I completley disagree with feeding bones to dogs. I work as an emergency call operative for several vets and you would be suprised as to how many calls I get from people who have fed their dogs bones for years, and the dogs end up with having several different digestive problems that can become quite serious. I am all for providing a natural diet, but only a natural diet that suits the domestic dog. There are plenty of natural products on the market for cleaning teeth, and there are also plenty of food with natural ingredients, not to mention the amount of different recipies you can do yourself that will ensure that all the ingredients are organic and as natural to the dog as possible that DO NOT include feeding raw bone.

That sounds awful.

Can you give us an idea of the problems you encounter?

How many of these dogs are fed raw bones and how many cooked though! We all know cooked causes problems ...have experienced it myself

They are caused by RAW bone and RAW meat. The most common and serious are Pancreatitis, ( most of the time this is only noticed when blood is passed with feaces), irritable bowel syndrome, immuo- related weaknesses, not to mention continuous digestive problems, and effects on the brain, liver and kidneys. People who feed their dogs BARF have not properly researched the pros and con of the diet, if they had, they would never feed it in the first place. It's what wolves eat right? Domesticated dogs are NOT the direct decendants of the wolf ( they are manmade to our needs and specifications). No human nutritionist is recommending that all humans should eat a diet of bananas and leaves based on the theory that humans descended from the wild chimp, even though the DNA profiles of the chimp/human is a closer match than that of the wolf/domestic dog. I bet you don't see someone who feeds BARF to their dog living on a diet of leaves and bananas.
I have never heard of an official canine organization that is for the BARF diet, and I have never seen or heard of a study that has scientfic evidence that BARF is safe and beneficial to the domestic dog. if any of you have please could you let me know as I would be interested as to what it says. On the other hand I have seen studies that show the BARF diet is not safe and not a nutritionally balanced diet.
I would like to point out that this is my opinion, and I do not wish to offend anyone that reads it.

You have some interesting points but not all of our genetic code is the same as chimps:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2278733.stm

I am neither for or against BARF but open to new information, so no offence intended. I do not think though that kibble is the ideal diet either. The domestic dog most certainly has teeth designed for a more natural diet. Have you any references relevant to the digestive system of the dog?

My point was that our DNA make up is closer to the chimp than that of a dog to a wolf. We contain around 95% of the same genetic make as the chimp, but a dog contains a less percentage of the wolf ( I will find the exact percentage for you ) The dog has been separeted from the wolf for over 100,000 years, and has since then evolved. One of the main differences between dog and wolf are thier teeth. On average wolves not only have bigger teeth than any dog breed studied, but they are larger in proportion. In the majority of breeds tooth size is typically in conformity with the size of the skull, even in those breeds with deformed skulls such as bulldogs. Also what barfers fail to recognise is that the wolf and other canids have developed a unique process to accommodate raw bones, a process which domestic dogs as a result of 100,000 years of natural selection cannot duplicate.

LUKYSTAR - I have just read your personal profile and discovered that you were previously a scientist, may I ask what sort of science was your work based around? I too agree that a kibble diet is not always the best option but a BARF diet is certainly not. As I have said before there are plenty of diets that are suitable for dogs that do not include any of the above. It's just a case of doing the right research to find the nutritional needs of your dog (as a domesticated dog) and finding a good recipe.

HI Jo - thanks for replying.

No problem, although it's quite mixed - I did human biology, chemistry, maths and physics at A level before going on to graduate with a first class honours in chemsitry. I then worked in medicinal chemistry, toxicology then regulatory affairs.

That's fascinating information Jo, thanks. Please could you point me in the direction of any available information or papers. I am open to canine nutrition and haven't come down on one side or another on BARF

Jo,.

I am on the fence about BARF/commercial foods, not realy knowing enough info. If you were to give your ideal food for a dog what would it be?? (hope you don't mind), just curious,as I can't help but wonder is just dried adequate on its own, same with commercial wet foods or is it ideal to make your own as I do worry about additives and 'crap' that is put in some commercial foods, are skin/behaviour/allergy and dietery sensitivities new or have they always been around or have we created them with too much commercial stuff.??



:smt035