Fresh-Frozen

Yes we do At Barxx we have personally saw the improvement of a raw Dog food diet provides. The foundation for a healthy immune system resulting in healthier skin, teeth, and coat as well as a reduction in allergies, and an overall improvement in health and well-being. Barxx, raw Dog food diet contains Balance of abundance heat-sensitive nutrients, trace minerals, and amino acids that are otherwise destroyed in the cooking process. We see pets on raw diets having less health problems, and a longer life spanned, and less frequently visiting to the vet.

Other great info links about Raw Dog Food

Although Our Barxx formula is not exactly the same as the links below, the basic formula ratio break down is. We do change the seasonal vegetables for a nice diet change (balance), but the questions and answers about would apply to our Barxx formula too.

http://k9joy.
Jane Anderson

intherawpetfood

rawlearning.
The 50 Most Commonly Asked Questions About Raw Dog Food

http://njboxers.com

Why Raw Dog Food?

An ongoing debate has been waging among dog owners, dog breeders, dog trainers and veterinarians for some time with regard to the safety of feeding raw meat and raw food to dogs.

For the most part, local dog owners, breeders & Zoo keeper swear by the Raw diet, but veterinarians are hesitant to recommend it outright...WHY?

Let's face it, our Vet carries more weight to pet questions posed to them because of their education. With that in mind, today the commercial dog food industry is $14 billion business.

We fully agree with, but are not responsible for content of these independent reports.

The Hidden Link between Vets, Universities, and Pet Food Companies

by Jane M. Anderson.

Within the veterinarian profession, it is even worse. Many universities, and many vets receive a plethora of "advice" and funding, from both the drug companies, and the pet food companies.

Here's a sample:

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) main two sponsors are Bayer (Drug company), and Hill's (pet food company). In fact, both sponsors contribute significantly to the annual junket, I mean, conference.
The Australian Veterinary Association hides its main sponsor behind the name of "Masterfoods". This is of course, Uncle Bens, which is a dog food company.
As far as we know, there has been no research done to determine the exact correlation between influence by sales reps and what vets then recommend. However, this has been done in the medical profession.

In the website No Free Lunch set up by doctors to show the influence of drug companies on doctors, there is substantial evidence revealing the links. Let's quote from the site:
- In a study by Avorn, et al (1982), forty-six per-cent of physicians reported that drug reps are moderately to very important in influencing their prescribing habits
- In a study by Lurie, et al (1990), one-third of medical residents reported that they change their practice based on information provided by drug reps
- In a study by Steinman, et al (2000), 61% of medical residents stated that industry promotions did not influence their own prescribing, but only 16% believed other physicians to be similarly uninfluenced
- A study by Chew, et al (2000) , found that in the treatment of hypertension, over 90% of physicians would dispense a sample that differed from their preferred drug choice.
At this point, our contact with vets, who appear very upset by any questions regarding association between themselves and drug and pet food companies, deny any link whatsoever. A vet recently contacted me stating, "it's better to get free stuff than having to buy it ourselves. Why shouldn't we get it for free." The same vet went on to claim the pet food companies only gave them things to be nice, and not to influence any decision making.

Have a look around your local vet clinic. You will find all posters with a drug or food company stamp on them. All stationary will have been provided by a drug or pet food company. Even the software some vets use is provided by pet and drug companies.

There is little, if any, part of a vet's professional life, and their surgery set up, that is not influenced by a pet or drug food company.

If you have a vet surgery which does not have one poster, stationery, pamphlet, fridge magnet, etc, provided by a pet food or drug company, we'd like to be able to pass your details onto the general public. Please email us. We'd love to hear from you.

In a 4-5 year university degree, students receive, on average, less than 8 hours education on canine nutrition. Additionally, universities have been well known for using pet food company sales reps to present to their students the lectures on nutrition. The pet food companies influence in a variety of ways including:
- providing so called "nutritionists" to universities
- support the pre-vet groups financially
- provide scholarships and awards
- provide posters with sponsor logos
- put on additional "education" sessions
- hold fun events like bbq's and parties
- give free pet food to students
- free t-shirts
The whole idea is to make the product name in the forefront of the student's thinking. Is it any wonder, if you were to ask most vet about Raw Dog Food diet they down play it, the FDA too. Just the way Doctors will prescribe regulated drug appose to a possible herb alternative. Luckily there are a few Vet who are speaking out like

Dr Larry Siegler who is not affiliated with us, but we do agree and supported his article below.

