Challenges of providing homemade diets for dogs and cats, with a focus on BARF and prey model modalities

Abstract

The change in the consumer profile of pet owners and the increase in concern about ingredients present in industrialized complete foods has made more and more owners choose to offer homemade diets. However, many tutors seek recommendations found on websites, offering their animals diets that mostly do not meet their nutritional needs and can pose health risks. Among the modalities of homemade diets, raw meats have been gaining more and more followers in Brazil, with emphasis on the BARF (biologically aproppriate raw food) categories, which includes raw meats with and without bones, viscera and a small portion of vegetables, fruits and seeds, and prey model, which does not require the inclusion of any foods of plant origin,  allowing only the inclusion of meats with and without bones and offal, in order to mimic the natural diet of wolves. This chapter addresses the benefits vs. negative points regarding the provision of homemade diets for dogs and cats, in addition to the nutritional requirements, with emphasis on calcium and phosphorus, considered the main macrominerals. In short, the objective is to alert dog and cat owners about the importance and responsibility in relation to the provision of balanced homemade diets, thus emphasizing the need for formulation by a trained professional, with technical-scientific support, in order to provide satisfactory diets for the development, well-being and longevity of dogs and cats.

DOI:https://doi.org/10.56238/sevened2024.018-035