B.A.R.F.
(Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods)
(Bones And Raw Foods)

Since 1999, ADAMAS Dobermans have been raised and maintained on a BARF diet. BARF diets are homemade, and consist of raw meat and bones, raw vegetables and fruits, and supplements. This is a diet consistent with what natural food a wild canine would find in its natural environment.

If you think about it, dry manufactured dog foods have only been in existence for the last few decades. Previous to these foods, dogs had to rely first on what they could fend for themselves in their environment, and then subsequent to domestication, what left over scraps of food their owners happened to have on a given day. Most likely, if you ask your parents or grandparents, they will tell you that their childhood dog existed mainly on the family's leftovers of raw or cooked meats, bones and vegetables and the odd caught rabbit or squirrel-- not Kibbles n Bits. They will also probably recall that this dog was in superb health and long lived. To assume that domestication and the advent of manufactured foods just a few decades ago has changed the millenniums-old digestive processes of our dogs is not plausible.

Regarding processed dog foods, a veterinarian once made the following analogy to me, "Feeding a commercial dog food is like feeding a small child hot dogs and soft drinks everyday for the whole of his life." In the case of nutrition, the old adage is true-- Garbage In, Garbage Out. It seems that the instances of canine cancer rates have increased sharply in the last few decades. While some of this may be attributed to environmental influences such as air pollution and the chemicals used to treat yards, one has to wonder if the advent of processed foods has something to do with it as well.

A natural diet is rich in enzymes and nutrients that cannot be found in high-heat, extruded processed foods. Organically derived natural diets also do not expose dogs to the chemicals, hormones, antibiotics, preservatives and colorings used in processed foods.

Our own experience with BARF has resulted in: correcting chronic skin problems, increased muscle mass and tone, increased energy, cleaner teeth, no doggy breath and drastically reduced flatulence.

The weekly meat and bones portion of the ADAMAS Dobermans' BARF diet consists of raw Chicken Backs, raw whole Mackerel or Trout, raw heart/kidney/liver and boiled eggs with shell. For daily vegetables:  1 leafy green (kale, parsley, watercress, etc) + 1 root (carrot, cooked and peeled sweet potato, turnip, beet, daikon, etc) + 1 other (yellow squash, zucchini, green/sugar/snow beans/peas, avocado, steamed asparagus stems that James and I don't eat, tomatoes etc) are given in addition to a scoop of pureed pumpkin. The chosen vegetables are pureed to begin the process of breaking down the fibers, making them more digestible. Supplements are given to fill in any holes in the diet. In keeping with the purist form of the BARF diet, NO grains (kibble food, dog cookies, rice, oats, etc) and NO dairy (cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, etc) are given.

What will your vet think about BARF? While there are a few, and slowly increasing number of vets who realize the benefits of BARF, most are not familiar with it. You have to understand that nutrition is covered in just a few hours study by veterinarian training schools. Anything else learned about nutrition, unless the vet takes it upon himself to research , is at the hands of dog food representatives. The pet food industry is a multi billion dollar business, and they don't intend to let that slide. Your vet may scare you about the scores of dogs that have died from eating bones. You can typically stop these vets cold in their tracks by asking two questions. First, were the bones cooked? And second, if the bone was raw, had the dog been switched to a BARF diet, or was this a random eating of a raw bone for which the dog didn't have the necessary digestive enzymes to handle (such as the typical kibble fed dog stealing a T-bone steak left on the counter to thaw)? A properly transitioned BARF eater digests bones in their entirety.

The BARF diet takes a lot of study and understanding to properly implement. Proper caution must be used in the preparation of BARF diets. You must protect yourself, family and dog from infectious bacteria associated with raw meats and vegetables (just like you should be doing already in preparing your family meals). You should protect your dog from the danger associated with consumption of bones by introducing a BARF diet slowly and with the proper enzyme supplements to aid in the production of the natural enzymes your dog will need to totally digest raw bone matter.

By publishing this page, we are NOT recommending the BARF diet to anyone. We simply want the general public to know that an alternative to commercial feed is available and is used by many Doberman fanciers. Like us, these fanciers have dogs ranging from the couch potato pet, to the active, competition dog. When one feeds BARF, they must be willing to accept any resulting consequences-- although to date, we have experienced none. If you are interested in investigating the BARF diet further, I would suggest the following reference material:

"The Ultimate Diet- Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats"
By Kymythy R Schultze, A.H.I.
(An easy to read and follow guide)

"Give Your Dog A Bone"
By Dr. Ian Billinghurst
(Billinghurst is considered the father of BARF)

"Grow Your Pups With Bones"
By Dr. Ian Billinghurst
(as the name implies, this sequel to Give Your Dog A Bone is about raising puppies on BARF)

All of the afore mentioned books are available through http://www.dogwise.com

http://www.bluegrace.com/barf.html
(A nice overview of BARF with FAQ. This page will also give you information on joining a BARF email list, which is helpful when starting the diet.)

For all natural pet health supplies, we recommend the products and very knowledgeable folks at Naturmix USA.  We especially recommend their enzymes and probiotics.  They also carry a line of powerful meat grinders, for those interested in BARF, but scared of the bones!

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