BARF

B.A.R.F. & Detox

by Tiffani M. Beckman, Vet Asst. & Student of Veterinary Medicine

Actual quotes from Veterinary School books..............

"Some question exists regarding the need of dogs and cats for dietary carbohydrate." - Small Animal Clinical Nutrition III (1990), published by Mark Morris Assoc.

"There is no known minimum dietary carbohydrate requirement for either the dog or cat. Based on investigations in the dog and with other species it is likely that dogs and cats can be maintained without carbohydrates if the diet supplies enough fat or protein from which the metabolic requirement for glucose is derived." - The Waltham Book of Dog & Cat Nutrition (1988), edited by Dr. A. T. B. Edney

"Provided the diet contains sufficient glucose precursors (amino acids and glycerol), the glucogenic capacity of the liver and kidneys is usually sufficient to meet the metabolic need of growing animals for glucose without
the inclusion of carbohydrate in the diet." - Nutrient Requirements of Dogs (1985), published by the National Research Council

Extracted from: Reigning Cats & Dogs by Pat McKay

DETOXIFICATION

Detoxify means to rid of poisons or the effects of poison. Poison is defined as any substance that has an inherent tendency to destroy life or impair health. Pesticides, chemicals, devitalized food and vaccinations all set up toxic situations in the system. The body must rid itself of these poisons. We see symptoms of detoxification with vomiting, diarrhea, bad breath, itchy skin, draining eyes and ears, and cysts and tumors, to name a few. After your animals start eating fresh foods, their bodies will detoxify because they now have the nutrients to build healthy systems and no longer will have the need to suppress disease. You will notice it more with some & animals than with others. Detoxification can start immediately or it may take days, weeks or months before the animal's body is healthy enough to detoxify. Usually the body will detoxify through areas that are already diseased. For instance, dogs who have skin problems will detoxify through the skin. The itching and body odors sometimes get worse at first because the system initially heals internally and releases the toxins or poisons through the skin. I wish I could tell you how long it will take, but each system is so different I can only say I have seen animals get better in a couple of weeks, and I have seen skin disorders that continued for months. At least animals on the fresh food program continue on an upward spiral, getting healthier and healthier as each day progresses. Animals on antibiotics, antihistamines, hormones or cortisone appear not to have problems for awhile, because drugs suppress disease, but it always comes back and even worse than before once you discontinue the drugs. It goes without saying that the side effects of drugs can be more deadly than the disease. Whatever your animal encounters in the way of detoxification, there is a natural way to take care of it. Aloe vera, bee pollen, garlic and many other natural foods can be given to help the body detox.

A simple solution for the dog with skin problems is constant bathing. Have you ever been hot and sweaty and felt itchy all over? That's a form of detoxification. The bacteria builds up on the skin and causes the itchiness. Taking a bath or shower will relieve the discomfort by getting rid of the poisons that are sitting on the skin. The same is true for your animal.

Whenever the body is detoxifying through the skin, that skin needs to be kept free of poisons that are coming out of the system and causing the itching. Some animals may need to be bathed every day for a few days. Even though it takes a great deal of time, effort and care during that healing process, keep in mind how intense that itching sensation is. If you were suffering from a severe case of poison ivy, poison oak or chicken pox, that would give you an idea how intense the itchiness is for your animal. Keep that in mind when you see your dog or cat scratching incessantly.

Dogs and cats do not scratch just because they are bored or because it's a nervous habit. They scratch because they itch. Take away the cause of the itch and they will quit scratching. When you see scratching, do something about it right away. The more serious it becomes, the longer it takes to heal.

Natural remedies that can be used for detoxification problems are aloe vera, food-grade hydrogen peroxide, grapefruit seed extract, calendula, hypericum, urtica urens, bee pollen, bee propolis, colloidal silver and grape seed oil. Aloe vera is the best natural product available for any type of detoxification. You can combine aloe with bee pollen, bee propolis, calendula or hypericum extracts to be given internally and externally. They are all cleansing, soothing and healing to the body. Grape seed oil or erigeron with fruit and nut oils can be used on the skin for red, irritated areas. These oils will absorb into the skin and give soothing relief to raw areas. Gently massage a thin coat of oil into the irritated area. For the ears, put a few drops of oil in each ear and gently massage them for a few minutes to give the oil a chance to get down into the canal and loosen the debris. When you stop massaging, your animal will shake his or her head and whatever has accumulated in the ears will come flying out. This is a good time to take a piece of gauze or a cotton applicator and clean the inside of the ear that you can see. Do not put the cotton applicator into the ear canal because you will only be pushing the debris farther down into the ear.

After the oil treatment you can apply the aloe/hydrogen peroxide combination in the ears if there is an infection or mites, or the aloe/calendula combination if there is bleeding or itching. Ear drops formulated with herbs and grapefruit seed extract is another excellent treatment.

Ear candling is very beneficial. It is a treatment you can do yourself; however, you need to have a holistic practitioner demonstrate the procedure for you at least once. (See Resources.) Hypericum made from the herb, St. Johns wort, is especially helpful when there is intense itching, particularly the legs and paws. For dogs who are constantly chewing at their feet or who have caused lick granulomas (a spot on the body, usually the legs or feet, where constant licking has caused a calloused area, tumor or growth) use hypericum ointment, rather than a liquid form, because it is easier to apply.

Hypericum ointment can be applied several times a day for relief. All the homeopathic remedies if they are licked off will do as much good internally for your animal as externally. That's one of the wonderful perks of using natural products. In fact, only products that are edible should be put on your dog or cat because everything that's put on the outside goes inside while they're grooming themselves.

Sometimes detoxification comes in the form of loose stools for a few days or even weeks. The stools have the consistency of mashed potatoes. That is a cleansing. If your animal has diarrhea, which is the consistency of water, this is a whole different matter and you have something going on besides detoxification. Do not confuse the two. Diarrhea needs immediate professional attention because it causes dehydration which can be fatal. Often the stools will be encased in mucous. A healthy system gets rid of the mucous because it is no longer needed. Worms will also come out in the stools now because the worms cannot live without the mucous. The whole process of detoxifying is a magnificent manifestation of healing. Your animal's urine may have a strong odor for a few days. Again, this is a cleansing. As your animal gets healthier you will notice more urine and your animal will urinate for a longer period of time at each urination, which is a very healthy sign.

You may notice that the eyes are draining. Everything from a thin watery discharge to thick mucous in varying colors will drain from one or both eyes. All is well. Let the toxins come out. The animal is getting rid of poisons out of any and all orifices that he or she can. When guardians tell me about the first signs of improvement they often say, "My animal's eyes are so bright and clear now. "Other comments are: "He's more like himself now. "She's just like a puppy again." "He's as playful as a kitten. The sweet temperament and the playful personality begin to emerge. Now, that's healing!

In order to reach that point your animal must go through the detoxification. For some animals you may not notice any aggravations. For others, it may be a constant uphill road. There is no way of predicting. What you do know for sure is that each day your dogs and cats eat good fresh food they are going in the right direction, towards good health.

Pat McKay's book can be purchased here in the Book Store.

Tiffani M. Beckman tabbique@yahoo.com