[CharismaticMillie]

My very first introduction to raw was via Nature's Variety products about 7 years ago and this is what they have to say:

Q&A:

"If I feed my pet a mixture of Instinct Raw and Instinct or Prairie Kibble during the same meal, should I be concerned about the different rate of digestion?

It’s important for pet parents to feel comfortable with their feeding process. We believe customers need not be concerned about mixing raw and kibble at the same meal. Raw is like canned food in terms of moisture content and rates of digestion; people routinely combine canned and kibble diets with no digestive upset or stomach emptying issues. There is no scientific evidence that combining kibble and raw food causes the raw foods to be digested at a slower rate."

 

[kmart]

My very first introduction to raw was via Nature's Variety products about 7 years ago and this is what they have to say:

Q&A:

"If I feed my pet a mixture of Instinct Raw and Instinct or Prairie Kibble during the same meal, should I be concerned about the different rate of digestion?

It’s important for pet parents to feel comfortable with their feeding process. We believe customers need not be concerned about mixing raw and kibble at the same meal. Raw is like canned food in terms of moisture content and rates of digestion; people routinely combine canned and kibble diets with no digestive upset or stomach emptying issues. There is no scientific evidence that combining kibble and raw food causes the raw foods to be digested at a slower rate."

After working in the pet food industry, it has been my experience that the absolute WORST place to get feeding advice and information is from pet food manufacturers.

I think I'm going to start with just doing 100% raw. My puppy is being raised on raw and I don't think I'm going to mess with it unless it gets too difficult for me. But I doubt that will happen with all the awesome advice I've gotten from this forum so far!

 

[kontiki]

Oh well, my spoo throws up the kibble part.

 

[kontiki]

After working in the pet food industry, it has been my experience that the absolute WORST place to get feeding advice and information is from pet food manufacturers.

I think I'm going to start with just doing 100% raw. My puppy is being raised on raw and I don't think I'm going to mess with it unless it gets too difficult for me. But I doubt that will happen with all the awesome advice I've gotten from this forum so far!

I fully agree with you.
And, so does my Spoo.
We're totally raw too!

 

[Critterluvr]

After working in the pet food industry, it has been my experience that the absolute WORST place to get feeding advice and information is from pet food manufacturers.

Oh yah, I TOTALLY agree with you here!

Yes, feeding 100% raw is definitely the best way to go if you can swing it.

 

[CharismaticMillie]

After working in the pet food industry, it has been my experience that the absolute WORST place to get feeding advice and information is from pet food manufacturers.

I think I'm going to start with just doing 100% raw. My puppy is being raised on raw and I don't think I'm going to mess with it unless it gets too difficult for me. But I doubt that will happen with all the awesome advice I've gotten from this forum so far!

I don't disagree with you, however, it *is* true that there is no scientific evidence that there is anything problematic with mixing raw and kibble. Also, consider the liability position a company is putting themself in by claiming that it is OK to do.

 

[kontiki]

Even worse is that most vets get their animal nutrition training from pet food companies.

My spoo would have died if I had not finally insisted that I feed him raw in spite of what my vets said. He had lost 1/3 of his body weight, wouldn't even drink water, threw up everything, or it came out the other end as liquid, and he just laid there. Had to have iv fluids. After about $2K in tests and every food recommended by the vets I refused to listen to them anymore. Thank goodness.

 

[Critterluvr]

Yes Kontiki, kibble can really cause a lot of health problems.....
When my Poodle cross Jasper was a pup he had constant eye, ear and skin infections. Plus he would occasionally throw up. My vet just kept prescribing ointments, drops and antibiotics....but had no clue what was causing the infections. I decided it HAD to be his diet, and that's when I decided to start him on raw. All of his problems immediately cleared up and he's been totally healthy ever since. (He's 5 now)
And boy, do they enjoy their raw meals.....when I have run out of raw and have fed kibble my dogs just look at me like they're saying "are you kidding me?"

 

[cecethepoodle]

I think feeding both is fine. I don't personally feed raw because of concerns I have that if you aren't extremely careful you can skimp on nutrients your dog needs with a raw only diet. Adding a kibble will ensure he/she gets all of the nutrients necessary.

 

[kmart]

I think feeding both is fine. I don't personally feed raw because of concerns I have that if you aren't extremely careful you can skimp on nutrients your dog needs with a raw only diet. Adding a kibble will ensure he/she gets all of the nutrients necessary.

See, I'm concerned that my puppy won't get all the nutrients she needs if I feed her kibble.
The amount of faith that people put in the pet food industry is concerning to me. Dogs are carnivores that should be eating what carnivores eat. The only reason that they are fed grains/veggies/fruits/etc. is that the pet food industry needed fillers/good-sounding ingredients (hey, blueberries are healthy, right?) and convinced the world that dogs "need" them.
I mean, Dog Chow is advertised as being safe, healthy, and complete nutrition for dogs which should be a huge liability.

