[kcarter137]

I am new to this site and find it so thankful that I found it. Hopefully I won’t sound crazy but here it goes. I have had a really hard time finding food that work for my dogs. Everytime I think I have found a food it or they seem to have problems. They were all on California Natual or Innova and doing great until I changed them in October due to news that P&G bought them.

I have four dogs. Here is the breakdown:
13 year old golden female. Years ago the vet reccomended their Iams fish and potato diet which worked fine but due to budget reasons we switched her to California Natural Herring and Sweet Potato. She did wonderful for many years on that. We tried Taste of the Wild’s fish formula and immeditetly she started itching. Now she is on Tuscan Natural Lamb Formula. She is doing fine with her allergies on it (aka no itching) but after reading reviews I feel like I am feeding her an imcomplete food.
5 year old golden (no problem). Also eating Tuscan Natual Lamb Formula.
2 year old great dane mix (crazy sensitive GI tract). Eating Tuscan Natural Turkey and Chicken.
1 year old 13 lb mix (has major skin issues). She’s eating Orijen Adult – so far the only food that hasn’t triggered her demodex.

Here is the real question. Supplementing their diets with a freeze-dried raw food make since or should I switch their kibble? I am on a budget – but I can get Tuscan Natual at wholesale price which is about $35 a bag. I feed about 11 cups of food daily between all the dogs.

• This topic was modified 11 years, 7 months ago by kcarter137.

[pugmomsandy]

You can supplement their diet with the freeze dried raw food but usually it is alot more expensive per pound unless you can also get that wholesale.

[Hound Dog Mom]

If you’re on a budget and are just using raw to supplement a balanced kibble it’d be much cheaper to just add fresh meat at a rate of 20% or less of the total meal. Freeze-dried foods are very expensive. My grocery store almost always has beef heart, beef liver, chicken hearts, chicken gizzards and chicken livers – all of these items are very reasonably priced and could boost the protein of the kibble and provide your dogs with some of the benefits of a raw diet without the hefty price tag. If freeze-dried is the route you want to go and are open to switching foods – all of Nature’s Variety’s foods are coated in freeze-dried raw and they have a new food called “Raw Boost” with chunks of freeze-dried raw, Great Life is coated in freeze-dried raw and Wysong has two kibbles (Optimal Performance and Nurture) that contain chunks of freeze-dried raw. It may be cheaper to buy a kibble with the freeze-dried raw already incorporated rather than supplementing separately.

[kcarter137]

I’m just unsure of what raw food to supplement with if I go that route. I know my grocery stores do have a good selection of organ meats. Do I just randomly select a few to use. What about fruits and veggies, should I add some too.

[Hound Dog Mom]

You can add fruits and veggies if you want – but you don’t have to. If you do, make sure the veggies are cooked and pureed and the fruit is mashed or pureed. Cooking and pureeing helps to break down the cellulose making it easier for the dog to digest as dogs don’t produce cellulase (the enzymes necessary to breakdown cellulose).

Don’t add only organ meat – I suggested hearts and gizzards because they are considered muscle meat and are cheap. Organ meat would be liver, kidneys, spleen, lungs, etc. The only organ meat you’ll probably be able to find at a grocery store would be liver. Liver is fine to feed but feed it in moderation – it’s very nutrient dense and should account for no more than 5% of the diet. You could certainly buy ground meats, whole roasts and such and dice them (although these cuts are a bit more expensive). You could also supplement with a meal of raw meaty bones a few times a week if you aren’t opposed to feeding bones (pork necks, chicken leg quarters, turkey necks, etc.) – RMB’s will provide dental benefits as well.

[pugmomsandy]

kcarter137,

The Asian and Mexican supermarkets will also have a selection of organs, feet, and also hearts and gizzards. I buy wild caught sardines from the Mexican supermarket on sale for 1.19/lb. For my small dogs, one 3 oz sardine is a meal but you could use it for a topper too.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/IMG_4047600x450_zpsf34c6610.jpg

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/IMG_60801024x821_zpsad7d39eb.jpg

[Tiyapup]

I am feeding my pup a rotation of high quality kibbles, mixed with a balanced homemade raw diet. She is doing very well.. healthy growth, beautiful thick soft coat, lots of energy, pretty firm and very regular stools, etc. etc. I’ve read several times now that you should NOT mix kibble and raw in the same meal because of digestive issues. Has anyone really had problems with this, and can anyone give me a real scientific explanation why I shouldn’t mix them? I’ve heard they digest at different rates and (literally, I read this) “confuse the pancreas”. So what? Why does it matter how fast a dog digests something? She has firm and regular stools, and that’s enough to convince me that mixing is fine, but I’d still like to hear a scientific argument why mixing kibble and raw might be bad.

In case you care, the rotation is Taste of the Wild puppy, Wellness Core puppy, and Blue Buffalo Wilderness puppy, supplemented with a homemade variety of livers, hearts, gibbets, cheap cuts of venison or lamb, chicken necks, eggs, yogurt, pumpkin, salmon oil, a small amt. of an herbal supplement, and add Grandma Lucy’s grain-free no meat pre-mix. I was doing about 20% raw 80% kibble, but now its close to half and half.

[pugmomsandy]

I don’t look up the scientific stuff myself. I feed a mixture of foods sometimes. One meal can just be kibble or it can be kibble, freeze dried raw, raw and canned all together!

[RescueDaneMom]

I don’t take stock in that theory about not mixing raw with kibble. I started out feeding raw by adding it as a topper to my dog’s kibble. He never had a problem with it.

[theBCnut]

Mine have never had a problem with it and all different foods digest at different rates but they never mention anything except mixing raw and kibble. I do know someone that has one dog that doesn’t do well when she mixes raw and kibble, but all the rest of hers do fine mixed. Her dog that doesn’t do well vomits and has loose stools and shows other signs of being in distress, so I expect if your dog has a problem with mixing, you will know it.

[Author]

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