Puppies up to six months of age should have at least 3 meals per day, younger pups 4 meals. After six months feeds can be reduced to two meals per day.
Never leave uneaten food out all day. Firstly, raw food can spoil and attract flies/ants, secondly leaving food out for the dog all day will create “fussy eaters”. A good system is to defrost the pattie or roll in the fridge, when you take one out for feeding, replace it with a frozen one for the next days meal.
At meal time allow your dog to eat for about 10 minutes and take any uneaten food away after that. Our raw food, once thawed, will stay fresh in the fridge for at least 24 hours. It is not recommended to feed any raw foods after that period of time.
Raw 4 Paws® comes in individually wrapped patties for convenience and easy use. Simply take out the amount of patties needed for the day, defrost and feed.
A healthy dog should be fed about 2% – 3% of it’s bodyweight
These are approximate guidelines only.
Your pet may need less or more food to maintain proper weight.
Adjust as needed. If you are unsure, ask your veterinarian.
| Weight | 5kg | 10kg | 15kg | 20kg | 25kg | 30kg | 35kg | 40kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2% | 100g | 200g | 300g | 400g | 500g | 600g | 700g | 800g |
| 3% | 150g | 300g | 450g | 600g | 750g | 900g | 1050g | 1200g |