Switching back to kibble:(

[BAMCB]

Due to unforeseeable events we will be switching to kibble for a bit. Not sure how long it will have to be at this point. What is the best way to switch back, fasting for 24 hours? What is a kibble you all would recommend? We had Sonny on TOTW(short time only. Ava and the Jack's were on infinia for years) before switching to raw. I had always given my Ava and my JRTs raw bones and the like(for occasional treats) their whole lives while being kibble fed with no issues. Maybe I can try to see how each handle it? I am very concerned about the pup and Chica eating when we switch. Sonny has eaten raw since 10 weeks old and Chica refused kibble when she came into our home but LOVES her raw meatballs and treats. I have so much guilt that I need this to go as smooth as possible to avoid more. Any and ALL advice/experience will be greatly appreciated!! Hopefully we can get back on raw in the new year. We have a freezer full of meat, lots of goodies, a new grinder and an awesome new upright freezer that would be a total shame to waste. I am so NOT looking forward to picking up the poo!! I may also need a support group while transitioning Thanks everyone!

 

[angelbears]

Hope all is well! I wouldn't fret. I can't help much on the kibble end but they will be fine switching to kibble. Dogs go back and forth all the time. Find a kibble you're happy with and give it to them. Don't let them guilt you. When they are hungry they will eat. It is very rare that a dog will starve itself. We are here.

 

[cj-sharpy]

As angel said they won't starve them self.
Max turned his nose up at dry for a few days (our regular supplier had a fire and the pet shop stuff is ridiculously pricey) but he soon realised chicken wasn't coming and it would take a bigger dog than him to get my pizza so he ate what was given to him.
Yeah the poo won't be fun.
You think kibble to raw cam upset their bowels? Raw to kibble was waaaaaaay worse for us. I'd recommend a mop and some water wings.
Do you mind if I ask why you are swapping back.

Sent from my SM-A300FU using Tapatalk

 

[EverythingEnglishMastiff]

:ggodvibes: No worries. It's not going to be a huge issue. Do what you gotta do. The dogs will eat if they are hungry. No guilt needed.

 

[BAMCB]

Thanks everyone and perfectly fine Cj- holidays are crazy anyways but the biggest factor is my daughter was in an accident. Some jerk ran a stop sign and totaled her car. Her injuries are more than expected and my time is consumed with this. My health is not the best(nothing big, just physical therepy but time consuming) my grandma passed away, hubs is back to traveling for work, toddler can be time consuming and we had to buy a new car to give our daughter ours. I also need to start on Christmas gifts as we try to do all homemade to save on money. I'm already behind. Add in shopping for and grinding mass amounts of meats and it puts me over the edge:/ I am just upset because I've seen firsthand how well it's done for Ava and Chica. We will get through though

 

[Hiraeth]

As far as what kibble to switch back to, I'd suggest a grain free kibble since your dogs have been on raw for so long.

I personally feed Earthborn. It's a family owned company, and therefore isn't run by some corporate giant. My dogs do well on it. I had to transition to it very quickly and it caused no diarrhea issues with any of my four. My dogs also shed noticeably less after the transition to Earthborn. For an adult dog, the Primitive Natural formula is what I'd choose, though there are multiple formulas in the line.

Acana and Fromm are two kibbles I often see recommended, as well. I have seen it stated by multiple people that Fromm is very rich and can cause diarrhea. Since you're probably already going to be facing some cannon butt issues, I'd think that avoiding a kibble known to cause those issues would be a good idea, but it is a quality food.

If you see some signs of super bad digestive issues, if it's possible, I'd recommend crating the dogs on tile or confining them in a tiled area if you're going to be out of the house for any lengthy period of time. Soup-poop is much nicer to clean off of non-carpeted surfaces, in my experience. Which is unfortunately rather extensive

 

[tmricciuto]

I would also suggest giving them a good probiotic in the beginning or maybe some pumpkin to help with the digestive upset.

 

[Hector]

Me personally, I've always done switches cold turkey. I've also found that if a kibble doesn't agree with them, then the kibble doesn't agree with them. I've never had a problem switching from raw to kibble and vice versa and I've done it with 4 dogs - all been fine. I also sometimes add a bit of raw meat to the kibble and they took it fine as well. I'd probably start with going back to whatever kibble they were fine with and don't start off with 6-7 cups (whatever their normal amounts are). Start with 2-3 cups (half the feeding) until you see their stomachs are handling it well.

