# What one raw thing would you add to kibble?



## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Anthony's thread and the recent picture of food thread inspired me. I do not think I can do an all raw diet. But if I were to add one or two raw things to their kibble. Where would I start? Raw poultry grosses me out. So lets say something beefy, something I could get at a grocery store would be excellent because there are no specialty butchers or anything like that, that I know of anywhere near me. 

Buddy is 11 and starting to lose weight I have increased his kibble but say instead of adding more dry food I were to add something raw. Where would I start? 

Also I see pumpkin recommended a lot. What kind should I get?


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

The local Walmart carries beef tongue. Would something like that be good?


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

tripe, egg, ground beef w/o bone

might be better to just add canned or make your own "stew" with veg/meat and mash it well before adding to kibble. 

Get unseasoned, no spices pumpkin. Must be 100% pure pumpkin - do not get the stuff with seasoning added for pie.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

My girl likes it.  is it expensive there? I would add things like eggs, 70/30 hamburger, full fat yogurt.

Pumpkin - just canned pumpkin from the pie aisle. Make sure it's pure pumpkin with no spices. Taht will add fiber to his diet.

If you are going to add significant amounts of RAW, then you should think about adding some bone. You could give him chicken backs (I know! It's poultry!! but it's easy for them to chew). Or bake and grind up some egg shells and mix that in proportionally.

Pork, in my opinion, is to fatty unless given in moderation or mixed with a leaner meat.

awww....yes...tripe. We order beef tripett from petfooddirect.com


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

qbchottu said:


> tripe, egg, ground beef w/o bone
> 
> might be better to just add canned or make your own "stew" with veg/meat and mash it well before adding to kibble.
> 
> Get unseasoned, no spices pumpkin. Must be 100% pure pumpkin - do not get the stuff with seasoning added for pie.


Egg (no shell right?) we already sometimes give them also sometimes raw frozen marrow bones or pigs feet as a treat. 

So just hamburger meat or tripe? Which would be better for a senior dog and more likely to add weight? 

By stew you mean cooked?

I've tried canned food with buddy and it usually just means softer poops and stinky farts.. I don't think it really helps him any at all.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

you can make your own canned as canned food tends to be expensive. You could pressure cook an entire chicken with some rice or sweet potato added to keep stools firm. Make sure to cook it down entirely if you wish to keep bone-in - to the point where you can mash the bones down. 

You could also make your own homemade canned with cooked beef, veg, chicken meat etc. 

Beef with high fat can add weight quickly. I would up kibble if you want to add weight and add tripe. Perhaps 3 meals instead of two and increase volume. 

Yes cooked.


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## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

This is not raw, but how about some canned sardines in water?


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Yes, but watch the sodium - know lots of people use that for training


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Jax08 said:


> My girl likes it.  is it expensive there? I would add things like eggs, 70/30 hamburger, full fat yogurt.
> 
> Pumpkin - just canned pumpkin from the pie aisle. Make sure it's pure pumpkin with no spices. Taht will add fiber to his diet.
> 
> ...



I'm not sure on the price. I've never really paid to much attention. I will look next time I'm at the store. If I do get some how much should I give? I don't want to upset his stomach and cause him to lose more weight. I just want to add something healthy that might help him. 

He has always been a big boy 92 lbs for many years, recently dropped to 88 and then at the last vet visit he was down to 80 lbs. It has me scared, but all his bloodwork, full senior panel, and then a partial panel and urine sample have come back 100% normal. 

On the egss how much maybe an egg or two a day? 


Buddy 1 year ago... 









Buddy today...


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

I had a show person tell me to feed eggs every single day during show season for the coat so there are those out there that feed it every day. Personally, I feed eggs every other day or so. 

Increase kibble or switch to a better quality kibble with increased fat percentage. Add higher fat beef with pumpkin to keep stools firm to add weight. Tripe is excellent for general health and good stools. You can also add salmon or coconut oil to get more good fats in his diet.

There is also "satin balls" - they add weight on quickly. Could give him a couple balls of that each day or stuff it into a kong for a weight-adding treat. Just be careful as satin balls pack on weight quickly. 
http://www.holisticdog.org/Nutrition/Satinballs/satinballs.html
http://www.instructables.com/id/Put-weight-on-your-dog-with-satin-balls/
http://itsthedogslife.com/treat-recipes/satin-balls/


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Ditto what gbchottu suggested.


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Thanks for all the ideas everyone. 

I want him to add a few pounds back but I don't want to get him fat. He looked really good at about 88 lbs and as he is getting arthritis I don't want him to carry extra weight. 

I already upped his kibble after the last vet visit and will add in an egg every couple of days. I am thinking the ground beef with pumpkin sounds like a good idea. Since more kibble doesn't seem to be doing anything. Do I cook the ground beef or feed it raw?


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

I would feed raw, but cook it if you wish - small amounts at first to see if he can tolerate it. Can increase if stools are good


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Either way is fine. I would feed it raw if he'll eat it.


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## Rua (Jan 2, 2012)

I feed at least one raw egg each (from our own hens) every single day to our two GSDs and they have the nicest coats I've ever seen on any GSDs out here.

As far as kibble toppers go any of the following are great - even if it's just a little:

Chopped up beef or pig tongue, sardines in oil, beef, pork or poultry mince, eggs, liver, lambs hearts....the list goes on!


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Raw it is then. I will try the hamburger and pumpkin small amounts first and then if he does good maybe I will try some of the other stuff like the beef tongue and some sardines. Pretty sure Ivan, one of my other dogs, won't go for sardines. He turns his nose up at any fish we've offered him.


