# 1/2 raw 1/2 kibble



## Kaiser2012 (Mar 12, 2012)

I currently have Kaiser on Orijen 6fish. My trainer seems to think that I can cut his kibble meals in half, replace with homecooked (I'm a fan of raw, not homecooked), and still pay less per month than I do now. I'm not so sure I believe her. When I had Dakota on raw (prey model) she ate approximately 1 pound a day of meaty meats, 1 pound of liver, and 1 pound of other organs. I took her off raw because it just got too expensive (I live in a tourist area, and meat prices have gone up over the years) and it became increasingly difficult to find organs. With Kaiser, he just LOVES the 6fish, but we are trying to figure out if it is too rich or is the cause of any allergies. At any rate, what are your experiences with feeding 1/2 kibble and 1/2 raw? With Dakota, she would eat raw and sometimes not eat another meal for a day or two. I've never done the 1/2 and 1/2 thing before.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

There shouldn't be a big demand for chicken necks or chicken carcass or old stewing hens in a tourist area.
Organ meat and liver , did you mean the dog gets one pound of this per day ?
That is more than enough for a week.
Heart is good - but organs such as kidney and liver you definitely can give in excess - and remember these are the organs which filter and clean . They are a source of iron and vitamin B - but there are other and better ways to provide this .


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

I did part kibble/part raw for several years before finally going all raw. I didn't do exactly half because I read in Monica Segal's info pamphlet that you can feed up to, I think it was 1/3? meat without disturbing the balance of the kibble, but I still balanced the raw as far as bone, muscle, and organ. I think as long as you balance that then you can do half and many people do. Some say to feed in separate meals, I've fed it together and never had digestive upset.


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## rshkr (Feb 9, 2012)

Kaiser2012 said:


> she ate approximately 1 pound a day of meaty meats, 1 pound of liver, and 1 pound of other organs.


wow, that's alot of meat a day, how big is the dog eating 3 pounds a day?

find a co-op, i'm really gaga over this co-op thing since i just found my co-op and i can get green tripe/ trachea/ ground beef patties $1.40 a pound!!!

here's a co-op for your area

north carolina
QueenCityBARF : Charlotte, NC area BARF feeders unite!!!

north carolina II
TriangleRAW : Triangle RAW

hopefully, you'll find cheaper meats thru them.


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## Kaiser2012 (Mar 12, 2012)

carmspack said:


> There shouldn't be a big demand for chicken necks or chicken carcass or old stewing hens in a tourist area.
> Organ meat and liver , did you mean the dog gets one pound of this per day ?
> That is more than enough for a week.
> Heart is good - but organs such as kidney and liver you definitely can give in excess - and remember these are the organs which filter and clean . They are a source of iron and vitamin B - but there are other and better ways to provide this .


I'm sorry, I meant to say that she would get 1 pound of liver and 1 pound of other organs for the week, not each day. So basically she would get 5 days of meaty meat, 1 day of liver, 1 day of other organs (of course, I would split the organ/liver up across the week, but I was using the amounts for comparison purposes). I thought heart was considered a meaty meat since it didn't secrete? Normally I would try to find kidney and liver in the store but I would have to find other organs, such as pancreas, online (and gaaaah that shipping was expensive). 



I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO said:


> I did part kibble/part raw for several years before finally going all raw. I didn't do exactly half because I read in Monica Segal's info pamphlet that you can feed up to, I think it was 1/3? meat without disturbing the balance of the kibble, but I still balanced the raw as far as bone, muscle, and organ. I think as long as you balance that then you can do half and many people do. Some say to feed in separate meals, I've fed it together and never had digestive upset.


Interesting on the amounts. I'd really have to do a cost comparison, but we don't have any asian markets out here, and surprisingly, no local butchers, so its a pain in the you-know-what to get good variety on the raw side. I do realize Orijen is ridiculously expensive, but for now, he's doing great on it. If his allergies don't subside, I'll have to make the decision to try yet another food or just go raw. I just don't think I can afford raw on 2 big dogs, and Dakota loved it so much I'd have to work it back into her diet too.


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## Kaiser2012 (Mar 12, 2012)

rshkr said:


> wow, that's alot of meat a day, how big is the dog eating 3 pounds a day?
> 
> find a co-op, i'm really gaga over this co-op thing since i just found my co-op and i can get green tripe/ trachea/ ground beef patties $1.40 a pound!!!
> 
> ...


I mis-spoke  I meant to say she ate 1 pound a day of meaty meats. She ate 1lb/wk of liver and 1lb/wk other organs.

Raleigh is closer, but is still 3.5 hours away. I'd end up spending $90 in gas just to go there and back...so for that price I'd be better off just ordering like I used to. Plus I don't have an oversized freezer (storage was always an issue when Dakota was on raw).


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

If you don't plan on feeding bone, then definitely don't go above that 1/3 amount.

Do you have farmers' markets? That's where I get my chicken necks, turkey necks, and backs- free range, hormone free chicken for $2/lb and I think the turkey is more.


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## Kaiser2012 (Mar 12, 2012)

I always had to with Dakota, not sure about Kaiser. As far as farmers markets...not really. All we have is local produce, no meats


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## rshkr (Feb 9, 2012)

Kaiser2012 said:


> Raleigh is closer, but is still 3.5 hours away. I'd end up spending $90 in gas just to go there and back...so for that price I'd be better off just ordering like I used to. Plus I don't have an oversized freezer (storage was always an issue when Dakota was on raw).


the nice thing about the co-op is, you'll also find someone near you that picks up the order and you guys can spslit the gas and do turns on pick up.

craigslist is a good way to find a freezer, i found a 5 cu. ft. $35 freezer on craigslist.


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## Kaiser2012 (Mar 12, 2012)

35? wow I'll have to look again. I did a few years back but everyone wanted an arm and a leg for a chest freezer. 

Hmm...I know a few people around here do raw, but they do the pre-formed patties (Dakota HATED those...again, not sure about Kaiser...)


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## snowman20s (Mar 2, 2012)

Don't do it. They go threw the digestive system at diffent rates causing more problems then solveing maybe ordering from a online supplier would be cheaper for you


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## Wolfgeist (Dec 4, 2010)

Just FYI... heart is technically a muscle. I feed it daily as a muscle meat.


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## seraphim (Aug 7, 2012)

*I go with the asian market as well*

I get a great deal on chicken at the Asian market. This place is also where local restaurants get their fowl. 

I can get a "restaurant quality" (meaning, you'll occasionally find a few feathers, or veins) 30 lb box at about $0.80 a lb. I portion it up into gallon zip lock bags and defrost them daily as needed.


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