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Diet recommendations for the adult dog based on ‘The Barf Diet’ by Dr
Billinghurst.
In
order for the adult dog diet to be balanced I have summarized Dr.
Billinghurst's recommendations below into a table, which shows how meals can be
put together using a variety of foods.
It is important to note that balancing of nutrients is achieved over
several meals rather than in each and every meal.
Meat and
Bones
|
Fruit
and Vegetables
|
Offal
|
Other
nutritional additions
|
60% raw meaty bones
|
20% crushed fruit and
vegetables
|
10% offal
|
10% other additions
including supplements
|
Chicken necks
|
Spinach
|
Kidney
|
Eggs (mostly the yolk)
|
Chicken wings
|
Broccoli
|
Heart
|
Yoghurt
|
Chicken carcass
|
Corn
|
Liver
|
Grains
|
Lamb bones
|
Sweet potato
|
Legumes
|
|
Large recreational
bones
|
Pumpkin
|
Seafood (fatty fish)
|
|
Carrots
|
Cottage Cheese
|
||
Apple
|
Brewers yeast or multi B Vitamins
|
||
Capsicum peppers
|
Vitamin C
|
||
Banana
|
Vitamin E
|
||
Berries
|
Kelp powder
|
||
Essential fatty acids (cod liver oil,
flaxseed oil, salmon oil)
|
The
nutritional table is an example of which foods can be mixed and matched to
ensure a healthy balanced diet over time.
There are many other fruits, vegetables and other additions which can be
included such as mangos, kiwi fruit, zucchini, squash, garlic, parsley, organic
brown rice, digestive enzymes, alfalfa, spirulina, pre-soaked porridge
oats. I have found from experience
that by adding some plain yoghurt to unpopular vegetables, they are consumed
much more readily by fussy dogs.
My
cats benefit enormously from digestive enzymes mixed into their food. Not only do digestive enzymes improve
food absorption and metabolism, they improve overall health due to the
increased number of nutrients getting from the gut and into the blood.
(Goldstein et al 2005)
In
addition to following the guidelines for this diet, Dr. Billinghurst, has five
principles for dogs to achieve ultimate health, longevity and a high quality,
disease free, balanced lifestyle.
Principle
1
The
main bulk of the diet should be made up of raw
meaty bones, which provide protein, minerals (including a natural balance
of calcium and phosphorus) and most of the essential fatty acids.
Principle
2
Dogs
should be given a wide variety of food which
includes: eggs, cottage cheese, offal, beans, legumes, grains, fruit,
vegetables and dairy produce such as plain yoghurt.
Principle
3
The
majority of the overall diet should be made up of raw, unprocessed produce.
Principle
4
A
balanced diet is achieved over time rather
than in each and every meal.
Principle
5
The
ideal body weight should be aimed
for, achieved and maintained. This is crucial for healthy organs, joints and
for quality of life. (Billinghurst 1993)
I find the most annoying habit by well meaning friends and relatives, is
when they give your dog food that you haven’t
agreed to. Cooked sausages,
biscuits, left over pasta, bread are all bad news for dogs. A dog should never be used as a human
dustbin for high fat, low quality leftovers.
In
summary, the diet should mostly consist of raw meaty bones, lots of
crushed/pulped fruit and vegetables, a small amount of grain and starch, some
eggs, oil, diary produce, offal once a week and a regular addition of brewers
yeast and kelp. (Billinghurst 1993)
According
to Dr Goldstein author of, 'Natural Care for Cats and Dogs,' for the adult dog
to lead a healthy disease free lifestyle we should stop feeding commercial pet
food and offer our cats and dogs a 'living diet.' In line with Dr Billinghurst's advice our pets require
antioxidants, essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, phytonutrients and
living enzymes. A raw diet with
several important supplements can achieve all of these requirements. The foods to avoid or minimize are
carbohydrates, processed foods, preservatives, saturated fats and indigestible
protein (found in low quality pet food).
In
addition to a healthy diet, in order for our pets to reach an old age, pain
free, healthy and still active, we should make it part of our routine to look
for the following signs and symptoms so that, if necessary dietary adjustments
can be made to avoid possible degenerative diseases later in life:
• Increased thirst or urination
• Weight loss or gain
• Change in appetite
• Apathy, depression
• Diarrhea, constipation
• Vomiting
• Dull, greasy coat
• Bad breath, drooling, inflamed gums
• Excessive panting Breathing difficulty
• Mobility
• Sleeping patterns
We
should also look for behavioral changes such as restlessness, pacing, difficulty
lying down or getting up and confusion.
