The BARF Diet is a raw feeding method created by Dr. Ian Billinghurst. This diet is similar to the prey model diet consisting of muscle meats, bone, and organs with the addition of vegetables, herbs, grasses, and fruits. These are all Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods (BARF).
Generally, no processed foods or grains are fed. The guidelines for the BARF diet are 70% muscle meat, 10% bone, 10% secreting organs (5% of which should be liver), and 10% vegetables/fruit are used to achieve balance.
By offering vegetables/fruits and other whole food supplements you are able to offer a wider array of vitamins and nutrients. Some people split the 10% vegetables and fruits into 7% vegetables and 3% fruits. Fruits are a natural sugar and some raw feeders prefer to keep them at the lower end of the ratios.
*Remember these are just guidelines and may need to be adjusted to fit your dog’s specific needs! What you chose as foods for those ratios matters regarding how much nutrition, vitamins, and minerals the meal is actually providing.