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Advice on feeding raw and kibble

Bear86

Well-Known Member
No problems just read a few things about feeding de to treat intestinal worms(supposedly good for joints etc too because it's mainly silica) but...you can't always trust what companies say because obviously they want to sell their product!! I like getting 'real' advice and testimonials from people who've tried it or done further research that I may not have seen...good or bad:)
 

DennasMom

Well-Known Member
Coming late to the party... but... my recommendation would be:

1. convert to a 100% raw diet for at least a few months... maybe 6 months to make sure the systems are all running well on raw with multiple proteins.
2. feed what ever you want going forward (keeping balanced nutrition in mind) - and make sure there is some raw in the picture each week.

I think once a dog is converted to raw, the system can handle a greater variety of foods. If you try and just add a little raw and keep kibble in the picture in the beginning, I think that might confuse the system and slow the transition to the higher acid stomach environment. I'm not a biologist, though, so this is just my theory.

Now that Denna is raw fed 95% of the time, she often gets "kibble" / store-bought treats.
We just got back from camping, where she ate a lot of "vital essentials" freeze-dried "kibble" along with some re-hydrated "honest kitchen" meals (which has something in it that made for lots of BIG poops). :(

Next week she'll be hanging at her favorite boarding location, so she'll be mixing a kibble product with raw there, too, due to limited fridge/freezer space availability.

She does just fine with the mix, but I'm always happy to get her back on 100% raw again.
 

DennasMom

Well-Known Member
As for DE... I do have some, and have fed it (and eaten some myself), but can't say if it's done anything or not.
I've heard lots of people with horses feed it and find it beneficial.
There are also lots of stories about dusting items with DE to kill bugs and fleas... just don't breathe it!!
But, personally, I don't have any miracle success stories to share.