CARNIVORES AND OMNIVORES: Different studies shown us from their natural digestive behavior,

nutritional needs, metabolism and digestive anatomy we can classify dogs and cats as strict carnivores
(family fenidae) or omnivores (family canidae)

1. Kingdom: Animalia 2. Fhylum: Chordata (vertebrata) 3. Class: Mammalia 4. Order: Carnivora

5. Family: Canidae / Felidae 6. Genus, species: Canis lupus familiaris / felis silvestris catus

DOGS CATS
Group hunters with a wide range of raw materials Solitary hunters. Their prey are of animal origin:
in their diets (opportunistic consumers) that from small insects to rabbits.
include other medium to large animal species, Hunters by nature. It can stop eating the food that
fruits, berries and cadavers their owner gives them to go hunting, this
behavior is not related to hunger, but to their
Eat large volumes of food in a short space of time, instinct
to satiate their daily needs. They consume muscle
mass and viscera (because they contain vegetable They eat 10 to 20 times a day with small bites, for
material) only muscuscular mass (they dislike the taste of
vegetable matter)
Drink compulsively water: they recover
dehidration corresponding to one day in an hour They like food at body temperature 38 ° C

dogs have a daily biological rhythm, governed by They drink slowly with pauses, their rehidration
diurnal cycle of activities and rest in night takes place during 24 hours

It follows an irregular pattern with periods of

activity and rest both during the day and night.
The stimulation in the consumption of food in the
home cats is given by the presence of their owners
and the artificial light

1. What is BARF? BARF stands for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food. This diet tries to imitate the
raw feeding of canids and felines in the wild, totally excluding balanced foods.

2. What kind of benefits BARF bring? pets who feed naturally tend to observe the following changes:

1) More shine in the hair

2) fresh breath
3) more activity, more happier, better mood.
4) Clean teeth, without tartar.
5) Stools (feces) more compact and less odorous.
6) They drink less water,
7) Greater development of the musculature and decrease of body fat .
8) In animals with articulation problems a quite significant relief is found.

3. Why are croquettes not healthy? Because they are not natural and contain preservatives and
antioxidants that are not healthy for dogs. In some brands, traces of pesticides and barbiturates have
been registered in most dog food brands . Croquettes are processed by heat and dehidratation, which
destroys many nutritional properties such as enzymes, vitamins and water. The diet of dogs must be
composed of a high percentage of meat. However, croquettes are made up of 80% from cereals, very
poor in protein and very rich in carbohydrates, which can lead to numerous problems such as tartar,
diabetes, obesity ... etc

Approximately 65-75% of the total daily amount is composed of RAW meaty bones (chicken
carcasses, neck and chicken wings, quail(codorniz), turkey neck (pavo) ...). CATS ONLY RAW
MEAT!! The rest must be composed, according to the days, by a variety of nutrients: meat, fish, eggs,
organ meats, nuts, yogurt, supplements ... etc. Vegetables and / or fruits should be given daily at a rate
of 10% of the total daily amount.

5. Raw meat, bacteria and parasites Many people think that when giving raw foods, they can bring
parasites. A healthy dog has no problems with bacterias like salmonella like humans. The immune
system of dogs and cats are perfectly adapted to bacterias in raw food. In addition, it is shown that dogs
who fed raw food, increase the stimulation of their immune system, they have less risk of contracting
external parasites (ticks-garrapatas, fleas-pulgas, etc.) and internal parasites (worms-lombrices,
tapeworms-tenias ...).

6. Can I mix food and croquettes? Not at the same time, because they are digested differently. The
croquettes takes about 12 hours to digest, Cooked food or barf food takes only 3 or 4 hours. If they are
mixed, the food has to wait in the digestive tract until the croquettes have been processed. This can
generate, toxins, what it is harmful to the dog, they can make a gastric torsion. they can be given in
separate meals on time ...

PUPPIES for 2-3 months: Calculate 10% of the body weight of the dog. That is, a puppy of 2 or 3
months and 10 kilos should eat 1 kilo of food a day, divided into 4 takes. For older puppies, you have to
decrease the percentage progressively and observe if they stay hungry or very full.

ADULTS more than 10 months. Calculate 2% or 3% of the body weight of the dog. A dog weighing 25
kilos should eat 500 grams to 750 grams a day, divided into 2 doses preferably.

You DONT need a lot of nutrition knowledge. There are many people who have reservations about
starting a natural diet because they believe that great knowledge of canine or feline nutrition is
necessary ... This is not quite so ... BARF aims to feed dogs and cats as they would in wild state-wild
life. There are very simple bases on which to be guided, and we can made multiple variations

THE BASIS OF BARF FOOD ARE: 60 - 70% of the daily total must be raw meaty bones. They
should not be mixed with other foods. The remaining 40 - 30% daily will consist of: vegetables and / or
fruits: daily (will mean 10% total daily) meat (of any kind: chicken, fish): 2-4 times a week fish (of any
type eggs) (calcium): 3-5 units per week
Others: yogurt (with optional honey), fresh cheese, nuts, seeds, pig's ears ... etc ... can be mixed with
other foods or constitute a meal in itself. 1 day a week: fasting based on broth made with bones and
vegetables or natural fruit juice (only for dogs with more than 10-12 months).

11. Is it much more expensive feeding muy dog or cat with BARF? Do not! The cost of BARF is less
than feeding with croquettes, especially when you already have knowledge about where to get food at a
cheaper price.

12. Are bones dangerous? Raw bones do not present problems of splintering. Never give cooked bones
to your dog, as they do splinter, and can cause serious digestive disorders.