I was not planning to buy or adopt a dog on a stormy day in 1996 in rural Mississippi. I was volunteering at an equestrian center when a pack of three strays appeared. One looked quite a bit like Benji, but had a great fear of people (and thunder of which he barked madly at). I quickly named him “Thor”.
I was lucky to stumble upon the b.a.r.f diet back in 1997 when my 8 year old stray mutt “Thor” was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. I was told he would have to take barbiturates for the rest of his (probably short) life, and be on a special hypo-allergenic dog food as well. My instincts kicked in as the vet made the diagnosis by simply looking at him and feeling some glands. I did not like the quick diagnosis. This motivated me to go to the Internet and begin my research. I was a lucky man, and Thor was a lucky dog when we discovered Dr. Ian Billinghurst, a small town veterinarian surgeon near Brisbane, Australia. He convinced me that converting Thor’s food to a completely raw diet might just restore his health, and even save his life. He was right. Thor lived another 13 years and died on Thursday, with a smile on his face, at age 21.
Not being a vet, I cannot give you medical advice for your dog or cat. I can only share my own experience with Thor, switching him to this miracle b.a.r.f. diet and putting him on herbal tinctures. His energy level and peace of mind evolved to such a point that people were actually telling me they felt a “spiritual connection with this creature”. He was walking with me 5 miles a day up until age 17. He had nearly been dead five years earlier. This diet is a force with which to be reckoned.
I am angry that more nutrition is not taught in vet schools. But I have read from several vet journals and was not surprised to see, for instance, that there is no minimal nutritional requirements for grains of any kinds for dogs or cats. But look at the processed foods. It is loaded with them; even the more “socially acceptable expensive quality foods” even if meat or meat by-products are the main staple.
Vets are worried that dogs will choke on chicken and pork bones. They will not. Raw bones are flexible. They are easily digested even by puppies and elderly dogs. Kibble is the big danger. More dogs choke on kibble daily than all other dog diets combined. But you never hear that in the news.
Even though the processor is important, so are bones. Thor received bones of every kind of animal from rabbits to elk to chicken to beef. He didn’t have a favorite, but bones are a very important part of the b.a.r.f diet.
Let’s face it. Seventy years ago, there was no such thing as “dog food”. People fed their pets what was left from the table, raw foods from the gardens, etc. The catastrophic diseases we see today, began at the same time processed dog food was introduced to the market.
In October, I was flying to Charlotte on a business trip. A woman next to me struck up a conversation about her two dogs, both yellow labs who were constantly at the vet with unknown ailments. I proceeded to tell her about the raw foods diet and how few vets were aware of it.
Before I could finish my sentence, a woman sitting in front of us turned around and said, “Excuse me, I’m a veteran vet in Charlotte and I am sorry to eavesdrop (it was too late), but I know all about the b.a.r.f. diet and recommend it to all my clients. I am very much against feeding dogs and cats what is being sold in stores and many clinics
I asked her how she could possibly compete with vets in her community (She lived in suburban Washington, D.C.), and she said, “Most are already educated there and very aware of the diet.” She added, “Many have had their pets on the b.a.r.f diet long before the books were written.”
Thor was a survivor. He came back three times from the gates of death. This past week, his body gave out at age twenty one. I have shed many tears but am happy I had the chance to own this amazing creature, and, learn of this incredible diet. I hope and pray others will learn about it and have a similar experience that I had with my loving dog Thor.