BARF for beginners: What supplements do dogs need?
More and more cats and dogs are being groomed. The nutrition trend has become a popular and very common form of feeding for pets, which is becoming popular with more and more owners and veterinarians and is often a good alternative to ready-made food, especially for sensitive four-legged friends. But how does BARF feed, also called BARF, actually work?
What additives are needed in dog nutrition and why?
We have summarized the BARF for beginners and give you helpful tips on the subject of BARF!
What actually is BARF?
The word BARF comes from English. It's actually an abbreviation for "bones and raw food".
In German, we use the phrase "biological species-appropriate raw feed" in the long form. Feeding according to the BARF principle should come particularly close to the original feeding for cats and dogs. With BARF, a prey animal is recreated with all its facets. In addition, vegetable components such as vegetables and fruit are added to the raw meat diet. This is how the diet of animal ancestors is recreated. This is intended to strengthen the dogs’ organism and immune system. In the best case, the menu is created together with a nutritionist. This is especially recommended for beginners. Then it is also ensured that Miezi and Bello get enough energy and nutrients through the food - BARF, individually tailored to your animal.
How does BARF work?
BARF is all about combining the right amount of meat with the right amount of plant-based ingredients (vegetables/fruit). Micronutrients also play an important role here, because only if your dog is supplied with the right amount of nutrients will BARF unfold its full benefits for your dog and cat. The biggest challenge in BARF for beginners is actually the optimal supply of minerals and vitamins. Because: It can quickly lead to an oversupply or undersupply of these micronutrients. In particular, an incorrect amount or an incorrect ratio of calcium and phosphorus can even be dangerous. In puppies, for example, bone formation and muscle growth can even be disrupted.
Supplementing for Beginners: The Role of Supplements for Your Dog
While ready-made cans and dry food contain all the elementary nutrients at best, the BARF model involves adding certain additives to the meat and vegetables. If you do it right, you will end up serving your four-legged friend a varied and particularly nutritious dinner. Quasi a food bowl for the fur friend.
BARF - These feed supplements are useful
In special BARF shops and online shops you can now find a large number of additives and oils that are intended to support biologically species-appropriate raw feeding. Yes, there are supplements that definitely need to be taken. But there are also those that are “nice to have” and are needed more as cures for joint problems or after medication. Certain additives can also help if your pet sheds particularly badly or often has to deal with infections. In general, you should know exactly which components provide which nutrients in order to always provide your pet with enough of them with the right diet. So there are feed supplements that are generally necessary to supplement missing nutrients and additives that are used if there is a special need. Even in old age, certain supplements may become necessary.
High quality omega 3 oil
The selection of oils for our four-legged friends is huge. Here, for example, animal oils are suitable, such as salmon oil. Such an oil is needed to balance the omega 3 and omega 6 ratio in the meat. Vitamin E is suitable for making the oil last longer and at the same time providing your dog with valuable antioxidants. In some oils, such as ours Omega 3-6-9 BARF-Sol even contains vitamin E.
Also linseed oil can help prevent and balance deficiencies in omega-3 and -6.
Iodine and seaweed meal
Since the feeding of the throat and larynx is avoided when BARF, because the prey usually contains far more iodine in its thyroid gland than your dog can process, iodine must be supplied as an additive. Here is suitable natural seaweed flour quite excellent. Be sure to pay attention to the dosage!
Vitamin D
Most of the vitamins are covered with BARF by feeding offal. Unfortunately, the really important vitamin D is not one of them. A vitamin D deficiency can have a long-term negative effect on the bone structure and general well-being of our four-legged friends. If you don't feed fish containing vitamin D, cod liver oil is a good source of vitamin D. Here, too, you must always pay attention to the correct dosage.
Calcium
If you don't want to feed your dog bones during BARF, you should add a special calcium powder to the meal. Whether you choose calcium powder or bone meal is up to you.
Vitamin B and trace elements
With the classic raw BARF variant, vitamin B does not usually have to be administered as a feed supplement. However, if you modify BARF a bit and cook the meat, vegetables and fruit, you should definitely add vitamin B and essential trace elements to the feed. Please only add it shortly before feeding your dog: vitamin B is not heat-resistant and simply boils away at higher temperatures.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is one of the "can" vitamins at BARF. Unlike us, our dogs make vitamin C and do not need any supplements. However, an additional supply in winter and during or after an infection can be very useful. Vitamin C is mainly found in natural rosehip powder. This can simply be given over the feed.
green-lipped mussel
Green-lipped mussel powder is a great way to feed dogs, no matter what age. If your four-legged friend is older, has joint problems or is "green" behind the ears and his muscles and joints are just developing. In addition to a high proportion of trace elements, green-lipped mussel powder contains a lot of natural glucosamine. It is similar to the building materials of cartilage and thus promotes its development - in short, it "lubricates" the joints of your cuddle partner. We love the special properties of the green-lipped mussel. The powder is therefore both in Joint complex for cats as well as in the Joint tablets for dogs contain.
All-rounder – when things have to go fast
Particularly interesting for BARF for beginners to get started: Some powders on the market combine the most important additives, such as ours Super Barf. You can't go wrong with such powders and the most important, essential vitamins and nutrients are already fed. But of course you should still read up or consult a nutritional advisor to know exactly what needs to be added to your four-legged friend’s individually composed portion.
After all, unlike ready-made food, BARF is not just BARF.
