# K9 Kravings + Kibble?



## afurr (Mar 4, 2009)

I've been trying to read up on the raw diet but there are some simple questions I can't find answers too. My 18 week old pup gets 2 lbs of K9 Kravings per day (1 lb in AM 1 lb in PM). He loves it and eats it all! My problem is that it is getting a bit expensive ... Is it appropriate on the raw diet to do 1/2 lb of k9 kravings and mix kibble? Does anyone have any other ideas on how to cut back the cost a little bit. I am currently spending about $160/month just in his food. 

Any advice is much appreciated!


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

You could feed a mix of kibble and raw (I assume you mean the K9 Kravings?). 


(A lot of people do raw and kibble mixes, all sorts of ways, with premade, regular raw as part of the regular diet, or RMB as treats.) 

But gosh, that K9 Kraving sounds expensive. Have you ever thought about going to 100% raw diet that you prepare yourself? I spend around $75 to feed 2.5 lbs per day (which averages out to about $1 per lb), without making any effort to find less expensive foods (that includes exotics like bison and elk, which are more expensive). I shop at a warehouse store, grocery stores and the local butcher. The butcher JUST opened here. I used to do it just by doing to Costco and my local grocery store. 

There are a lot of members here who make a bit more effort who are able to feed their dogs for a lot cheaper than my $1 per lb. If you're not willing to go 100%, (perhaps you're not confident that you can provide a nutritionally balanced diet, and you want more time to learn about raw diets), you could always feed a mix of a percentage of the K9 Kravings and a percentage of regular raw meat/RMB until you feel more confident. That would bring down your costs right away. 

Premium quality kibble is not inexpensive. Grain free kibbles have too high of calcium and phosphorous for young pups. So will you feed a kibble with grains? There are very good kibbles with grains out there (Nature's Variety Prairie, Wellness, and Pinnacle come to mind), but none of these are cheap. 

Just some things to think about. In your place, I'd look at making the switch to 100% raw that you do yourself.


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## afurr (Mar 4, 2009)

I would love to switch to 100% raw but I'm not sure I have a good understanding of the diet and wouldn't want to harm Recon's growth. He occasionally eats duck and turkey necks in place of dinner and boy does he love it! Other than that, he has cow femor for his bones and of course the assorted chews.

It is super expensive and although I want him to eat the best diet, thats almost 2,000 a year just in food which to me is a little expensive. I have the time to switch to 100% Raw but not the knowledge or confidence.


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## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

You can definitely do a mix of kibble and raw, I did! I did kibble in the morning and raw for dinner. HOWEVER! There is a very strong chance that your dog absolutely _will not_ eat kibble. The reason Jerzey got her kibble in the morning was because she was so unlikely to eat it. If she didn't, she would just get it again for dinner. Since it was cheaper than the raw (and less desireable to her) I made her get through that before she could get "the good stuff." 

If you're really interested in do-it-yourself raw just read around the form, A LOT! There have been many posts on how to raw feed puppies so look for those specifically. Then, after doing your research, post again and to have anything that you're still confused about cleared up! I know some people that raw feed puppies just add in a supplement to "cover all the bases," so to speak. I know that all of this has been mentioned before in puppy posts, so you've just gotta look around.


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