by Dr. Larry Siegler

Our animal companions are natural hunters and carnivores... just look at their ancestry. The dog at your feet (or on your sofa) has evolved from the wolf, and it's digestive system is virtually the same despite thousands of years of domestication. They have very short intestinal tracts geared to the consumption and digestion of raw foods. Dogs are considered "omnivores" as they eat a variety of grasses, berries and vegetables in addition to prey. The cat on your lap is a true or “obligate” carnivore and is specially designed by nature to hunt small rodents and birds. Her digestive tract, as well, is intended to assimilate raw meat best. The Benefits of Raw food diets have been shown to help the body deal with many common ailments such as flea infestations, hot spots, continual shedding, poor dental & gum health, allergies, gastro-intestinal problems, immune disorders and degenerative diseases. Diet is the foundation of health. The fresher the diet, the more nutrients are available for the animals system to utilize in building immunity, healing from illness and warding off disease. Raw diets have been common practice in European countries for decades, especially Germany, where it is commonly recommended by veterinarians. The fear of feeding raw meat in this country seems to stem from a fear of salmonella, e. coli and parasites. In over 10 years of feeding raw food and seeing countless animals on raw food diets, salmonella and e. coli have not been seen to be a problem. (Remember, their digestive systems are designed to accommodate raw meat.) Parasites could be contracted through eating wild, whole prey or game meats, but is much less likely from properly handled human grade meats. Infection is more likely to occur through ingestion of feces or soil, orpoorly handled meat. The actual research sited in the US in support of a raw diet is rather convincing. A long term study conducted by Francis M. Pottenger, Jr., M.D. between 1932 to 1942 was initiated a bit by accident. Dr. Pottenger kept cats as laboratory animals for experiments in human health. As his research and cat population grew, he resorted to feeding them raw meat scraps from a local packing plant instead of cooked kitchen leftovers. Within a few months, he noticed distinct improvements in the cats eating raw meat. This prompted Dr. Pottenger to undertake a whole new experiment: he segregated cats into different groups - some of which were fed a cooked meat diet and others who received a raw meat diet. All observations were noted in great detail over many generations of cats. At the end of the study Dr. Pottenger concluded that cats fed a heat processed diet were deficient and suffered from innumerable ailments ranging from low immunity, irritability, and allergies; to skeletal deformation, organ malfunction, poor development during kittenhood, low birth rate, birth defects, infertility, and shortened life-span. (If you wish to learn more about the Pottenger study, you can purchase a summary of the study as book or video from the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation.) Some exceptions to “raw is better” are the older, weaker animal who may not tolerate raw food, or animals with certain gastro-intestinal problems where the gut has to be restored to a healthier state using herbs and/or supplements. In these cases, a home prepared, cooked diet the best substitute for a raw food diet. Raw Food Diets Ideally, our companions would eat an all raw diet that includes some viscera and bones. Generally, the more raw food you can include in your companion's diet, the better - but some is better than none. Some guardians choose to feed their companions a 1Ú2 raw and 1Ú2 dry (dehydrated or kibble) diet; either mixing the two or feeding raw for one meal each day and dry or cooked for the other. It does not have to be complicated - you can feed raw chicken and turkey necks and chicken backs as part or all of a meal several times a week. Raw poultry bones do not splinter, they crunch. This is a great way to clean teeth, exercise chewing muscles, and provide a natural source of balanced calcium and phosphorus, as well. When introducing raw to dogs they may experience diarrhea, constipation, or both as their systems adjust. Remember to go slowly and feed small amounts at first. When beginning the introduction of raw bones, it may be helpful to crush them with a hammer or in a meat grinder until your dog becomes fully transitioned to a raw diet. For cats bones should always be ground. If your companion has a delicate digestive system, consider grinding meat and bones through a 1/4-inch blade before feeding. Ground bones do not have the same teeth cleaning benefits as whole bones, however. You may also see similar symptoms as your companion's system goes through a detoxification process during the transition to a healthier diet. Again, the key is to go slowly and persevere. In the long run, your companion's increased health and vitality will be the ultimate reward. Only Natural Pet Store offers a wide range of commercial frozen raw foods that are available either in a formula of raw meat, and fresh vegetables designed to provide complete nutrition, or as pure raw meat designed to be added as a supplement to other types of food. We also offer a product called N-R-G Raw Companion that is a dehydrated vegetable and nutrient mixture designed to be added to raw meat. You simply re-hydrate the mixture and add raw meat. Obvious precautions should be taken when feeding raw meat - wash hands thoroughly after handling the raw meat. Thaw meat in the refrigerator, not sitting on the counter at room temperature. Warm water can be used to thaw or warm the food after it has been mostly thawed in the refrigerator. Do not microwave raw food as the live enzymes are damaged and bones will harden even in just 30 seconds of micro waving. We do recommend avoiding pork as it has been shown to be a source of Trichinella. Transitioning to Raw Food It is best to introduce raw food slowly into your companion's diet over the course of two weeks. If your companion is used to having food available throughout the day, first transition him or her to eating only once or twice per day for dogs, and two to three times per day for cats before beginning the transition to raw food. Consider transitioning fully to raw in the beginning even if you ultimately intend to feed a mix of raw and cooked or dry. This will give your companion's digestive system the optimal environment for generating healthy enzymes and flora. Start with 1 teaspoon for small dogs and cats and 1 tablespoon for larger dogs for three days or so. Then increase to 2 teaspoons or tablespoons for several days, decreasing the amount of regular food by 1Ú4 to 1Ú2 in general proportion to the raw. Work up to replacing at least 1Ú2 the normal diet for several days. Finally replace one full meal with raw for a day or two, then fully transition to raw .If your animal is resistant to the raw at first, you may want to use a bit of canned food to entice them. Cats, in particular, can be resistant to a change in diet. They tend to fixate on whatever food they are weaned onto and will resist switching to a healthier diet. We have found that grinding or shredding their favorite treat on top of the food can help. Published in Lithgow, N.S.W. Australia by Ian Billinghurst, 1993 and 1998 respectively. Natural Dog Care; by Celeste Yarnall. Published in Boston, MA by Journey Editions, 1998. Reigning Cats & Dogs; by Pat McKay. Published in Pasadena, CA by Oscar Publications,1995.

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Those of us who have chosen to share our lives with pets want what's best for them. Years ago, my dog was suffering from debilitating health problems and I was fostering abused and neglected rescue dogs. I was spending a large sum on vet bills and my animals never seemed to get better. After months of research, I switched all my animals to my Barxx raw dog food formula. The changes were dramatic and we have never looked back.

We hope this info has helped to guide you through the increasingly confusing and sometimes dangerous world of poor-quality pet foods, which are often loaded with unhealthy fillers, chemical preservatives and other by-products, and to lead you to the superior benefits of a Raw Dog food diet.

Thanks for your time!