 

[BAMCB]

Well after a lot of research of dry kibble it looks to be more expensive for totw, earthborn and other higher quality foods. So more money for less quality talked with ever so agreeable hubs and he was on board for a road trip to Wisconsin to grab bulk ground products which will take out shopping for deals and mass grindings, both very time consuming. I will be checking further into this.

 

[Hiraeth]

Well after a lot of research of dry kibble it looks to be more expensive for totw, earthborn and other higher quality foods. So more money for less quality talked with ever so agreeable hubs and he was on board for a road trip to Wisconsin to grab bulk ground products which will take out shopping for deals and m$#@! grindings, both very time consuming. I will be checking further into this.

I was going to mention that quality kibble is actually more expensive than raw feeding. Feeding 420 lbs of dogs including a growing Great Dane costs me almost $150 a month.

 

[BAMCB]

I was going to mention that quality kibble is actually more expensive than raw feeding. Feeding 420 lbs of dogs including a growing Great Dane costs me almost $150 a month.

What are you feeding? According to my math it would cost us $115 a month feeding only 215 lbs of dog. My estimates could be really off.

 

[robertosilva]

Raw can be as cheap or expensive as your sources allow. If you add up all the travelling to suppliers, butchers etc the freezer costs and time taken preparing raw is often a lot more expensive than people claim. It is arguably the best but not conclusive.

 

[BAMCB]

My butcher is super close, MPC drop is 5 blocks away and I average $1/lb. The freezer did up our electric by roughly $10-15 a month. All that still makes it cheaper. I am not complaining about the money(though I did think it was costing more so very surprised to find out not) it is just energy consuming and I have no extra to give at this point. If we could stock up on pre ground to get us through to the new year then I think I can make it work. The pre ground is only $.60/lb so that would reduce the cost to half of what kibble would cost. I am hoping to get some reviews about this supplier though before I get my hopes up too much.

 

[Hiraeth]

What are you feeding? According to my math it would cost us $115 a month feeding only 215 lbs of dog. My estimates could be really off.

Haha. I'm a bit bad with math sometimes. I looked at that number and thought "huh, that's cheap", but then got busy at work and never figured out why it looked wrong.

Now that I've done the math properly, it's over $340 for 30 days of kibble. My three adults get 2.5 cups each per day. My puppy ranges between 8-10 cups per day, depending on whether he's going through a growth spurt or not.

I think raw is definitely cheaper from a financial standpoint, but more time consuming and difficult for someone with a lot of other priorities that are taking up their time.

 

[BAMCB]

Haha. I'm a bit bad with math sometimes. I looked at that number and thought "huh, that's cheap", but then got busy at work and never figured out why it looked wrong.

Now that I've done the math properly, it's over $340 for 30 days of kibble. My three adults get 2.5 cups each per day. My puppy ranges between 8-10 cups per day, depending on whether he's going through a growth spurt or not.

I think raw is definitely cheaper from a financial standpoint, but more time consuming and difficult for someone with a lot of other priorities that are taking up their time.

Sorry I made you do the math lol

Well, maybe I'll do kibble just to get through the holidays and then back to raw in the new year. Thanks everyone, it is so wonderful to have this forum to bounce ideas off of and get advice

 

[DennasMom]

Denna's gone back and forth to kibble from her raw occasionally. Just cold-turkey, 10-12 hours between one meal-type to the other. One day here or there is easy... by the end of a 10-14 days stint, I'm ready to get her back on raw (and the smaller poops!). But, other than being larger, they've been fine, and pick-up-able. "NOW" (petcurean) and Acana are the two dry food we've used... chicken & grain-free.

 

[BAMCB]

I picked up a bag of earthborn holistic. I think Chica's need for frozen meatballs is what is so exhausting. She still regurgitates thawed chunks of meat and almost all bone. At this point I am thinking it may not go away. But she LOVES LOVES her meatballs! Dances and runs to her crate waiting for her bowl far cry from the timid, malnourished, chronic skin infected rescue we took in just a short 4.5 months ago!

 

[angelbears]

It is amazing how quickly the rescues can turn it around. She sounds like a super happy girl.

 

[BAMCB]

Yep! Especially on grinding day LOL

 

[angelbears]

So cute! She is really looking good!!!