# RAW back to Kibble?



## Valerae (Jun 13, 2011)

My husband and I are moving halfway across the country and will be living with my mother for a month or two until we find a new house. For a number of reasons, not the least of which are limited freezer and prep space, we decided to switch the dogs to kibble for these couple of months.

I looked into prepared raw food last night and holy moly - for 2 dogs that each eat a pound and a half of food a day, there's no way we could afford that option!

So I ordered a couple of small bags of Fromm's and Acana to see how they react to them. I'm still going to give them chicken feet for treats and keep marrow bones on hand (I remember kibble teeth - yuck). Has anyone had experience switching FROM raw back to kibble? Did you slowly transition? Go cold turkey? What brand of kibble do you use? If you've gone back and forth from raw to kibble do you go grain free?

I know they'll eat it (any time they've had the opportunity at someone else's house they tear into kibble a stoner with a bag of cheetos)...I'm just worried about gigantic poop, indigestion, lack of energy, bad breath, greasy coat...ugh. My dogs are rescues and the before and after with raw was dramatic. I want to be clear that I'm not knocking anyone who uses kibble - I just know what's been working for my dogs. How we feed our dogs is personal issue - I'd just love some feedback from members' on their various situations.

The upside to this whole thing, though, is that I'm eventually moving to an area where there's a drop off from My Pet Carnivore - my days of hunting down green tripe will be over! How I've missed the midwest!


----------



## Flutter (Aug 2, 2013)

I too switched from raw to kibble because of moving across the country. Switched to raw for 1 meal and kibble for the 2nd and then to full kibble. Took about a week because that's how much raw I had left. Dog had no issues whatsoever. He'll be on kibble until I can find a suitable raw source in the new city. 

The kibble we used is Back to Basics Pork because our dog has severe food allergies.


----------



## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Fast 24h and cold turkey back to kibble if you want to switch. 

I do 50/50 raw/kibble sometimes depending on how busy I get. My dogs never had any issues, but a lot of people caution against mixing raw and kibble. However IMO, if you space the raw meals about 12h from the last kibble, it works fine


----------



## d4mmo (Mar 27, 2013)

Raw digest at the same rate as wet food. People have been mixing kibble and wet with no issues. Infact of all people I know that mix I have never had anyone tell me of stomach issues.
Dogs are more Adaptable then you think my friend.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## d4mmo (Mar 27, 2013)

In saying that plenty of gsd do well and live long happy healthy lives with even the cheapest kibble so no need to worry too much especially if your using a premium kibble


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Pax8 (Apr 8, 2014)

Honestly the biggest difference between raw and high quality kibble is the poop smell and condition of the teeth and breath. I'd do a 24 hour fast, then just switch straight to kibble. Other than that, there shouldn't be that huge a difference, especially with a premium kibble. I tend to lean towards grain free kibbles if I have to pick one, but I think that's more personal preference.

Kaiju did raw as a pup, had a few months of kibble where we rotated Acan, Orijen, and Castor&Pollux, then went back to raw. Did a 24 hour fast each time, didn't have any problems.

So jealous you'll have a good source of green tripe! Trying to find green tripe around here that isn't packaged in 40 pound cases (way too much for me at once) is like pulling teeth!


----------



## Valerae (Jun 13, 2011)

Here's a quick update. We have been easing them onto kibble. I bought both Acana Ranchlands and Fromm's Beef something. We've been doing every other meal raw (spaced 12 hours - but that's their normal feeding schedule anyway) - after two days of kibble I bought slow feed bowls. Ha! Feeding them a hunk of frozen meat usually kept them busy for a while. I was not used to them eating dinner in 30 seconds.

They did OK on both Acana and Fromms but I think I'll stick to the Fromms since it's about $15 cheaper a bag and still grain free.

They're shedding loads more (although it is July and finally really hot so I can't blame that all on the food)...but boy oh boy I can smell them - they smell like other people's dogs. Haha! And they poop SO MUCH. Kibble is super convenient but I miss good dog breaf and small poops. 

But d4mmo is right, dogs can thrive on the cheapest kibble. My grandfather always had GSDs on his farm and fed them whatever was cheapest at the feed store that week and King (the last dog he had - and the one I remember from my childhood) lived to be nearly 20.

Thanks for everyone's feedback.


----------



## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Valerae said:


> They're shedding loads more (although it is July and finally really hot so I can't blame that all on the food)...but boy oh boy I can smell them - they smell like other people's dogs. Haha! And they poop SO MUCH. Kibble is super convenient but I miss good dog breaf and small poops.


I feed both of my dogs kibble, my GSD gets Fromm and my Dal gets Wellness Complete Health. My GSD is shedding really bad right now but this is the time when he usually does a really heavy shed. My GSD does have a doggy smell but he also swims in the lake and hasn't had a bath for quite some time, my Dal does not have a doggy smell. 

How often are your dogs pooping? Both of my dogs poop only once a day and it's usually in the morning.


----------

