The BARF diet

The basis of the raw diet is that the acids inside a dog's stomach are strong enough to digest raw bone but generally highly inefficient at digesting grain.

If you look at a bag or can of prepared dog food,
you'll see that one of the main ingredients is some form of grain product. Yet when you look at the diet of a wild wolf (the genetic predecessor of the domesticated dog), you see that they eat animal carcasses (bones and all), and no grain at all.

Deciding to feed raw is a very personal decision.

The supporters of the raw diet feel
that it makes for much healthier dogs, and dogs that are much less prone to illness and disabilities like arthritis and diabetes. Dogs fed on "raw meaty bones" also will never need to have their teeth cleaned, as the process of chewing raw bones leaves their teeth sparkling white, and their gums a wonderfully healthy pink in colour. They also don't have that typical bad "doggy breath" that can be so unpleasant.

Another benefit of feeding raw
is that the faeces are small, do not smell much, and turn white and into powder within a day or so. Most folks are aware that they can tell when their dog has eaten premium dog food rather than regular dog food by the quantity of poop that results. The less the food is digested, the more that comes out the other end. This applies even more to dogs fed on the raw diet.

There is plenty of research you can do for yourself on the internet

We've given some links down below.
You should be aware that there are variations of the diet, from folks who grind up vegetables (dog's stomachs need the vegetable fibers ground to digest them) to add to their dog food, to those who feed their dogs entire rabbit or even deer carcasses.

Cloudcatcher and Paradise Labradoodles
are feeding primarily raw chicken (backs, necks, wings, thighs and legs), organ meat, fish like sardines and mackerel (for the omega oils necessary for brain development), plain yogurt and ground up vegetables. Due to their advocacy on behalf of children with disabilities, both moms are very sensitive to recent research that shows, in humans, the relationship between what's happening in the digestive system (the gut) and other health issues, including neurodevelopmental delays and autism.

In fact, many children with autism
also are not able to digest grain, and show marked improvement when gluten (as well as casein, the milk protein) are removed from their diet. As no strangers to the concept that the gut and the brain are intimately connected, the raw diet has come naturally to them vis-a-vis their beloved 'doodles.

Do not feed cooked bones!

FEED ONLY RAW BONES

Cooked bones get brittle, and it is the brittle splintered bone ends that can cause internal damage.

Some of the suggested books and web sites to read are:

http://www.switchingtoraw.com/ This is the book that Summer and Linda both have.

http://www.rawlearning.com/

Dr. Ian Billinghurst is credited as being the founder of the current raw feeding movement. You can learn about him and his books at

http://www.drianbillinghurst.com/

There are also several email discussion groups dealing with the raw diet on www.yahoogroups.com. You can search for information from past articles, and ask questions in these groups.