We also have great reasons to be skeptical of pet food producers (Blue Buffalo vs. Purina, anyone?) as well as the majority veterinarians' nutritional recommendations. Everything is so saturated in $$.

 

[cecethepoodle]

See, I'm concerned that my puppy won't get all the nutrients she needs if I feed her kibble.
The amount of faith that people put in the pet food industry is concerning to me. Dogs are carnivores that should be eating what carnivores eat. The only reason that they are fed grains/veggies/fruits/etc. is that the pet food industry needed fillers/good-sounding ingredients (hey, blueberries are healthy, right?) and convinced the world that dogs "need" them.
I mean, Dog Chow is advertised as being safe, healthy, and complete nutrition for dogs which should be a huge liability.

We also have great reasons to be skeptical of pet food producers (Blue Buffalo vs. Purina, anyone?) as well as the majority veterinarians' nutritional recommendations. Everything is so saturated in $$.

Dogs are actually omnivores. The only true carnivore that people commonly keep as a pet is a cat. I agree that it is hard to choose/trust a brand of dog food, but I would advise really researching a raw diet and knowing the exact amounts of vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids that your pet needs along with the other necessary proteins/carbs/fats etc because it is very easy to accidentally overdose a pet or more likely deprive a pet of nutrients because the lack of nutritional knowledge.

An example of this is a Ca or P deficiency that can cause skeleton deformities.

 

[Poodlebeguiled]

I don't think that kibble is some horrible thing that causes a lot of problems necessarily. I've had dogs live to nearly 20 years of age that weren't toy breeds and they grew up on Gravy Train and Purina Dog Chow and they never had a sick day in their lives until the end. I think nutrition is important and I feed a better commercial food...premium. My Doberman ate mostly TOTW and people asked me what I polished his coat with. That black, short coat shows the sheen best.

As far as being omnivores, that's a controversy. I believe the jury is still out on that one. Apparently, their physiology, their digestive tract, their skulls, teeth, jaws are that of a carnivore. They're not an obligate carnivore like a cat but they do need lots of meat. The omnivore aspect may be behavioral. In other words, they will eat other things and thrive well as long as they have plenty of protein, bone too. They do not need vegetation or grains to thrive however. The latest research I've seen shows that they have evolved to digest grain quite well, better than was thought. So, I wouldn't call them one or the other exclusively. My take is that they're carnivores and omnivores behaviorally.

I was in the medical field too years ago and took my share of anatomy and physiology. I know that many of us cause havoc on our bodies with the foods we eat. However, I don't know that eating an ear of corn on the cob and a couple spare ribs with a big green salad with carrots and green pepper is going to hurt a perfectly healthy person. My guess is that the corn and harder vegetables will digest slower than the meat. I could be wrong. I didn't learn about that so much. But it is a guess. I, personally have a stomach made of lead and hardly anything gets me messed up. My dogs seem to take after me...not very sensitive. :act-up:

So I don't know for a fact one way or the other if feeding raw and kibble together will bother most dogs. Maybe it will some. I guess just do whatever works for your dog. If he gets upset, then try something else till you hit on just the right thing.

 

[kmart]

Dogs are actually omnivores. The only true carnivore that people commonly keep as a pet is a cat. I agree that it is hard to choose/trust a brand of dog food, but I would advise really researching a raw diet and knowing the exact amounts of vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids that your pet needs along with the other necessary proteins/carbs/fats etc because it is very easy to accidentally overdose a pet or more likely deprive a pet of nutrients because the lack of nutritional knowledge.

An example of this is a Ca or P deficiency that can cause skeleton deformities.

The reason I know that dogs are carnivores is because of my EXTENSIVE research. Feeding kibble ensures far more nutritional deficiencies than a well-varied raw diet. I recall several big-name pet food representatives telling me everything you've said. While a quality kibble is definitely not going to hurt most dogs, I want to give my dog the absolute best nutrition possible.

To elaborate; feeding cheap dog food won't hurt some dogs, just like some people can live off of fast food and not be overweight. While they look and act perfectly healthy, I don't think they feel super healthy. But that's just an inference, backed up by my hours of reading about raw.

 

[cecethepoodle]

We have different schools of thought, but it is clear we both love our dogs and want the best for them. Good luck with your raw feeding! There is no "right" answer that everyone will agree on, but as mentioned before, not all dogs are the same and some things work better for others. Same with people, I would die if I was forced to be on a paleo diet or whatever clean eating thing is all the rage....CARBS FOR LIFE!

