BARF for Seniors

Barf for seniors and everything you need to know about healthy eating for seniors. We have already written about how important it is to choose food for your puppy. It is equally important to choose the optimal diet for your senior dog. Should it even be emphasized that you can prolong the life of your pet with natural and high-quality nutrition? All of us who have furry four-legged friends as family members will agree on one thing, and that is that dogs definitely live too short! This is actually one of the reasons why we started producing BARF. We have seen that our pets live shorter and shorter lives. Very early, already after five or six years of age, dogs begin to suffer from diseases that were once absent in the dog population. We already have a senior in our office who grew up on BARF. Our Bela is nine years old, and has been fed BARF since she was two months old. Bela has never been sick in her life. I think she would get a little angry if we told her she was a senior. Bela does not feel like that, nor does she look like that. 

But my dog ​​eats industrial food and it is good for him... We often hear dog owners say that their pets eat industrial food and are healthy. When we ask the question how old the dog is, we realize that it is usually a dog that is no older than 2 to 3 years old. Well, that's exactly the point. As with humans, what we eat/do in youth "pays off" in old age. Another reason is that young organisms tolerate everything more easily. Think how much candy you could eat as a teenager without feeling sick. 

Investment in a healthy diet is the best investment in the health of your seniors. The earlier the dog starts eating a natural raw diet, the less likely it is to develop the most common senile diseases. The most common conditions that appear in old age dogs are: 

• Changes in the joints, difficulty in movement and arthritis
• Excessive weight as a result of reduced movement and slowing down of metabolism
• Increased risk of developing diabetes, kidney and heart disease

Proteins from raw meat are extremely easy for dogs to digest. It is extremely important that food for seniors is rich in easily digestible proteins. They will maintain healthy muscle mass and the proper functioning of the dog's organs and immune system. It is necessary to avoid foods rich in starch (rice, wheat, corn, peas, etc.). Such foods are a source of unnecessary calories, which then lead to obesity, and in a much worse scenario, to diabetes. 

Industrial food contains a minimum of 40% of foods rich in starch. In addition to being a source of high-quality, easily digestible proteins, raw food is rich in enzymes that help food digestion. In older dogs, the activity of digestive enzymes decreases. This is precisely why it is important that easily digestible proteins are offered, and that the diet of seniors is rich in enzymes that make digestion easier for the body. The complete BARF meal contains ground cartilage, the best source of glucosamine and chondroitin, which are essential for joint health. The natural form of glucosamine and chondroitin are much better absorbed in the body than synthetic preparations (various tablets and capsules). And what is important to emphasize, it is never too late to switch your dog to a BARF diet. 

Petra Galetić, dr.vet.med