Interesting facts about BARF nutrition
Do you have questions about BARF nutrition for dogs and cats? Here you will find the answers to the most frequently asked questions. If you need more information, feel free to contact our customer service or book an individual BARF consultation.
What is BARF?
In Germany, the term was first coined in the 1990s by Swanie Simon. Since then, the name Biologically Appropriate Raw Food has become established here. The basis of BARF feeding is the so-called prey model principle. But what exactly does that mean?
You can find more information in our BARF magazine.
How do I properly switch my dog to BARF?
You can find all the important information for a smooth start into the world of BARF feeding in our BARF starter guide for dogs, which you can also download free of charge.
How do I switch my cat to BARF?
You can find important information as well as helpful tips and tricks for changing your cat’s diet in our blog post Switching your cat from dry and wet food to BARF.
How much BARF should I feed my dog?
The amount of food your four-legged friend needs depends on many factors such as size, age, activity level, and hormonal status. As a rough guideline, an adult dog should receive about 2–3% of its body weight as a daily ration. Puppies and young dogs have increased nutritional needs and should receive 4–10% of their body weight as their daily food amount. For a more precise determination of the food quantity, you can use our BARF calculator.
How much food does my cat need per day?
The amount of food your cat needs daily depends on many factors such as size, age, activity level, and hormonal status. As a rough guideline, the daily food amount should be around 25–30 g of food per kg of the cat’s body weight.
How do I properly compose BARF rations for my dog?
We have compiled all the important information on properly composing balanced BARF meals in our BARF starter guide for dogs, which you can also download free of charge.
How do I properly compose BARF rations for my cat?
You can find all the important information about BARF for cats in our blog post Feeding cats BARF – here’s how! There you will also find a detailed list of the essential BARF components and the required quantities.
My dog or cat does not like the food or cannot tolerate it. What can I do?
When switching to BARF, it may happen that your four-legged friend shows mild detox symptoms. These include diarrhea, constipation, mucus in the stool, vomiting, itching, or skin problems. These symptoms can occur immediately or only after some time and are usually no cause for concern at first.
Cats in particular often react with rejection at the beginning when faced with new food that smells and tastes different. The magic word here is patience. Give your four-legged friend the time they need to get used to the new food. In most cases, cats quickly realize that raw meat meals are very tasty and healthy.
You can find more information about switching to BARF and tips for getting started in our BARF starter guide for dogs and in the post Switching cats to BARF.
How do I properly thaw BARF meat?
All our BARF products should be stored in the freezer at -18 °C and thawed in the refrigerator for approximately 12 hours before feeding, either without packaging or with sufficient air holes in the packaging.
Meat should never be thawed without air circulation, as the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium botulinum could otherwise develop, which is highly toxic. Always serve the meat at room temperature. It is best to score the BARF sausages with a knife while still frozen or cut off the ends completely with scissors. The meat is easiest to remove from the plastic packaging while still frozen.
You can find more helpful tips in the video Thawing BARF properly – here’s how it’s done on YouTube.