Diet for dogs: Does Barfen help against obesity?
A successful diet for dogs aims to reduce the number of calories in the food, but without skimping on important nutrients and proteins. Barfing can help with obesity because you can customize the raw meat diet to meet your dog’s needs. What you should consider, we reveal here.
The important thing to remember about a dog diet is that it should be as high in protein as possible, but low in calories. This also applies to barfing against overweight. Because if the dog gets too little protein in his food, he will not only lose excess fat, but also muscle mass. The muscle mass, however, is indispensable for your dog to stay healthy and fit and to maintain its weight later on.
Overweight in dogs – an underestimated problem
In a normally weighty dog, you can easily feel the ribs that are under a layer of fat. However, if this is not the case, then the fat layer is clearly too thick and your dog is overweight. Specific breeds of dogs, such as Labradors, Retrievers, or Cocker Spaniels, as well as neutered dogs, are prone to quickly developing a fat pad or two on their ribs.
The consequences of obesity for these four-legged friends can include heart and circulatory problems or liver disease. For this reason it is particularly important to declare war on the excess kilos. Barfen, a method of dog nutrition, which relies on fresh meat feeding, can be a possibility. Before that, however, it’s time to see the vet!
Before dog diet to the veterinarian
It is advisable to visit a veterinarian, who ideally specializes in dog nutrition, before starting the dog diet with your four-legged friend. He can calculate the ideal weight for your dog and determine what amount of food he should be fed daily to lose weight in a healthy way.
If you try to do this as a layman, you can get a lot wrong out of ignorance. This can lead to nutritional deficiencies. It is also possible that the dog will gain weight again after the diet because he has lost too much muscle mass. As a result, he consumes fewer calories than a fit, healthy animal.
The veterinarian can advise you on what nutrients your dog needs and how to give them when barfing. It may be possible to support the dog diet with supplements if feeding raw meat alone does not provide all the vitamins and minerals.
To avoid incorrect dosages, discuss this possibility with your veterinarian beforehand and follow his instructions or diet plan for your dog exactly.
Combat overweight with barfing
The advantage of barfing is that you have a better overview of what ends up in the dog’s bowl than with industrially produced complete food. In this way, the dog diet can be individually designed and adjusted to the needs of each quadruped.
This way, when you barf, you can more easily make sure that your dog gets high-quality proteins through good meat and fresh fish. For this, however, you really have to keep meticulously to the Barf specifications from the vet and ideally keep a food plan of what your dog eats – so also note treats, chew bones and Co.
Barfing is a good way to reduce carbohydrate intake. Carbohydrates contain just as many calories per gram as proteins, but are not as urgently needed by the dog. Therefore, it is a good idea to reduce the amount of calories in the food by cutting down on carbohydrates.
In addition to fresh meat and fish, barfing can be diversified with vegetables such as spinach or carrots. Papaya and pineapple are particularly suitable for overweight dogs. The fruits contain enzymes that help the animal to absorb the proteins in the feed even better. Flea and linseed, on the other hand, provide a better feeling of satiety. Artichoke leaves have a positive effect on the dog’s blood lipid levels and help with digestive problems.
Also, don’t completely forgo fats and oils when barfing – they can be useful for your dog despite being overweight. Again, ask your veterinarian which fats are good for your dog and in what amounts.
No dog diet without exercise
In addition to dog nutrition, a diet also depends on sufficient exercise for your four-legged friend. Enough exercise is important for the dog to lose weight. For this purpose, extended walks, fun play sessions or visiting a dog school are recommended. The advantage: Once the dog is busy, boredom does not arise and he tends less to eat more than is good for him.
