M came across this interstin read bout the many
Myths of Raw Feedin for us canines while surfin. She tinks its a rather gd & interestin read, for both pro or anti-BARFers. Lots of adaptations from the book "Raw Meaty Bones", which M has already got her SIL to geddit for her in the States.
Happy readin everyone! Pro-BARF or Anti-BARF... YOU decide.
No...ur hoo-mans decide! ;p
One of MY fav. parts of the read:
MYTH: DOGS AREN'T WOLVES. DOGS AND WOLVES ARE SO FAR REMOVED FROM EACH OTHER, AND WE'VE CHANGED DOGS SO MUCH THAT THEY CAN'T HANDLE A RAW DIET.
This is MOSTLY false. The only truth found in this statement is that humans have changed dogs. BUT, we have only changed their external appearance and temperament, NOT their internal anatomy and physiology. The claim that dogs can't handle a raw diet because they are so domesticated is only true in that we have been feeding them commercial diets for so long that a dog's system is not running up to par. The result of feeding dogs a highly processed, grain-based food is a suppressed immune system and the underproduction of the enzymes necessary to thoroughly digest raw meaty bones.
Additionally, dogs and wolves share 99.8% of their mitochondrial DNA.
"The domestic dog is an extremely close relative of the gray wolf, differing from it by at most 0.2% of mDNA sequence..." (Robert K. Wayne, Ph.D)
MYTH: RAW MEAT DIETS AREN'T BALANCED.
One other concept of balance that should be addressed is the idea perpetuated by the pet food companies: "Dogs need complete and balanced nutrition in every meal." This is nothing but lies. This is not how the canine body--or any other body--operates! Take your own diet, for example. Do you eat a complete and balanced meal every time you eat? No! You eat a variety of foods over a period of time, and yet your body generally does very well and exhibits no signs of nutritional deficiencies.
This is where the concept of "balance over time" comes in. This is the principle nearly every living being follows in regards to nutrition. Nutritional needs are met over a period of time, and balance is achieved through time as the animal eats what it needs at the time it needs it or whenever it can get it.
Dogs do not need balance at every single meal; their bodies were not designed to function that way and cannot function at optimal levels when fed that way. When feeding your carnivore a raw diet, remember the principle of
balance over time.
p/s: do try to read ALL of it. Esp. the sections on vets & canine lifespan. Might be an eye-opener for some... but MY smartie M knew these long ago. Just that its pretty hard to convince MANY other hoo-mans out there...
