The raw deal: clarifying the nutritional and public health issues regarding raw meat-based diets

Abstract

In recent years, there has been growing interest in the feeding of unconventional diets such as raw, vegetarian and home prepared diets to companion animals. BARF diets, often referred to as ‘Biologically Appropriate Raw Food’ or ‘Bones And Raw Food,’ were popularised by Billinghurst in 1993. Such diets typically consist of 60–80% raw meaty bones and 20–40% a wide variety of foods including fruit and vegetables, offal, meat, eggs, or dairy foods.Prior to domestication, the diet of dogs and cats consisted largely of raw food. Once cohabiting with humans, raw food remained the staple diet for cats whereas dogs survived on by-products of human consumption, i.e. table scraps. The nutritional inadequacy of these diets is cited as being responsible for the shortened life span and nutritionally-related digestive, musculoskeletal problems encountered at that time. Yet, current justification for the feeding of this diet stems from the belief that these species are healthier when fed as if still in the wild.This article explores the nutritional adequacy and food safety issues related to feeding raw meat-based diets to companion animals and considers approaches for communicating with pet owners about the concerns regarding these unconventional diets.