50/50 kibble and raw meat

[Tina M]

Has anyone tried feeding their dog kibble and raw TOGETHER? My doodle was on Honest Kitchen, ACANA Grasslands (this month, i rotate flavours to have variety) but he gets bored with his food but if i top his kibble with raw meat, he will eat it all with so much gusto. I cannot go 100% raw diet as it is very expensive.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

There are all kinds of dehydrated and freeze-dried raw products you can use for toppers, or to mix with your dog's kibble. Stelly & Chewy's patties are great. You can add your own fresh meat (raw or cooked) to the Honest Kitchen mixes, too. You can also add cooked meat to kibble; my guy gets about 60% kibble and 40% home-cooked chicken and sweet potatoes. It works beautifully for him. But the dehydrated and freeze-dried products are great if you ever board your dog, or travel with him. If it's only an issue of getting bored with his food, rotation diets usually work well for that. Keep in mind that a normal, healthy dog will not starve himself, and many a "picky eater" has been created by a well-intentioned owner adding things because they want to see the dog enjoying his food. I think the following discussion will be one that you can relate to, and you just might have a "light bulb" moment. 

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/an-ode-...

[Tina M]

Thanks Karen!

I rotate his Acana so he will not get bored. I used to feed him dehydrated raw food but HK is hard to source where I live. I will have to order in advance so I switched to Acana. 

You mentioned I can add raw meat to the kibble but can I add raw meat as well? He seems to do will with Instinct Raw for Dogs. His poop did not change at all. I am just scared I might mess up his GI as some people are saying that you can't feed kibble and raw in 1 meal.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yeah, well, you hear that on the raw feeding websites, which are filled with scientifically and physiologically inaccurate and unsubstantiated information about rates of digestion, etc. It's hokum. 

If you're using a commercial raw product like Instinct, there is no reason you can't mix it with his kibble. 

[Nancy]

I feed Acana kibble always top my pups food with Primal Freeze Dried Nuggets.  I buy the Turkey and Sardine because it is quite stinky and I split 1 nugget between each dog at each meal.  My Ivy is picky and that seems to work with her.  Oliver is not picky at all :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

This is another good way to do it. And you're not adding many calories, either. Less than 20 extra calories for each dog at each meal. 

[Tina M]

I just found this article which is very helpful.

https://therawfeedingcommunity.com/2015/01/08/digest-this-kibble-ma...

My doodle is on Acana Grasslands and I top it with something raw from raw instinct or totally raw (https://www.totallyrawdogfood.com/). I give him half of a patty per meal (half in the morning and half at night time). His excitement to eat totally came back. Probably because he is getting something different each time. I stick to lamb, duck and fish which are proteins used in his kibble.  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Although the article from the raw feeding site contains quite a bit of misinformation, it does come closer to being factual than almost anything else I have seen on one of those sites, and I am thrilled to see that some of the proponents have finally figured out what those of us with a formal educational background in physiology and nutrition have known for years, lol. Of course processed food digests faster than whole raw food, lol! All you have to do is think about the digestibility of a whole raw apple versus a cup of applesauce to understand that.  

Put your mind at rest about messing up your dog's digestive system by mixing raw foods with kibble. That isn't going to happen. However, I would stick with safe commercial raw products from the brands on our recommended list.