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How Do Dr B's Cat and Dog Diets differ?
The cat diet contains far less vegetable material, less bone, more meat, fat and organ material, and comes in a smaller range of flavours. It is packaged as a box of 12 x 115gm patties, whereas Dr B's dog diets are presented as a box of 12 x 227 gm individually sealed chubbs.
Do I need to supplement when feeding Dr. B's Patties?
Although this is unnecessary, unless your pet has a medical problem, adding B complex, cod liver oil, vitamin C and vitamin E to the diet of a healthy pet is safe and is a further form of health insurance. Supplements such as vitamins, minerals, herbs, essential fatty acids, amino acids etc become extremely valuable when animals become ill. Common supplements for skin problems, arthritis and inflammatory problems in general, include cod liver oil, fish oil, and evening primrose oil. This topic is covered in detail in Chapter 6 of "The BARF Diet." When inflammation or allergy is a problem, we particularly recommend either Dr. B's 'Pork' or 'Kangaroo' flavours,. Both 'White' and 'Wild' meats contain more of the 'anti-inflammatory' essential fatty acids.
Which is better, homemade BARF or Dr. B's Genuine Aussie R.A.W.?
The gold standard BARF diet is the properly formulated home-made version. However, it can be false economy to produce the product yourself. One difficulty involves sourcing finely ground bone; additionally, the time and work involved in learning about and obtaining all the other ingredients, then preparing, mixing, packaging and freezing the food often becomes a chore. At that point, the whole idea may be abandoned, or shortcuts are taken, resulting in the food becoming less varied, less balanced and less healthy.
By purchasing Dr. B's Genuine Aussie R.A.W. (BARF) foods in the convenient frozen patty format, you will obtain a properly formulated (BARF) product of a consistently high standard - with all the benefits of finely ground bone!
Can you feed too much meat or too much bone?
When combining Dr. B's patties with other sources of meat and/or bones, please note that either feeding excessive meat (without bone) or excessive bone (without meat), has the potential, to cause serious harm to our pets. An all meat diet will result in poorly developed bones in young cats and dogs. On the other hand, a diet with excessive bone, particularly in the older animal, the very young or the ill animal, can cause serious constipation or even bowel impaction, requiring veterinary intervention.
Does BARF return our pets to nature?
No, definitely not! Such a return is not possible and highly undesirable. The natural environment includes lack of shelter, lack of veterinary attention, starvation and attack by other animals. This is not what we want for our pets. We want a safe, sheltered, friendly environment, which includes the evolutionary diet - Dr B's Patties! This is the optimal way to maintain health in our pets.
Should Dr. B's Patties be cooked?
Cooking destroys the nutritional value of any food, rendering that food biologically inappropriate in a fundamental way, for example, enzymes and essential fatty acids are destroyed. The latter, damaged by heat and oxygen become slow poisons, irreparably damaging DNA, resulting in cancer and other degenerative diseases. Cooking causes indigestible complexes to form between proteins and starches, between vitamins and trace minerals and between minerals and minerals. The result is loss of nutrition and the production of mutagens, carcinogens and anti-immunogens. Don't cook the patties!
Can I feed processed pet food with Dr. B's BARF Products?
Just as many people choose to eat both junk food and good food, so it can be with our pets. The most obvious problem may be digestive disturbances. The major drawback is that the processed food (the junk food) removes some of the value of feeding BARF. On the other hand, adding good food (BARF), to a bad diet (processed pet food), is better than not feeding any good food at all.
Do we need to adjust the BARF Diet as animals begin to age?
If our animals remain healthy, it is not necessary. However, many of our aged pets, after a lifetime eating grain-based processed pet foods, begin to suffer from cancer and other degenerative diseases involving organs such as the kidneys, liver, heart, skin, pancreas and the immune system. For these animals, being switched to Dr. B's Genuine Aussie R.A.W. will make a dramatic improvement. In addition, increasing levels of completely crushed, raw, low glycaemic vegetables and fruit become valuable additions. Many pet owners with healthy aged pets eating Dr. B's (BARF) products, if they have not already started, would be well advised to supplement their pets' diet with antioxidants, such as vitamins A, C and E, minerals such as zinc and selenium and essential fatty acids.
What about Bacteria in Raw Foods?
