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The successful conversion to BARF feeding

Don't worry. You do not need a calculator and also no study, in order to convert your dog to a BARF feeding. For ourselves, we do not weigh every day whether we take enough calcium, iron, fat or protein to us!

It is important that the food is varied and fresh! This is true for the dog, as well as for ourselves!

In our previous blog posts, you will find detailed information on which vegetables/fruits and meats are suitable for feeding, what composition of muscle meat, fat, offal, bones, vegetables/fruits and oils the rations should have, and many other useful tips.

Ready to go?
To prepare, all you need to do is create some space in the freezer, get yourself a sharp knife with which you can easily cut meat and have a way to grate vegetables and fruit or chop them with a food processor, for example. A blender and a kitchen scale are also good helpers!

You can easily make the switch from one day to the next for a healthy dog. Do not mix dry food and fresh meat in any case!

It is important not to overload the digestive tract during the changeover. The stomach, pancreas and intestines must first adjust to the new food and nutrient composition. Introduce different types of meat gradually and also start initially without bones, offal and with only one type of vegetable.

Get started.
For the first week, start with an easily digestible muscle meat like turkey or chicken. You should also choose only one type of vegetable at first. Carrots or zucchini are best for this.

Natural food tip: Mix the best directly the sufficient amount for a whole week together! Then simply portion, freeze and defrost as needed!

As a source of fat add to the lean meat a little goose fat, lard, butter fat or coconut fat.

Ready for the next step?
If meat and vegetables are well tolerated, you can now add chicken necks or wings as a supplementary bone portion. If you do not want to or cannot feed bones, algae lime, deer horn meal or eggshell powder should be added as a calcium source. Offal such as chicken liver can now also be added to the feed bowl.

Give your dog 1-2 weeks until you introduce the next protein source, e.g. beef. If this is well tolerated, now also feed animal by-products such as rumen, leaf stomach, cartilage, etc. to.

Observe your dog's digestion and always take the next step only when there are certainly no digestive problems. Otherwise, take a step back and wait until everything has normalized.

What you can do to support your dog during the transition?
Diarrhea or even vomiting may occur during the first few days. However, these symptoms should subside after 2-3 days at the latest. You can support your dog by giving him intestinal bacteria (probiotics such as Probiotic or Basis-Damaufbau) to build up the intestinal flora. To calm the stomach, flaxseed mucilage can be given about 15 minutes before feeding in case of vomiting and occasional spitting.

After the conversion
It is sufficient to feed about 3 different types of meat (protein sources) in alternation after the successful conversion. For fruits, vegetables and herbs, alternate as you see fit based on season and availability. The more varied the vitamin sources, the better.

You will see the positive effect of the change of feed:

  • the amount of stool becomes smaller
  • the chair becomes firmer
  • the dog drinks less
  • Better defined muscles
  • Shiny coat
  • more pleasure from eating

 

Food refusal?
If your dog refuses the new food, try one of the following tricks:

  • Pour warm broth over meat and vegetables
  • Lightly fry meat in coconut fat
  • Sauté the vegetables, puree and mix into the meat

Some dogs are spoiled due to the flavor enhancers in the ready-made foods and must first learn to classify and accept the new food as "edible"! The dog can do without food for 2 days as long as there is always enough fresh water available. So stay consistent 🙂 You will see! Once tried, the industrial food is quickly forgotten.

If you have any questions or problems, feel free to contact us!

If the effort is too great or you are unsure, ready-mixed Barf menus are also excellent. These already have a good mix ratio of marbled muscle meat, offal, minced bones, vegetables / fruit and oil.

Get started! It's never too late to eat healthy!

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A healthy year 2017!

First of all, we wish all two-legged and four-legged friends a happy and above all healthy year 2017!

To make that happen, and to keep us all fit in this dingy, dreary January weather, we should watch what we eat and strengthen our defenses!

Fortunately, we have our fur noses, which give us day after day a reason to move outside in the fresh air! Thanks to them, we can romp through the snow (or slush) and are thus already a big step ahead of all non-dog owners in terms of "exercise in the fresh air"!

But we should also make sure that we take enough vitamins! This is true for us and just as for our dogs and cats. Chronic vitamin deficiency can lead to creeping diseases.

We at NATURFUTTER have therefore compiled a small vitamin ABC with valuable knowledge and tips for the bowl and our own plate for you! Have fun reading!

 

What are vitamins important for anyway?

  • Bone development
  • Blood clotting
  • the DNA synthesis
  • release energy from food
  • Radical scavenger
  • Nervous system
  • and much more.

 

What vitamins are there?

  • water-soluble vitamins B and C

We cannot overdose on water-soluble vitamins because the body simply excretes the excess in the urine.

  • fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E & K

Caution is advised with fat-soluble vitamins! Excesses are stored in fatty tissue and can have toxic effects.

Foods containing fat-soluble vitamins should ideally always be eaten together with some oil/fat to enable their absorption.

 

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)

Vitamin C is necessary for the body to produce collagen for our bones, connective tissue and teeth. With a deficiency it comes to:

  • impaired bone development
  • Deformities of the bones
  • Anemia
  • Delayed wound healing
  • Capillary bleeding

Unlike us, dogs and cats can produce vitamin C themselves in the liver. However, in the case of diseases, a supplement of host C can still be useful. E.g. in immune diseases, burns or joint problems.

Top Vitamin C Sources: Rosehip powder, sea buckthorn, acerola, black currants.

 

Vitamin B complex

The B vitamins have a variety of tasks in the organism and are important for our energy metabolism. Among other things, they are responsible for the formation of tissue, the maintenance and growth of our cells and for blood formation. In case of a deficiency, depending on the vitamin, diseases can occur such as:

  • Dementia
  • Nervous system disorders
  • Skin diseases
  • Fertility disorders
  • Growth disorders
  • Kidney damage
  • Oxalate stones (cat)

 

B vitamins are found in all animal foods such as:

  • Meat, fish
  • Offal
  • Eggs
  • Dairy products

But also in:

  • Brewer's yeast
  • Chlorella

When feeding with Barf menus, the B vitamin supply is optimal due to the muscle meat and the sufficient proportion of offal.

 

Vitamin D 

Distinguishing the provitamins

  • D2 (from plant sources)
  • D3 (from animal sources)

Vitamin D is essential for the regulation of calcium metabolism and maintains the balance of calcium-phosphorus levels in the organism.

A deficiency of vitamin D leads to problems with the minaralization of the bones and thus to diseases such as rickets, osteoporosis or osteomalacia.

We, as well as our dogs, can utilize provitamin D3 from animal sources better than the plant source D2. It is contained in:

  • Fatty fish
  • Fish oil e.g. salmon oil
  • Cod liver oil
  • Butter, cheese
  • Eggs (yolk)

The conversion into active vitamin D takes place in the kidney.

CAUTION! In case of overdose, e.g. by synthetic Vit D, calcification of tissues and vessels may occur.

 

Vitamin A

You probably know vitamin A as the "eye vitamin". In fact, vitamin A is important for light/dark vision. But also for the:

  • Maintaining the health of the skin and mucous membranes
  • Promotion of bone growth
  • Acceleration of wound healing
  • Synthesis of hormones
  • Reproductive capacity

Cats cannot convert the provitamin beta carotene into the active vitamin A, or only to a limited extent, and must take vitamin A in their food in any case! It is contained in:

  • Liver
  • Cod liver oil
  • Chicken
  • Fish oil
  • Eggs (yolk)
  • Carrots
  • Fennel
  • Spinach, chard
  • Lamb's lettuce
  • Nettle, cress

In the case of a deficiency, there are visual disturbances, changes in the skin and hair, or even fertility problems.

CAUTION: Overdose is also possible here, as it is a fat-soluble vitamin.

Cat: 100 IU/kg KM
Dog: 75 - 100 IU/kg KM

 

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an important antioxidant. It is therefore often used as a natural antioxidant under the term "tocopherols" in industrial feed. It prevents fat from becoming rancid and counteracts loss of flavor and color. In the body, it protects cells from oxidative stress and plays an important role in reproduction.

In addition, vitamin E also protects the very reactive vitamin A!

Vitamin E is contained mainly in:

  • Liver
  • green leafy vegetables
  • Fennel
  • Black salsify
  • Wheat Germ
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Eggs (low content)

The requirement for an adult dog and for cats is: 2 - 3 mg per kg body weight

 

Vitamin K

Vitamin K is produced by the organism itself in the large intestine and is contained in the following foods:

  • Alfalfa flour
  • Liver
  • Fishmeal
  • Poultry meat
  • Eggs
  • Leafy vegetables
  • Broccoli, cauliflower
  • Spinach
  • Dill

We should only provide an additional supply of vitamin K after antibiotic therapy or intestinal diseases!

Caution is advised with the synthetic Vit K3. It is hidden behind the term menadione.

Quote from the Academy of Veterinary Medicine: "From scientific papers, the following facts can be collected on vitamin K3, the synthetically produced menadione causes, among other things, cytotoxicity on liver cells, causes radical formation from enzymes of leukocytes, can result in mutagenic effects and causes radical formation with an accompanying series of cytotoxic reactions. For this reason, vitamin K3 has not been approved for human use since 1989. It is also no longer allowed to be given to food-producing animals. Only the use in Pet food it is still permitted sometimes does not have to be declared on the label."

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