The Controversy about Calcium-Phosphorous

Feeding a raw diet has a direct bearing on the health, longevity, and reproductive capacity of an animal. When an animal is fed raw meat, there is freedom from disease of the animal being fed at all life stages. This is particularly so where calcium, phosphorus and energy are concerned in relation to skeletal growth.

Feeding a raw meat diet with absolute levels and ratios of calcium and phosphorus are important to skeletal health This is equally as important as the sources of calcium and phosphorus together with the source of energy which drives skeletal and whole body growth. When considering the calcium/phosphorus ratios, the evolutionary diet is more tolerant than commercial dry food with ratios of calcium and phosphorus that fall outside the currently accepted limits.

The difference, and what becomes the advantage to feeding an evolutionary diet, lies in the very low level of soluble carbohydrates and with the main energy source supplied by protein and lipids. When the major source of calcium and phosphorus comes from raw bones, muscle meat, organ meat, raw cartilage, and other key proprietary ingredients, the bone growth which is also driven by energy from protein and fat proceeds in a fundamentally more integral fashion. Thus, the normal skeleton is more than capable of supporting the rest of the body without either the bones or the joints becoming deformed or damaged in the process.

It is a major tenet of the evolutionary diet, that by supplying nutrients in the form and proportion in which they were supplied during the evolution of the species in question, that we will be supplying the correct absolute levels and the correct ratios of nutrients found in a properly formulated BARF® diet and should in fact be accepted as normal.

On the contrary, modern highly processed pet food starts from an entirely different theoretical basis compared to the BARF® diet. They contend that the energy source has no bearing on health and therefore the major energy source can be mostly carbohydrate (starch and sugar) with no harm done to the animal. Modern processed pet foods are regarded as complete and balanced. As long as they can be shown to contain the currently known to be essential nutrients at the currently accepted levels and are therefore deemed legal and acceptable. In addition, there is little importance as to where these nutrients were sourced, as long as they are present in the diet. An important point to consider in this controversy is that the AAFCO limits have been determined ONLY on the basis of feeding commercial pet foods.

On that basis, it is further hypothesized that the normals for the BARF® diet differ from the currently accepted normals for heat processed dry food. The differences simply reflect fundamental differences in dietary formulation. Converted “BARFERS” have learned to appreciate the difference between the two philosophies. The choice is yours to make. As Pioneers in the Raw Pet Food Industry, we are confident that the diets are superior.

Info@barfworld.com | 866-282-2273