Dr. Ian Billinghurst
Father of Raw Feeding
“I start every gut recovery program with fermented foods”
Chief Veterinary Advisor & Formulator
Dr. Ian Billinghurst.
Veterinary surgeon, author of four books on natural pet nutrition, chairman of the Billinghurst Institute, creator of the B.A.R.F. diet, and the formulator behind every Gussy's Gut® blend.
Who he is
The vet who started the raw feeding movement.
Dr. Billinghurst is a veterinary surgeon and practicing veterinarian with 40+ years of clinical work and research. Long before anyone used the words "pet nutritionist," he was arguing that dogs and cats should eat the way their bodies evolved to eat.
His B.A.R.F. diet (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) changed how a generation of owners feed their dogs, and earned him the name the "Father of Raw." He has written four books on natural pet nutrition and founded the Billinghurst Institute to teach what he learned.
Leading veterinarians, including Dr. Judy Morgan, Dr. Karen Becker and Dr. Steve Marsden, credit him as the pioneer of species-appropriate feeding. Many now say publicly what was doubted decades ago: he was right.
Credentials
Four decades of clinical practice, in every bag.
- stethoscope
Veterinary surgeon
Clinical knowledge from a practicing vet, not a marketing department.
- menu_book
Author of four books
On natural, species-appropriate nutrition for dogs and cats.
- pets
Creator of the B.A.R.F. diet
The biologically appropriate raw food movement started with his work.
- school
Founder, Billinghurst Institute
Teaching vets and owners what forty years in practice taught him.
Twenty years before Gussy's Gut
It began with a Lab named Buddy.
In 2000 Rob hired Dr. Billinghurst to teach him how to raw-feed his first black Lab, Buddy. That diet carried Buddy to a very healthy sixteen, with a high quality of life right to the end.
The two kept talking for twenty years. When Gus's bottle cap sent Rob into the kitchen to ferment vegetables, Dr. Billinghurst was the first call. He was there from the very beginning of Gussy's Gut®, and he has formulated every blend since.
Why fermented whole foods
In his words.
Meet Dr. Billinghurst →“This is the single most important upgrade to dog food in over 25 years.”
Dr. Ian Billinghurst, Chief Veterinary Advisor & Formulator
His principles
Three ideas behind every Gussy's Gut® formula.
01
Dogs are omnivores
For millions of years dogs ate the fermented plant contents of their prey, and buried bones to ferment them in the ground. Vegetables, fermented, are part of the ancestral bowl.
02
Absorption over ingredients
A dog is not what they eat; they're what they can absorb. Fermentation opens the plant cell walls so the nutrients inside are available. Whole carrot chunks in the stool are the proof they weren't.
03
Feed the gut lining and the microbes
A healthy gut lining is a solid wall; an unhealthy one is a chain-link fence. His formulas do two jobs at once: support the lining and feed the beneficial bacteria.
Questions
Questions about Dr. Billinghurst
Did Dr. Billinghurst formulate every product?
Yes. Boost™, Sustain™, Youthful Grasses & Sprouts™, Fiber & Fortifier™ and the superfood blend inside GutAbles® were all formulated with him, as Chief Veterinary Advisor & Formulator.
Can he answer a question about my dog?
Not individually. Without an established veterinarian-client-patient relationship, Dr. Billinghurst and the other vets featured here can't give advice about a specific dog. Please talk to your own vet before starting any new supplement, especially for a diagnosed condition.
What is the Billinghurst Institute?
Dr. Billinghurst's own teaching organization, where vets and owners learn species-appropriate nutrition. It's separate from Gussy's Gut®.
Is this a raw food?
No. Gussy's Gut® makes fermented whole-food supplements that go on top of any food: kibble, gently cooked, home-made or raw.
Trusted by the vets who know
Hear it from the veterinarians
Integrative and raw-feeding vets on why they recommend fermented whole foods for the dogs in their care.
Dr. Steve Marsden
Holistic Vet
“Fermentation is super important if you want to heal a leaky gut”
Dr. PJ Broadfoot
Holistic Vet
“Gussy's Gut Provides the nutrients that dogs need”
Dr. Coward
Holistic Vet
“Gussy's Gut mimics what animals have been eating for 20,000 years”
Dr. Nick Thompson
Holistic Vet
“Fermented vegetables supercharge the gut”
Dr. Eva
Holistic Vet
“I recommend this to all of my clients and they love Gussy's Gut”
Dr. Cathy
Holistic Vet
“Give it 60-90 days to feed the bacteria to fix the gut”
Dr. Matt
Holistic Vet
“The only way pets can get these nutrients is through the fermentation process”