I carry out these checks on my older cat on a regular basis and after
only a couple of weeks I became very familiar with his breathing pattern, his
normal gait, how well he moves. I
now know when he needs more vegetables in the diet due to strained elimination
in the litter box. He certainly
sleeps more, which worried me at first, however in waking state he appears
alert, inquisitive and still remains relatively active.
As
our adult cat or dog enters the senior years we can take several holistic,
home-prepared preventative actions such as:
• Protect the joints by adding glucosamine, chondriotin and MSM to the diet (a 6.5kg cat dosage is
250mg per day)
• Joints can also benefit from 'superoxide dismutase' (a 6.5kg cat dosage 125mg per day)
• To maintain healthy teeth and gums an enzyme-based toothpaste can be rubbed onto teeth and gum area with
a gauze wrapped finger or as I prefer, a make up brush is perfect fro the job,
especially on cats.
• To maintain vision or treat cataracts, we can give our
animals an eye strengthening juice made up of carrot and apple juice diluted with water.
• To assist senility and any cognitive dysfunction, we can
increase circulation to the brain by including the herb 'ginkgo biloba into the diet (6.5kg cat dosage of 15mg per day).
As
an example, when my cat was suffering from ear mites, during his treatment (ear
cleaning and several days of mineral oil mixed with vitamin E to kill the mites
and heal the skin in the ear canal) he scratched the skin around his ears and
made the skin very sore and inflamed.
However this was easily cleared up with a solution of strong black tea
and a dissolved aspirin dabbed on the area 4 times a day to dry the area. I then rubbed some fresh aloe vera gel
straight from the leaf onto his skin. (Jones 1996) It cleared up very quickly as too did the ear mites. It's so incredibly rewarding when home
treatments work so effectively and veterinary drugs can be avoided. In this particular case, using natural
home treatments worked really well without having to use drugs with toxic side
effects, which always place strain on the kidneys and liver.
Other
things we can do to extend and improve the life of our pet is to minimize
stress, use bottled water, lower exposure to environmental toxins such as
treated lawns and chemical sprays on plants and try to look for natural
solutions to problems rather than the heavy reliance on veterinary drugs. (Goldstein et al 2005)
References
Allegretti,
J. & Sommers, K D.V.M. 2003, ‘The Complete Holistic Dog
Book, Home Health Care for our Canine Companions.’ Celestial Arts, USA.
Billinghurst, I. 2001, ‘The Barf Diet.’ SOS
Printing Pty Ltd, Australia.
Billinghurst,
I 1993, ‘Give your dog a bone,’
Warrigal Publishing, Australia.
Goldstein,
R.S. V.M.D. & Goldstein, S.J. 2005, ‘The Goldstein’s
Wellness & Longevity Program Natural Care for Cats and Dogs.’ TFH Publications
USA.
Coscia,
J. A, 2005, ‘The Holistic Cat, A Complete Guide to Wellness
for a Healthier, Happier Cat.’ North Atlantic Books, USA.
Hodgkins,
E.H, 2007, ‘Your Cat, Simple New Secrets to a Longer,
Stronger Life.’ Thomas Dunne Books, USA.200
Jones, A. 2009, ‘Veterinary Secrets Revealed,’
Four Paws Online Ltd, Canada
Khalsa,
D. 2009, ‘Natural Dog, A Holistic Guide for Healthier
Dogs.’
Bowtie Press, California.
Lonsdale,
T. 2005. ‘Work Wonders, Feed Your Dog Raw Meaty Bones.’
Rivetco P/L, Australia
MacDonald,
C. B. 2004, ‘Raw Dog Food.’ Dogwise Publishing, USA
Messonnier,
S, 2001, ‘Natural Health Bible for Dogs and Cats’ Three
Rivers Press, New York.
Olson,
L 2010, ‘Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs, The
definitive guide to homemade meals.’ North Atlantic Books,
USA.
Pitcairn,
R. H. & Pitcairn, S. H, 2005, ‘Dr. Pitcairn’s
guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats.’ Rodale Inc, USA.
Poveromo,
M. 2010, ‘To Your Dog’s Health.’ Poor
Mans Press, Canada.
Puotinen,
C.J. 1999, ‘Natural Remedies for Dogs and Cats.’ Keats
Publishing, USA.2006)
Zucker,
M 1999, ‘The Veterinarians’ Guide to Natural
Remedies for Cats. Three Rivers
Press, New York.