The presence of bacteria in raw foods worries many pet owners and vets. They assume that these bacteria will cause illness. However, dogs and cats have evolved eating raw foods over millions of years. They have the ability to handle the bacteria in raw foods safely. In fact, both dogs and cats require the presence of bacteria in their food for immune system maturity! Wild dogs, and domestic dogs, if we allow them, safely eat gut contents, faeces, soil, buried carcasses etc, all of which contain many bacteria and their toxins. That does not mean we recommend you feed bacteria laden food to your pets. What we are saying is that, just as we are prepared to eat healthy raw food (fruit, vegetables etc), so it is and should be with our pets. The low level of bacteria in properly sourced and handled raw food products, such as Dr. B's Patties is no problem to dogs or cats with normal immune systems. According to modern immunological research, it is in fact, one of the HEALTH benefits of feeding R.A.W.!
Will BARF keep the Teeth Clean?
The Evolutionary Diet of Cats and Dogs (e.g. Dr. B's Genuine Aussie R.A.W.) promotes oral health in at least three ways. Firstly, by a physically cleaning action on our pets' teeth and gums, secondly by altering the chemical status of the mouth so it actively discourages bacterial growth, and thirdly by promoting all aspects of the immune system, viz intrinsic, cellular, humoral, general and local. Modern processed pet foods on the other hand promote oral disease by acting in a diametrically opposed fashion.
Are there Safe Handling Procedures for Dr. B's BARF products?
Common sense must prevail when handling raw meat products. Follow the same procedures as when you prepare meals for the family. Always wash your hands after handling raw meat. Sterilise all knives and utensils used in the preparation or handling of your pet's food. We recommend a stainless steel dish, which is washed thoroughly with soap and hot water after every meal. Discard any uneaten food and store raw meat in such a way it does not contaminate human food. After thawing the food, we recommend it is kept in the refrigerator a maximum of 2-3 days - in an airtight container. It is that simple!
Can BARF be fed Frozen?
Yes, most definitely, Dr. B's genuine Ausie R.A.W. products are often fed to pet dogs, completely frozen. This can be a great idea in summer, when dogs are looking for a cooling treat.
How Much Should I Feed My Adult Dog?
Adult dogs can be fed between 2% and 6% of their bodyweight daily, depending on life stage, reproductive state, activity level, health and individual requirements. For the average stay at home middle aged dog, we recommend starting at the 2% - 3% level, that is, with one of Dr. B's patties per 12 kg of bodyweight daily, with or without some raw meaty bones and then make any adjustments necessary to maintain the ideal weight.
Remember - a healthy dog is not over-weight!
If weight loss is required, the Kangaroo recipe is ideal. Additionally, you may mix any of the Dr. B's diets with vegetable or fruit pulp from your juicer.
How Much Do We Feed Pregnant Female Dogs?
For the first two thirds of pregnancy - feed as per a normal dog, i.e. 2% - 3% of bodyweight per day. For the last third of pregnancy - feed 3% - 4% of bodyweight per day.
What About Working/Racing/Active Dogs?
Feed 3% - 6% of bodyweight per day when working/active. The more active dogs require food with a higher fat content to increase energy supply (We recommend Dr. B's 'Chicken,' 'Combination' or 'Pork' flavours). Feed 2% - 3% of bodyweight per day when not working.
How Much Do We Feed Lactating Females?
Depending on litter size and size of puppies - feed from between 3% and 6% of bodyweight - up to free choice. Once again, we need food with a high fat content, but also high protein and plenty of calcium of course! Dr B's 'Chicken', 'Combination' and 'Pork' flavours are recommended.
How Much Should I Feed My Puppy?
To support their growth, puppies are generally fed, up to twice as much of Dr. B's Genuine Aussie R.A.W. as adult dogs. Additionally, it is an excellent idea to feed them as wide a variety of different whole raw foods as possible, to ensure acceptance of these foods throughout life.
Puppies - Small to Medium Breeds Feed 3%-5% of bodyweight per day - dividing the food into 2 - 4 feeds - the younger the pup, the more frequent the feeds. Do not add extra calcium. Do feed soft bones daily, e.g. chicken necks or wings.
Puppies - Giant Breeds Feed 2%-4% of bodyweight per day - divide the food into two to three feeds daily. It is important to grow them slowly. Adding extra vegetable pulp will slow growth in a healthy fashion. Do not add extra calcium. Do feed soft bones daily, e.g. chicken necks or wings.