In the case of the cat, which is an obligate carnivore and hunter, the biologically appropriate diet is based largely upon animal derived food stuffs.  Basically, whatever nutrition can be derived from a whole fresh raw carcas - in its entirety - constitutes a biologically appropriate diet.

In the case of the dog, which is an omnivore, a hunter and a scavenger, the diet can be based on a wider range of whole raw foods of foods of both animal and plant origin, with the further proviso that the foods may be either fresh or auto-decaying via endogenous enzymes. Both species rely on bones as a major part of their diet for a variety of reasons including teeth cleaning and the myriad benifits which flow from that together with the nutritional attributes of bones, their psychological benifits and so on.

The BARF movement appears to have begun in response to the dietary guidelines outlined in the book.  "Give Your Dog a Bone" writen by - Dr Ian Billinghurst, DMV. The acronym BARF started out as meaning "Born Again Raw Feeders".  Initially, this was a sling off a dog owners who fed raw food to their dogs.  When the originator of that term tried a raw diet on his own dogs, he was so impressed that he began an internet list advocating the use of raw food for dogs.  Along the way, he changed the meaning of the term BARF to the "Bones and Raws food diet".  BARF could also stand for the Billinghurst Australian Real Food diet.  In fact, anything you like that works!

The philosophy behind using BARF, or the hypothesis on which is based is that the diet a dog evolved to eat - over many millions of years of evolution - is the best way to feed it.  This is the hypothesis accepted by most modern zoos or any zoologists concerned with preserving species of endangered animals.  It is not the theory endorsed by pet food companies or the people they train - and that includes, unfortunately, most vets.

If you want to feed your dog(s) BARF, it means not feeding your dog(s) cooked and or processed food.  That is, not feeding your dog(s) a diet based on cooked grains, no matter how persuasive the advertising.  Artificial grain based dog foods cause immunerable health problems.  They are not what your dog was programmed to eat during its long process of evolution. A biologically appropriate diet for a dog is one that consists of raw whole foods similar to those eaten by the dog's wild ancestors.  The food must contain the same balance and type of ingredients as consumed by those wild ancestors.  This food will include such things as muscle meat, bones, fat, organ meat and vegetable materials and any other "foods" that will mimic what those wild ancestors ate.

Please note that modern dogs of any breed are not only capable of eating the food of their wild ancestors, but actually require it for maximum health.  This is because their basic physiology has changed very little with domestication despite obvious and dramatic changes in their current physical appearance and mindset.

The BARF diet, being an attempt to mimic the evolutionary diet of dogs, must, from a practical point of view, use food that is available from the local supermarket or whatever local or distant source is economically viable. BARF feeders do not have to go hunting or send their dogs out to hunt.  That is why I said BARF must mimic, not duplicate the evolutionary diet of dogs.  This is an important distinction.  The BARF feeder will MIMIC as closely as possible, rather than duplicate the NATURAL diet of the dog.  We are not trying to return our dogs to nature.  It's impossible to feed any domestic animal its natural diet, let alone allow it to live under natural conditions.  The natural diet and natural conditions under which the ancestors or wild cousins of our dogs live include grave dangers such as lack of shelter, starvation, attack by potential food, by other predators and the non use of medical intervention including surgery, vaccination, antibiotics and proventative measures against external and internal parasites etc.  In other words, natural diets and natural conditions can be deadly! This is not what we want for our pets.  What we want for our dogs is a diet and an environement that maximises health.  That means a Biologically Appropriate Diet rather than a natural diet.  This is my favorite use of term BARF - Biologically Appropriate Raw Food.

One aspect of the BARF program of diet and health for dogs that is controversial is the use of whole raw (meaty) bones as food for our dogs.  I have fed my own dogs with these for decades as have thousands of my clients and readers of my books.  For most dogs, whole raw meaty bones do not constitute a danger.  They simply and easily promote positive good health being a biologically appropriate food for our dogs.  However, where there is a perceived danger, do not stop feeding bones.  In these cases, simply use bones that have been finely ground.

This brings us to a very practical point.  Dog owners who want to feed BARF must find a source of raw meaty bones, offal and vegetables plus, whatever supplements are appropriate to balance the diet or treat particular disease problems.  The good news is that there are commercial foods becoming available that are designed as BARF diets.   Watch out for these available, it is essential that the dog owners fully understand what BARF diets are all about.  That means learning about BARF!

If you want to learn about BARF and start feeding your dog(s) a Biologically appropriate raw food diet - and there is little doubt that using the manufacturers recommended fuels, spare parts and lubricants is always the best insurance against breakdowns and system failures - then I strongly suggest you get hold of - and read - two books; "Give Your Dog a Bone" and "Grow Your Pups With Bones" by Ian Billinghurst, DMV. These contain the information you need to set your dogs on the path of true health.  The other source of information and encouragement will be one of the many raw feeding lists now in existence on the internet.