Switching from a 100% raw diet to 50% raw and 50% kibble

[OdinBB]

Hello,
Well right now my Odin is on a 100% raw diet and it is getting expensive. We are looking for a really good quality kibble to add into his diet; does anyone have any suggestions?? Also, I heard that mixing kibble and raw together isn't very good for them; is that true? As always all of your suggestions and expertise is very much apprieciated.

 

[angelbears]

A lot of people say it is not good to mix because of different digestion rates. Personally, I don't think that is a big problem. What I would worry about is a nutritionally balanced diet.

 

[OdinBB]

A lot of people say it is not good to mix because of different digestion rates. Personally, I don't think that is a big problem. What I would worry about is a nutritionally balanced diet.

Thank you. Do you have any brands of food in mind?

 

[musicdeb]

I had to switch to 50% raw meat and 50% dog food for Titan. I feed Titan Acana Regionals Pacifica and Ranchlands. I order from chewy.com

I believe the debate about raw meat and dog food is if the dog food is loaded with grains because the dog's digestive system digests the meat and grains differently. If you feed a grain free food, then it should be ok.

Titan has been on the 50/50 for almost 2 months and he's doing very well.

 

[DMikeM]

So many people think that mixing the two is "OMG! The worst thing ever" but really it's not going to harm the dog at all. I use Taste of the Wild for my kibble.

 

[OdinBB]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I just got back from the pet food store and ended up purchasing Orjien large breed puppy. I am introducing it to him tonight, hopefully it works out for him. Does anyone have any experiance with Orjien large breed puppy food?

 

[DMikeM]

You really don't need or want to feed puppy food to a Boerboel, or mastiff for that matter. Just get some all stages kibble.

 

[fixitlouie]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I just got back from the pet food store and ended up purchasing Orjien large breed puppy. I am introducing it to him tonight, hopefully it works out for him. Does anyone have any experiance with Orjien large breed puppy food?

I feed my dogo that high dollar stuff for a few months I think he was around a year...didnt see any difference from Purina puppy chow...

 

[DMikeM]

Some dogs will eat whatever you feed them and continue to live with very little issues but eventually all the crap you give them will take it's toll on them and present as cancer, arthritis, liver or kidney function issues, shortened life span, fatty tumors, diabetes, seizures or any one of a million other symptoms we currently see in dogs today.

If you want your dog to thrive, feed it as much raw as you can afford and supplement with a quality kibble if you must supplement.

 

[AZ Boerboel]

After seeing the benefits of switching over to raw there is no way I'd ever
switch back, even partially. We always fed "really good" kibble, like Orijen
and totw, and the dogs did ok with it, but when we switched them to raw
the personality change along with how much healthier my dogs became
solidified it.
I make my dogs food, I know exactly what goes into it and feel much better about that than reading a label full of ingredients most of which I've never heard of and trusting that is all there is and that no chemicals were used along the way.

 

[Cyndnelson]

I feed my dogo that high dollar stuff for a few months I think he was around a year...didnt see any difference from Purina puppy chow...

You can eat McDonald's every day and not really 'see' a difference either. It's not what you see but what is going on inside your blood, heart, kidneys, etc. that is affected. I would encourage you to learn about the ingredients in your dog's food. It is amazing all the garbage they will put into bags for our special little ones to eat. Just like processed human food is not good for you, poor quality dog food is just as harmful to your dog in the long run.

 

[Gregory5]

We feed Vader Earthborn and have had good results.

 

[fixitlouie]

You can eat McDonald's every day and not really 'see' a difference either. It's not what you see but what is going on inside your blood, heart, kidneys, etc. that is affected. I would encourage you to learn about the ingredients in your dog's food. It is amazing all the garbage they will put into bags for our special little ones to eat. Just like processed human food is not good for you, poor quality dog food is just as harmful to your dog in the long run.

For 70.00 a bag I want to SEE a difference! !!!!!!

 

[fixitlouie]

The is no substitute to overall clean health. Fresh clean water twice a day, baths regularly, good food, exercise and loving home....only when you get these will your dog truly thriven.

