# Raw/kibble switch



## Furonthefloor (Aug 14, 2009)

I've been reading a lot about raw & was wondering what your opinions are. 
Whether you feed 1/2 raw 1/2 kibble or 100% raw does it effect the dog like it does if you abruptly switch up their food??







-wise 
Usually I know you should try to mix the 2 kibbles & then switch it over over a few days. 
I know each dog is different on how it effects I'm just asking for some of your experiences...did it cause upsets or is it fine? 
Is it not the same effect to feed raw & then maybe for some reason have to feed kibble for a week or so?

I'm wondering, if something should come up & the dog can't get raw, if it will be a harsh switch, I guess. Plus I'm having a hard time locating suppliers in my area, so far. 
I'm lost in cyberspace searching & searching.


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## Amaruq (Aug 29, 2001)

My guys all switched cold turkey (so to speak) and did not have an issue.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Um, hard to get raw.?..grocery store meat dept always has rmbs, organ and mm in stock! 
I would think a specialty kibble would be harder to keep on hand
I don't do premade raw, way too expensive. The only thing I have to order or get specialty wise is the fresh green tripe. I do order a case of turkey necks from the grocery store as well.

When I went to RAW, I gave the dogs a fish based kibble meal about 2-3 times a week topped w/ canned Jack Mackeral. Too hard to find a cheap fish source so I opted to do that. The dogs poos were consistant with the switching around. 

I haven't bought a bag of Kibble since July, and no longer feed it. If they had to go to kibble for some reason or other, I know they would all eat it if they were hungry enough.


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## Furonthefloor (Aug 14, 2009)

Well, I guess after seeing that response it tells me I'm probably overthinking it. I have nothing other to worry about other than my dogs & no one I know feeds raw so its still new to me.
I'm not very good at asking questions...I really meant to say if I had to leave & the dogsitter wont feed raw or if one of them had to be boarded & had to have kibble.
Yea, its very easy to get raw if only I could win the lottery or give away my animals --which will not ever happen.


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## tuco (Sep 14, 2009)

Technically to be "Doglitically Correct", one should not feed raw and kibble at the same time.

Once food clears the stomach, it travels through the rest of the dog’s digestive system much more quickly than it does in yours because the dog’s intestines are only about 5% as long as yours. Food will pass through a canine digestive tract in about a day, whereas it takes up to three days to pass through yours. This is another protective feature to prevent bacteria from entering the dog’s body, but it also means you have to provide food that is easily digestible in order to get the maximum amount of nutrients absorbed in the shortest amount of time.

The raw goes through the digestion process so fast, that any bacteria doesn't really pose a problem. If kibble is fed at the same time, if there is any bacteria in the raw, it can get into the much slower digesting kibble that may be in the stomach and small intestine for hours, or evendays. This could cause some stomach upset and worse.

I used to run my own beef. Raw was simple and easy for us to feed.
Even so, I would feed one day a week of kibble. The older dogs would get kibble twice a week. It's JMO, but I feel constant raw may stress the liver and a premium kibble is good once in a while.

Your dog or dogs should have no problem going back and forth with raw and kibble.


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## tuco (Sep 14, 2009)

I forgot to reply to part of your question. Your dog's poo will never be as solid on any kibble, as it is on raw.

When my dogs were on raw, they would digest so much that their poo was like white chalk.


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## Raziel (Sep 29, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: tucoTechnically to be "Doglitically Correct", one should not feed raw and kibble at the same time.
> 
> Once food clears the stomach, it travels through the rest of the dog’s digestive system much more quickly than it does in yours because the dog’s intestines are only about 5% as long as yours. Food will pass through a canine digestive tract in about a day, whereas it takes up to three days to pass through yours. This is another protective feature to prevent bacteria from entering the dog’s body, but it also means you have to provide food that is easily digestible in order to get the maximum amount of nutrients absorbed in the shortest amount of time.
> 
> ...


Why do you say raw meat stresses the liver?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Furonthefloor,
If you are having a petsitter come in, you could do some prepackaging on your own and just have them fill the bowl with the raw meal. I know some boarding facilities won't feed raw
If the sitter is opposed to that, then I would put them on kibble a few days to a week before you go away, so the adjustment would be in your hands vs theirs. That way, if your dog got runny poo or whatever because of the switchback, you would know the reason, the sitter may think the dog is ill.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: tucoI forgot to reply to part of your question. Your dog's poo will never be as solid on any kibble, as it is on raw.
> When my dogs were on raw, they would digest so much that their poo was like white chalk.


 Too much bone will cause the poo to look like white chalk- rawfed dogs have really small poo compared to a kibble, one of the great benefits of the diet!


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## AK GSD (Feb 27, 2008)

It might depend on what kibble is being fed and the individual dog. Ours initially switched "cold turkey" from one of the grain free kibbles to RAW without problems. We feed a premade raw and ran out. Switched back to kibble for 5 days until the new shipment of raw arrived and then back to the raw... no problems. I did notice the 5 days back on kibble produced larger poop and after back on raw 1 day poop was back small again. Our dogs have always had iron guts that can handle variation of diet though.


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## tuco (Sep 14, 2009)

Since the liver is the center of metabolic activity in the dog's body, its major role in the digestive process is to provide bile salts to the small intestine, which are critical for digestion and absorption of fats. 

I believe that a constant barrage of Raw, High Protein sources without a break or any other food source, will eventually stress the liver. (Specially for an older dog)

Don't get me wrong. I truly long for the days when I could feed raw, but I believe once in a while, it's good to break for a day or so.

Below is the digestive system for a carnivore


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## aubie (Dec 22, 2008)

I prepackaged everything for my petsitter...and I got the petsitter because my vet/kennel won't feed raw. I had packages for each dog, labeled a.m. and p.m., all they had to do was dump it in a bowl.

Raw poops are amazing, small not NEAR as stinky and dissapear quickly...and they poo less often!


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## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

I started Jerzey on half raw, half kibble. She would have a kibble meal for breakfast and a balance raw meal for dinner. She never really had any problems with that. I have, lately (because I do not have the freezer space to go back to the half raw, half kibble or all raw) been throwing in a turkey neck or a bit of ground beef into her kibble and have had no problems but it's just as a treat as is in no way an actual meal.


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