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BARF- Don’t be too quick to jump on the band wagon.

The question of how to feed our pets seems to become an ever-increasingly hot topic and is one that has the veterinary profession well and truly divided. Personally my opinion is very clear on the subject and I’m sure will elicit an angry response from those with the opposite view just as it would do the other way round! I am a firm believer that good, balanced nutrition is one of the biggest factors in the increased longevity and well-being of our pets. Well-made, well-researched and scientifically produced food is the way forward. Regardless of food for normal, healthy dogs, prescription diets play a massive role in the actual treatment of some diseases such as kidney and liver failure, diabetes and urinary tract disease. In some of these cases it is probably as important as medication, if not more so and can dramatically improve the prognosis of some diseases.

The BARF diet has become more and more popular and involves the feeding of raw meat and bones. It is seen as a way to get away from the ‘nasty’, processed foods and return to the natural diet of the dog. The fact is that raw meat and bones no longer are the natural food of the dog. Humans used to eat much the same thing but we no longer do for obvious reasons. The feeding of raw meat not only can cause a health risk to the humans handling it from bacteria such as Salmonella and Campylobacter but can also cause mild to severe gastric upsets in the animals it is fed to as their digestive systems are often unprepared for such foods. Besides the risk of infection these bones can and will occasionally break teeth, cause intestinal obstruction and in the worst cases cause bowel perforation. The latter can lead rapidly to peritonitis and death. This is not scare-mongering, this is fact.

The British Veterinary Association has issued a policy brief to its members that clearly states that it does not support the feeding of raw meat and bones for all the reasons I’ve stated above. It also acknowledges the thorough science behind the feeding of scientifically prepared complete foods and goes on to point out that it is very difficult to attain a perfect balance with home-prepared foods and there is no scientific evidence to support the feeding of raw meat and bones. Whatever your view on this I understand that many people are swayed by differing opinions and want to try a return to ‘nature’. It was one such case that I saw recently that prompted me to write this article.

Benji is a sweet Cairn terrier who is, understandably, a bit shy of the vets. I had seen him a few months previously for a booster and had commented that his teeth were getting pretty poor and it would be worth considering a dental. His owner was reluctant as many are because of the need for an anaesthetic and so on and they had also been concerned about over-vaccination, another hot topic. They were very open at the time that they were interested in a holistic approach to the care of the dog and that is everybody’s right. We only use divisible vaccines here so I was happy to reassure on that level. As for the teeth we decided to wait. Later, still concerned about the teeth his owners had followed their holistic instinct and gone to a holistic vet. This vet had thought the teeth were not too bad and, instead, had recommended raw meat and bones as an alternative diet which might well help with the build-up of tartar.

It was about 2 weeks later that I saw Benji again. He was off his food and, more worryingly, had now stopped being able to drink. As soon as he got on the table the smell of infection from his mouth was unmistakeable and his beard was matted with excess saliva. Benji has never really liked having his mouth examined and now he was in pain it was more of a struggle. A brief glimpse inside showed ulcers to the sides of the tongue and some inflammation round the rest of the mouth. When I heard about the switch of diet I spoke frankly about my opinion and my concerns with it. When I mentioned that many dogs get an upset stomach the owner immediately agreed that, indeed, he had developed diarrhoea after the bone had been given.

It was clear we needed a proper look in his mouth and admitted him for sedation and a possible general anaesthetic depending on what we found. Frankly, I have never seen anything like it except in a cat that had chemical burns to the mouth. The whole of one cheek was red raw with ulcers and trauma, the back of the mouth was similar and both long sides of the tongue had had the mucosa stripped off them. The whole lot was infected and must have been incredibly painful.

We checked for penetration injuries and found none so turned our attention to the teeth. As we’d originally thought there was extensive dental disease and gum infection and Benji actually needed to have several teeth removed because of periodontal disease. He went home with pain relief and antibiotics. Two days later at his post op check his owners’ broad smiles told me everything I needed to know and they happily reported that he was back to his old self and eating well.

Benji’s owners actually felt guilty and responsible in some ways for his suffering but they had done everything they thought was right; they had sought veterinary advice and followed it. The fact is that one of the reasons Benji had bad teeth in the first place is that he had never really been a dog to chew things despite what he’d been offered over the years. The softness of his mouth exposed to a long chew on a juicy bone had just not been up to it and the resulting trauma was severe. Needless to say he is now back on his original complete food and fully fit in body and soul. Benji was lucky; major complications may not be common but when they occur they can be the difference between life and death and that is no joking matter.

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