Ruth Carlin and her BARF dog, Sid.

Q: Do you recommend mixing my dog’s current kibble diet in with the BARF diet patties?

A: This question comes up a lot with consumers that are just starting to switch their pet to the BARF diet and for those who want to continue feeding a healthy, raw food diet but are also trying to save on their dog food budget. Maybe it is because they have more than one dog or perhaps they are trying to sustain large or giant breed dogs. So to settle it once and for all - the answer is no…and maybe.

No because if your dog has had a history of digestive disorders it may not be the best course of action to combine the two diets in the same meal. The reason is that each diet is digested and absorbed quite differently. The ingredient utilization and the time needed to digest a raw diet is significantly faster (about 4-6 hours) versus a cooked diet which can take 8-12 hours to go from mouth to tail. This causes a confusing digestion process to occur and it may lead to further digestion problems such as diarrhea and vomiting if both diets are in the digestive tract at the same time.   
 
The “maybe” answer comes about when you separate the feeding schedule and incorporate a split feeding regimen. To put it simply, a split feeding regimen would consist of the raw meat diet (such as BARF World’s BARF Diet patties or nuggets) being fed in the morning and a dry, grain-free kibble at night. At least this way it gives the body time to react differently to the two different types of diets. If given enough time, your pet’s body should be able to allow the enzyme production from the pancreas to make a correction and engage enough digestive enzymes to properly digest the different types of food.

With dogs and cats that can successfully digest the combination of foods in this manner, it is at least 50% better than doing nothing and staying with an inferior food choice. I would however never suggest doing a split feeding schedule with dogs or cats that are being given heavy doses of antibiotics, steroids, or any other drug that may depress the immune system or cause gastrointestinal upset. Many new customers that have made the decision to switch their pet to the raw diet have made that decision because their pet is experiencing a chronic health issue. The daily ingestion of a heat processed pet food will eventually take its toll on the body and the results may be allergies and skin and coat problems, digestion issues, degenerative illnesses such as cancer and kidney failure and many other conditions that can be reversed by first making a complete change to their pet’s diet.
 
I always suggest that a person that is either just starting to convert their pet onto the BARF diet or is planning on incorporating the split feeding model to also use our E-BARF Plus powder and E-Omega Coat oil product. This powerful combination of probiotics, vitamins, and minerals will ensure conversion success and also eliminate the majority of problems with potentially sick animals by naturally improving digestion and providing additional immune system support.

Robert Mueller, BSc, Pharm. is a registered pharmacist and has been in the pet food business for more than thirty years. Recognized as one of the early pioneers in promoting raw foods to pets, Rob’s history of developing and selling raw meat diets has exposed him to dogs, cats, and zoo carnivores worldwide. In 2001, Rob joined Australian veterinarian, Dr. Ian Billinghurst and other partners to form BARF World Inc., to bring premium raw pet food diets to the general public.

Think Like A Dog – How To Stop Your Dog From Chasing Bike Riders

Have you ever been embarrassed by your otherwise well-behaved dog as she chases or barks nonstop at other people as they ride their bicycles or jog your way? It can be quite stressful trying to get her to stop this type of behavior especially if she happens to be a large breed dog like my Husky/Shepherd mix, Matsi! In my past experience as a veterinary technician handling powerful, strong-willed dogs, I’ve come to realize that the primary thing that helps against situations like these is to think like a dog.

Let’s consider this situation from a canine perspective: dogs perceive joggers and bikers as strangers and because of that may show signs of anxiety - either by running away or standing their ground and barking to make the ‘threat’ go away. Alternatively, some dogs may perceive these strangers as possible playmates and may simply want to join in on the run/ride (and then the chase ensues). Whatever the case may be, your ultimate objective is to control your pet not only for the safety of yourself and others butalso for the safety of your dog.

Darlene and Dan Oshop with their BARF dog, Annabelle.

The main objective when controlling your pet in this scenario is to get her attention…and what better way to get you pup’s ears perked and tail wagging by offering her a tasty treat or her favorite toy? The moment your dog shows signs of distraction or excitement, call out her name and offer her a high value treat or her favorite toy (preferably with a squeaker) so she cannot refuse.

By teaching your dog to focus her attention on you when something unfamiliar comes along, she will begin to rely on your instruction on what action to take.

Using your dog’s name and offering a treat/reward will reinforce the idea that “If I pay attention to Mom/Dad something good will happen!” Every dog is different and learns at their own pace so don’t despair if it takes some time for your pup to make the connection. With practice, your pup will eventually learn to focus on you during moments of distress or distraction.

It may take some time to get your dog to break their habit of chasing or barking, especially when the distraction is close.

The next step is to have your dog sit calmly by your side as bikers and joggers go by. Instruct your pup to sit as the jogger or biker comes near you. Once they calmly sit while focusing on you, go ahead and give your pup a treat.

With consistent training and a set routine, you’ll master this challenge with your dog and in the long run this will make you and your dog happy, without worry of bikers of joggers being a problem ever again. -Thomas Benin

Thomas Benin is a freelance animal photographer and former veterinary technician. He and his husky/German shepherd mix, Matsi are avid travelers and love to go hiking, running, mountain climbing and sight seeing.

Family rescued from fire disaster.

It is all of our worst nightmare, a house fire in the middle of the night. Luckily for the Macdonnells their dog woke them to warn of the fire even before the smoke detectors went off. The family was able to escape unharmed. The fire department was called to the seen at 4:17am.

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