 

[OdinBB]

After seeing the benefits of switching over to raw there is no way I'd ever
switch back, even partially. We always fed "really good" kibble, like Orijen
and totw, and the dogs did ok with it, but when we switched them to raw
the personality change along with how much healthier my dogs became
solidified it.
I make my dogs food, I know exactly what goes into it and feel much better about that than reading a label full of ingredients most of which I've never heard of and trusting that is all there is and that no chemicals were used along the way.

I agree with you 100%, raw is the best way to go and we have been feeding our dogs raw for the past 4 months now. However, we have not found a butcher or a place we can buy meat from at a reasonable price and it is just too expensive. I love my dogs to death and would love nothing more then to feed them raw but we just cannot afford it and that is why we are forced to add kibble in their diet. Maybe some day we will be able to afford 100% raw.

 

[OdinBB]

We feed Vader Earthborn and have had good results.

Thank you, I will def look into Earthborn.

 

[musicdeb]

OdinBB, you do not have to justify switching to 50% raw and 50% kibble. You have to do what you have to do.

 

[AZ Boerboel]

Believe me, I feel you about the cost. If I had to grocery store buy the meat I'd never be able to pull it off and the only butchers around here are either expensive middle eastern places or a really scuzzy carniceria. It took me a while to find the place I order from.
What state are you located in? There are several bulk raw food co ops across the country, may be one by you. They usually advertise very poorly and a lot aren't even listed online. I buy all of my parts by the bulk case and mix it once a month. I have a primary chicken based mix and to that I add in any small game I hunt along w deer/elk/antelope/buffalo. When I broke down the cost of what I mix last time compared to a bag of quality dog food I spent $12 more for the month on raw and used 3 hours of time mixing things. Well worth it to me.

 

[DennasMom]

We found a local raw-feeders coop... I think we have over 300 people in our group, so we can get some really good bulk buying power!
Look on yahoogroups for 'carnivore feed suppliers' (something like that)... see if there's a group in your area that can help get you some better deals than the grocery store.

As for 50/50... I think if you start with a 100% kibble and only add a bit of raw, you may cause trouble... if your dog is completely converted to raw, I think adding back to 50% kibble won't be as much of a problem. The key (in my totally uneducated opinion) is keeping the stomach at high enough acid to digest raw well... I would think the kibble should digest easier in that environment, then, anyway.
Denna gets a mix of kibble and raw any time she's at the boarding place... they don't have enough refrigerator space for the 25lbs of food it takes to feed her for a week...

I've heard Orijen is not less expensive than raw... but that's what I'd want to go with if I couldn't do raw... I do use some freeze-dried kibbles (vital essentials is one)... but I don't think it's cheaper than raw, either.
Hopefully the Earthborn works for you.

I think there are some really good kibbles out there (anything by purina is NOT on my 'good' list... I don't think they care about where their ingredients are sourced), and, for many dogs, exercise and a stress-free, loving environment are just as important (if not more so) than food, too.

 

[OdinBB]

We found a local raw-feeders coop... I think we have over 300 people in our group, so we can get some really good bulk buying power!
Look on yahoogroups for 'carnivore feed suppliers' (something like that)... see if there's a group in your area that can help get you some better deals than the grocery store.

As for 50/50... I think if you start with a 100% kibble and only add a bit of raw, you may cause trouble... if your dog is completely converted to raw, I think adding back to 50% kibble won't be as much of a problem. The key (in my totally uneducated opinion) is keeping the stomach at high enough acid to digest raw well... I would think the kibble should digest easier in that environment, then, anyway.
Denna gets a mix of kibble and raw any time she's at the boarding place... they don't have enough refrigerator space for the 25lbs of food it takes to feed her for a week...

I've heard Orijen is not less expensive than raw... but that's what I'd want to go with if I couldn't do raw... I do use some freeze-dried kibbles (vital essentials is one)... but I don't think it's cheaper than raw, either.
Hopefully the Earthborn works for you.

I think there are some really good kibbles out there (anything by purina is NOT on my 'good' list... I don't think they care about where their ingredients are sourced), and, for many dogs, exercise and a stress-free, loving environment are just as important (if not more so) than food, too.

Thank you, I will research carnivore feed suppliers and see if there is anything in the local area or something on line to ship in.