Your puppy starts life as an egg...

When that egg is fertilised, a new puppy starts to form. The bitch can only make her puppies from the nutrients already in her body and those supplied to her during pregnancy. If you feed a commercial dry diet to your pregnant bitch she is NOT going to produce puppies as healthy as the same dog fed pure natural and raw ingredients.

Barleors dogs are all fed ~ and therefore their puppies are 'made out of' ~ REAL FOOD.

There is a lot of information about this kind of diet on the web and the following text is only to give you an idea - you really DO need Billinghursts books if you want to feed your dog this way. Please click on the "essential reading" button at the bottom of this page.

What is BARF?

Back to Basics - A Natural Diet For Your Dog

BARF - The healthier option

The term “BARF” is simply an acronym for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food. It’s a home-made diet formulated for the optimum health and longevity of your dog. If you intend to change your dog's diet to BARF it is highly recommended that you buy "Give your dog a bone" by Dr Ian Billinghurst before you start! This sheet is usually handed out during a Private Lesson incorporating diet and is no way intended to substitute the excellent and necessary material you'll find in the book.

A BARF diet comprises of:

60% MEATY BONES
60%-70% of which are RAW chicken bones, the remainder (30%-40%) being bones from RAW lamb, rabbit, beef, pork, venison etc.

40% OTHER FOOD STUFFS
Green leafy vegetables should make up about 60%-70% of the vegetable part of the diet, with grain and starchy vegetables being between 20%-30%. The offal portion of the diet, that is liver, kidneys and hearts etc., should be about 5%-15% of the diet. Throw in some eggs two to three times a week, more often if you wish.

But the diet I feed my dog is already labelled “Complete”, so why should I switch to a BARF diet?

An example of a 21-day balanced “BARF” diet sheet

	Week 1		Week 2		Week 3
	Morning	Evening	Morning	Evening	Morning	Evening
Monday	Starve*	Milk	Starve*	Milk	Starve*	Starchy
Tuesday	Green Leafy Vegetable	Chicken Bones	Green Leafy Vegetable	Chicken Bones	Green Leafy Vegetable	Chicken Bones
Wednesday	Grain and Legumes	Chicken Bones	Starchy	Chicken Bones	Chicken Bones	Chicken Bones
Thursday	Other Bones	Chicken Bones	Other Bones	Chicken Bones	Other Bones	Chicken Bones
Friday	Chicken Bones	Chicken Bones	Offal and meat	Chicken Bones	Offal and meat	Chicken Bones
Saturday	Other Bones	Chicken Bones	Other Bones	Chicken Bones	Chicken Bones	Chicken Bones
Sunday	Other Bones	Chicken Bones	Other Bones	Chicken Bones	Other Bones	Chicken Bones

Please remember, never, ever feed any cooked bones to a dog

You don’t have to be a slave to this model! Whilst the percentages for this example are correct, you don’t have to feed the meals in this order (except I do suggest you feed one of the “light” / cooked meals after the starve). Do take advantage of what’s readily available at this time of year.

*Starve: Puppies that haven't finished teething yet do not get starved, nor do old or ill dogs! Once you’ve decided which day you’re going to starve, don’t change the position of this essential “Tummy Rest” period. This should be a day of relative inactivity for your dog, not a day when he needs the calories because you are competing or going for an especially long hike!

The Bone Meal

Includes bones from RAW chicken, lamb, beef and even pork if its not too dear. We feed about 60%–70% chicken, the remainder being lamb, rabbit, beef, pork or whatever. The reason for the higher levels of chicken is partly because of availability and partly because of the better levels of essential fatty acids in raw meaty chicken bones compared to other meaty bones. The parts we use are whole chicken or turkey wings, necks and backs; ribs, necks and spines from lamb, pork and beef. The dog eats the whole lot; these are not “recreational” bones!

The Green Leafy Vegetable Meal

For each cup of vegetables add half to two whole eggs or yolks only, a teaspoon of oil, a teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar and a teaspoon of brewer’s yeast. For variation, instead of the egg add a similar quantity of cottage cheese, ordinary cheese, or minced beef, or one of the organ meats put through the blender. Raw veggies need to be put through a juicer first, or you can LIGHTLY steam them.

The Milk Meal

This “meal” consists of ordinary cow’s milk (goats milk is sometimes more acceptable), about a cup, to which you add two or three egg yolks, or whole eggs if your dog can tolerate them, 5 to 10 ml of one of the vegetable oils, one or two teaspoons of brewer's yeast and a pinch of “lite” salt.

The Grain and Legume Meal

Cooked: combine approx. equal amounts of a cooked grain such as rice or oats and a legume such as baked beans or a three bean mix, or a soup mix. Add pulverised green leafy vegetables, oil, yoghurt, brewer's yeast and kelp.

The Starchy Meal

This is basically a cooked meal. It will consist of one or more of potatoes, rice, pumpkin, sweet potato, bread, pasta, oats etc. Add yoghurt, dried fruits, milk, green leafy vegetables, brewer’s yeast and kelp.

The Offal and Meat Meal

Any meat you wish: beef, chicken, lamb, pork, turkey, etc... 85%-95% of this meal should be offal. This is one or more of the following: Liver, kidney, heart, brain, tripe etc. Fed RAW. You can also add some egg, fish, cottage cheese, vegetables, oil, brewer’s yeast and kelp.

Stuff you’ll need to have in your larder/fridge/freezer:

Animal Products
Raw meaty bones from chicken, lamb, beef, rabbit, pork. Muscle meat from chicken, lamb, beef, pork, Organ Meat - liver, kidneys, heart or brains. Eggs, especially the yolk. Seafoods - any fatty fish, herring, salmon, sardines etc. (supermarkets – butchers – fishmongers)

Plant Products
Fresh, green leafy vegetables such as spinach, outer leaves of lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts etc. Corn, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, squash, mushrooms. Root vegetables, potatoes, carrots, radishes, turnips, parsnips. Fresh and dried fruits (any). Legumes - peas and beans, baked beans. Whole Grains including brown rice and oat flakes, wheat germ, wheat bran, wholemeal bread. (Supermarkets)

Miscellaneous
Brewer's yeast powder or tablets, kelp powder, granules or tablets, molasses, apple cider vinegar, Vitamin E, Vitamin C Powder, garlic (fresh or granules), CFA Herb Mix. (Supermarkets– Good health-food shops).

Oils
Cod Liver Oil, corn oil, ground nut oil, soyabean oil, wheatgerm oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil. (Waitrose have most excellent range of edible oils, far better than Tesco or Sainsbury’s!)

Dairy
Cheese and cottage cheese, yoghurt, milk butter. (Supermarkets)

Examples of meals enjoyed by the dogs at the Barleors Labradoodles

Finally

Still sceptical? We run a bimonthly blood clinic. The dog’s blood is drawn by our vet and sent to Hemopet in California, USA.

The 7200 profile analyses over 30 aspects of your dog’s blood, immediately indicating any dietary inadequacy or ill health. I’ve had my own dogs’ bloods tested 3 times over a 6 month period before recommending this diet. We are happy to organise the same service for you!

You may find this list useful to print and take to your butcher.