BARF Diet, 3 Excellent Recipes To Prepare At Home

The ‘ natural food is becoming, increasingly, also with regard to the diet of domestic animals. Feeding raw meat to your dog or cat, of course, has advantages and disadvantages. But every day more owners who, worried about the quality of the food they give their animals, decide to cook for them. If you too are convinced that it is better to prepare baby food at home, here are three simple and delicious recipes for the BARF diet.

Let’s find out what the BARF diet is

The BARF ( Biologically Appropriate Raw Food ) diet is based on providing  raw foods that are suitable for both humans and dogs. Many owners of these pets decide to feed them these natural recipes, out of a sort of distrust in the quality of dog food. In fact, thanks to this natural diet, they are completely sure of what their four-legged friend eats.

A natural diet should  cost less than industrial feed, even if you have to be careful to always be able to offer balanced and nutrient-rich meals. An additional  advantage is that, of course, you will guarantee a greater variety of flavors to your dog, compared to normal food.

In general, the BARF diet should include about 60/80% shredded bone and lean meat, and between 20 and 40% fruit, vegetables, grains and organ meats.

1. BARF diet for dogs: chicken and rice recipe

One of the simplest dishes you can include in the BARF diet is chicken and rice. Obviously, you will adapt the quantities of food based on your dog’s weight and activity, but the basis of this recipe is:

• 75% raw chicken.
• 25% rice.

To prepare it, follow these steps:

1. In a saucepan, put a tablespoon of olive oil and wait for it to heat up.
2. Pour in the rice, cook it and turn it until it absorbs the boiling oil.
3. Pour a little water until the volume of the rice doubles and boil it.
4. Cook for 10 minutes on low heat.
5. Mix the cooked rice with the raw chicken and serve.

It is important that the bones you will give to the dog are raw and fit the size of your pet’s mouth. Bones  should not be cooked  as they may splinter if chewed and injure or get stuck in any part of the digestive tract.

2. BARF diet for dogs: fish and vegetable recipe

Just like bones or bowels, feed your dog raw fish whenever possible . If you are concerned about the presence of any parasites or bacteria, you can freeze it to get rid of them. Some owners complement the recipes of the BARF diet with canned sardines. By the way, it is always better to choose those without oil and with as  little salt as possible.

Remove the skin and all the bones of the fish. This is a very important and delicate phase, since the bones could become blocked and injure the animal’s throat. Bones are safer to gnaw, on the contrary, thorns pose a real danger.

To complete this recipe, we suggest you use seasonal vegetables, choosing easily from those you can already find at home. Unlike meat, vegetables need to be cooked to make digestion easier.

The ingredients needed for this recipe are:

• 50% cod.
• 50% carrots, potatoes, red pepper and spinach.

How to prepare it:

1. Clean the fish carefully: remove skin, bones and scales. Open it and make it into small pieces.
2. Peel the vegetables and cut them into pieces.
3. In a pan with cold water, throw in the potato and carrot, boiling everything.
4. After boiling for 5 minutes, add the pepper and spinach.
5. Wait another 5 minutes, turn off the heat and drain the vegetables well.
6. Mix the mixture in a bowl, pour the raw fish and serve it to your dog.

3. BARF diet for dogs: vegetable recipe

Usually, the recipes of the BARF diet include 60% of meat or fish (raw) and the remaining 40% of vegetables (cooked). During the day, this quantity can be safely  provided in smaller portions, in the two or three meals you want to give to your four-legged friend. The advantage of this is that, in one day, you can alternate the quantities. For example, if you give the animal a plate of vegetables only for lunch, you can balance it with a meat-only ration for dinner  .

There are several advantages to giving your four-legged friend a plate of vegetables 2 or 3 times a week. On the one hand, it promotes lighter digestion and relieves possible stomach discomfort. On the other hand, there are many nutritional benefits related to the intake of more carbohydrates that your dog will appreciate.

For this dish, calculate:

• 25% potatoes
• 25% chickpeas
• 50% carrots, courgettes, broccoli and beets
• Olive oil

Let’s now see the preparation:

1. Cook the chickpeas separately.
2. Peel and chop the potato and other vegetables.
3. In a pan with cold water, add the potato and carrot, boil everything for 5 minutes.
4. Add the rest of the vegetables and cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Drain the vegetables and mix them in a bowl with the chickpeas.
6. Add a dash of olive oil and feed the dog food.