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## Rua (Jan 2, 2012)

I'm a big advocate for tongue. Tis such a great source of MM, and not overly costly.


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## Blanketback (Apr 27, 2012)

The voice of doom and gloom here - some people say that kibble and raw meat digest at different rates. Is it true? Does this harm the dogs? For some dogs, it doesn't seem to be an issue. For others, it's awful. I've added a tiny (like, a tbsp.) of ground beef to my puppy's kibble without any trouble - yet if he chews on a knuckle bone for any length of time, his stools show it. 

Great pictures - what a handsome guy!


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## Rua (Jan 2, 2012)

Blanketback said:


> The voice of doom and gloom here - some people say that kibble and raw meat digest at different rates. Is it true? Does this harm the dogs? For some dogs, it doesn't seem to be an issue. For others, it's awful. I've added a tiny (like, a tbsp.) of ground beef to my puppy's kibble without any trouble - yet if he chews on a knuckle bone for any length of time, his stools show it.
> 
> Great pictures - what a handsome guy!


THis is a very persistent rumour....whether or not it's based on fact, I don't know. As a general rule, I don't mix anything that has bones in it with kibble (ie: feeding a chicken leg or wings with a cup of kibble). However, I have no problems with giving raw food that has NO bones mixed in the kibble (ie: mince or chopped tongue).

That being said, my older GSD takes her time with food. She chews properly. So I have occasionally given her a very small amount of kibble if she still seems hungry after having a chicken leg.

But I would never do with with my boy GSD because he doesn't chew ANYTHING properly and often passes larger pieces of bone in his stool. If the rumour of kibble digesting slower than raw food is true, I don't wanna risk him having a bigger piece of bone sitting in his digestive track longer than it needs to be if he has a gut full of slow moving kibble.


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Blanketback said:


> The voice of doom and gloom here - some people say that kibble and raw meat digest at different rates. Is it true? Does this harm the dogs? For some dogs, it doesn't seem to be an issue. For others, it's awful. I've added a tiny (like, a tbsp.) of ground beef to my puppy's kibble without any trouble - yet if he chews on a knuckle bone for any length of time, his stools show it.
> 
> Great pictures - what a handsome guy!


Thank you he is my baby and my pack leader, the last of an era. We had 5 dogs when we moved here from Arizona and the kids were growing up, he is my last of that crew. We are all going to be so heartbroken when he passes. I want to do everything I can to make sure he stays healthy.  I'm hoping the weight loss is just a combination of more exercise and energy with the rimadyl therapy and the new pup. But I've just got this sinking feeling. 

So now I'm confused ground beef or beef tongue... Which would be better?


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

I think tongue would be too fatty. The majority of calories come from fat: 71%.

If I added one thing, it would be an egg yolk.


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## Rua (Jan 2, 2012)

Sunflowers said:


> I think tongue would be too fatty. The majority of calories come from fat: 71%.



Why do you say that? The pork tongue I regularly give my dogs is some of the leanest meat I've ever seen. Not an ounce of fat on it at all.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Rua said:


> Why do you say that? The pork tongue I regularly give my dogs is some of the leanest meat I've ever seen. Not an ounce of fat on it at all.


Because the fat is in the muscle.
Calories in Pork, Fresh, Tongue, Cooked, Braised | Nutrition and Health Facts


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## Rua (Jan 2, 2012)

Yeah that's true. But there isn't a massive difference between ground round beef steak and tongue as far as fat content goes. 

The one thing I like about feeding large chunks of tongue is that they are really really chewy and it takes my dogs a bit of time to eat it. 

But I suppose if you are concerned about fat content, than maybe chicken or turkey breast would be a better option?


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Rua said:


> Yeah that's true. But there isn't a massive difference between ground round beef steak and tongue as far as fat content goes.


Ground round is only 10 to 15% fat.


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

So is fatty not good if you are trying to keep weight on an older dog? He lost 8 lbs in a month.


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## Rua (Jan 2, 2012)

Sunflowers said:


> Ground round is only 10 to 15% fat.


Sorry, I meant to say Rib Mince, not round. The Rib mince I can get out here is really fatty - about 25% to 30% which is about the same as pork tongue would be according to that link. 

Funny though...when I'm cutting it up it doesn't seem fatty at all!


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

If I had to feed kibble, and wanted to supplement with ONE raw item, it would be fresh(frozen) green tripe not canned.
Tripe is very nutritious and full of benefits that other ground meats don't have. Some dogs can live on tripe alone(dogs with renal issues, it is recommended)


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Things my dogs like are hamburger, bison(its hamburger but made out of bison), and duck necks. Yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, and pumpkin too. I freeze the pumpkin in ice cube trays and give them as treats.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Rua said:


> Funny though...when I'm cutting it up it doesn't seem fatty at all!


I know-- I learned the hard way when I gave Hans some pork tongue and he got the runs. 
Shepherdmom, too much fat can cause dogs to get pancreatitis, which is not a good thing. I would be careful feeding fatty meals to any dog, an older one especially. 

Mine is very sensitive to fat. Doesn't take much to make him get the runs.


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## Rua (Jan 2, 2012)

Sunflowers said:


> I know-- I learned the hard way when I gave Hans some pork tongue and he got the runs.
> Shepherdmom, too much fat can cause dogs to get pancreatitis, which is not a good thing. I would be careful feeding fatty meals to any dog, an older one especially.
> 
> Mine is very sensitive to fat. Doesn't take much to make him get the runs.


Oh dear! I haven't had that problem with pork tongue myself...but I have had that problem whenever I've given the "fat pad" part of a chicken quarter to the dogs. It goes through them like rocket fuel. Not pretty.


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