 

[Critterluvr]

I was in the medical field too years ago and took my share of anatomy and physiology. I know that many of us cause havoc on our bodies with the foods we eat. However, I don't know that eating an ear of corn on the cob and a couple spare ribs with a big green salad with carrots and green pepper is going to hurt a perfectly healthy person. My guess is that the corn and harder vegetables will digest slower than the meat. I could be wrong. I didn't learn about that so much. But it is a guess. I, personally have a stomach made of lead and hardly anything gets me messed up. My dogs seem to take after me...not very sensitive. :act-up: .

Poodlebeguiled....you are talking about a "whole food" meal here, not comparable. Kibble is a totally over processed food. Different digestion process altogether.

Cecethepoodle....I would be careful with that CARBS FOR LIFE, it may come back and bite ya' some day.

 

[Poodlebeguiled]

I've gone back and forth from TOTW dry and canned of various premium brands, like Merrick, Canidae, Dave's, Wellness and various other brands. I use Stella's freeze dried raw for treats and sometimes in their meals. And Nature's Variety frozen raw. They like it all and do fine on all of it. I have yet to try some raw meaty bones on these particular dogs. I did with my Chi's quite a few years ago and had some problems which makes me hesitant. I'm sure over processing is not good. Some of the premium brands however, process very gently, using low temperatures and I don't believe those foods are the same as us eating at fast food restaurants. The foods I feed are primarily grain free, but not always. I'm not overly worried about grain as long as it isn't in large amount, reducing the meat amount. I want good quality meats and lots of protein for my dogs.

Here's a very good website and the gal who owns it is a nutritional specialist with a university education in animal nutrition. She designed a home made, liver friendly diet for my Dobe who had liver disease and he did very well on it for a good while. The Dog Food Project - How does your Dog Food Brand compare?

I think there can be some issues that come up from time to time with some of the commercial foods, like recalls or unscrupulousness where something is discovered where they mislead. So, ultimately, I'm sure raw or even home cooked (gently) diets as long as they're rich in all the minerals, vitamins and essential nutrients dogs need are best. But I don't think a good quality, premium kibble is going to cause a dog to be mal nourished or some of the other fear-mongering propaganda some raw feeding zealots tout. Like I said before, I've had and known dogs that had unusually good longevity that were healthy, energetic and fit all their lives and they ate much lower quality foods than we see more in abundance these days. I wouldn't feed those foods now that better stuff is available. But I don't agree that any food but raw is going to be significantly deleterious to their health necessarily.

 

[kmart]

I think there can be some issues that come up from time to time with some of the commercial foods, like recalls or unscrupulousness where something is discovered where they mislead. So, ultimately, I'm sure raw or even home cooked (gently) diets as long as they're rich in all the minerals, vitamins and essential nutrients dogs need are best. But I don't think a good quality, premium kibble is going to cause a dog to be mal nourished or some of the other fear-mongering propaganda some raw feeding zealots tout. Like I said before, I've had and known dogs that had unusually good longevity that were healthy, energetic and fit all their lives and they ate much lower quality foods than we see more in abundance these days. I wouldn't feed those foods now that better stuff is available. But I don't agree that any food but raw is going to be significantly deleterious to their health necessarily.

I definitely agree with this. I would never feed Beneful (somehow, I can always tell if a dog eats that stuff because they smell so bad!) but I definitely think that there are plenty of good options of processed food, like Orijin, Merrick, Wellness, etc. Which are brands I would use if I decided to not feed raw.

But I definitely have strong feelings about feeding a dog a corn and wheat based diet, which has only recently become less prevalent in dog food, so that's where I based a lot of my previous comments about kibble.

As for the fear-mongering propaganda, it definitely comes from both sides. I definitely think there's a happy middle ground, and honestly, unless there are serious medical conditions, most dogs will be okay no matter what they're eating. I really just want the ABSOLUTE best for my spoo, so I get anxious. :dance:

 

[Critterluvr]

I agree, I think kibble can potentially cause health problems in some dogs but other dogs can be totally fine with it and live long healthy lives.
I only started feeding raw because of Jasper's health problems as a pup. Before that I had always fed kibble with no problems.
I think if you choose to feed kibble then you there are a lot of good brands out there you can buy without breaking the bank. Just check the ingredients carefully, and I too would avoid those with corn and wheat in them.

I currently feed totally raw because I truly feel it's the best diet but it's a lot of work for 3 dogs. I may decide again to feed one meal kibble, i will just pick one that has the safest most natural ingredients.

I think that you should choose to feed your dog whatever works best for YOU as long as it keeps your dog healthy.