I'm no professional at book reviews, but I ordered a bunch of nutrition / wellness books and wanted to share my thoughts on each! Brief review on “The BARF Diet” by Dr. Ian Billinghurst; Dr. Ian Billinghurst is a big name in the raw feeding community. Veterinary surgeon with over forty years of experience, Dr. Billinghurst has training in veterinary science, agriculture science, integrative medicine, health and nutrition. I was so excited to read his book, “The BARF Diet” keep in mind, I’m no expert at book reviews, so this will be kept brief and to the point. “The BARF Diet” is the third installment in his series on evolutionary diets, following, “Give Your Dog a Bone” and “Pointing The Bone At Cancer." The first section of the book discussed what BARF is, common terminology used by raw feeders, and the benefits pet parents may experience while feeding their cat or dog raw foods. It’s definitely a very basic, to the point book. The section touching on health issues was very brief, and non descriptive. It would say things like “disappearing arthritis”, and “infected ears become healthy again.” but lacked an explanation as to why raw diets provide these benefits. Of course, I 100% agree with all that was said, but would have enjoyed an explanation on the why and the how. It would definitely be useful for those just starting raw feeding, which is who the book is meant for. Especially to those still skeptical of raw feeding. While the book is written by a credible veterinarian, many people require the why and the how. That being said, I do understand the book was meant to be basic! So that's totally okay. I really enjoyed learning more about inactive omega-6s and omega-3s, this is a concept that I wasn’t entirely familiar with. I also learned a lot more about the importance of raw meaty bones in the raw diet. I was aware of their benefits, but not to the extent explained in the book. I also learned a lot about labels. How “Complete and Balanced” really shouldn’t be used to describe raw diet plans, OR commercial pet foods. Instead, “Nutritionally Adequate” should be used. I'll now be using that term rather than "Complete and Balanced"! The last portion of the book had a basic recipe for a BARF patty for dogs, and one for cats. Dr. Billinghurst does believe in the minimal feeding (<5%) of nutritional fruits and vegetables for cats, due to the fact they will often consume the intestinal tracts of their prey. While I do understand they have phytochemicals, nutraceuticals, anti-oxidants, and other benefits, I much prefer to feed obligate carnivores things like green tripe and other animal/fish products instead. Especially to a little ferret. We can assume ferrets are even more sensitive to dietary additions of carbohydrates than even cats.
Dr. Billinghurst also recommends raw diets for cats and dogs should be supplemented with kelp powder, alfalfa powder, garlic, cod liver oil, and probiotics. This was interesting, I wasn't really aware of the potential benefits of alfalfa powder until I read this book. Though, I wouldn't feed any of the above to my ferrets, it was still great to learn about them. That's about all for this review. The book itself is a very light read, and can be finished in one sitting. I do recommend this for the shelves of anyone starting out with raw feeding, or to those wanting to expand their collection. Do keep in mind this book is meant for cats and dogs! Not ferrets. While much of it is relevant, supplement info and the patty recipe isn't ideal for ferrets. I ordered it here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1617811696
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