# Raw + Kibble



## BrennasMom (Mar 2, 2008)

Sorry if this is an old/worn out topic...How do dogs usually do on a combo of raw for one meal and kibble for another each day?

Someone posted about wellness core reduced fat, and looking at it, I'm wondering if Brenna's tummy would handle it. Her history is chronic diarrhea somewhat resolved with pancreatic enzymes. I switched her to raw and poof, magical solid stools! Though she is still sensitive to fats, too much fiber, that sort of thing.

I am very happy with the results of feeding raw but financially speaking it would be easier to do half kibble and half raw. It would also make me feel better that she would be getting a more balanced source of vitamins.

I'm on the fence and thought I'd pick your brains.







I might get a small bag to try and if it doesn't work out my mom's dogs get another variety of wellness so they could have the core as treats or something.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

i thought of doing this, but i worry of bacterial infections. as many times as ive seen people say their dogs did okay, ive seen just as many have problems with doing it. instead of one meal kibble and one meal raw in the same day - i'd probably feel more comfortable doing a day of kibble and a day of raw. maybe even a couple days of each.

i still dont see how the dogs would manage to have consistent stools tho.

i will hang around this topic for awhile and see what some of the others day.


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## BrennasMom (Mar 2, 2008)

I think if I alternated it would be worse for Brenna, she doesn't handle change well.


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

we mix kibble and raw together in the same meal and have no problem at all. mikko has been doing great on this diet.


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## BrennasMom (Mar 2, 2008)

Did Mikko have a sensitive tummy prior to feeding the raw/kibble mix?


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

Disastrous for Grimm to have raw and kibble in the same day... he gets bacterial catastophies with diarrhea, etc, that last for weeks, each time I tried this. (you'd think this wouldn't happen, cos Grimm is on one of the snobby, hoity-toity, grain-free premium kibbles, too..) I think the slight traffic jams in the gut allow a bacterial party, where the bacteria invites all it's friends. EACH time I tried to do the raw and kibble meal alternating, this has happened. 

That said, he does GREAT on raw alone, no kibble.. I always pooh-pooh'd (wow, is THAT ever an apt expression in this case LOL!) that raw and kibbled digested differently.. but, each time I tried one meal raw, one meal kibble.. we had weeks of pudding poops, antibiotics, etc.

Just raw is much easier on his system, cos everything just breaks down so fast, gets absorbed, and poops are solid.

To do raw on the cheap, Costo and SamsClub and BJs all do great for discounts on bulk. Not everyone can store stuff in bulk though, so many feed chicken as the main staple, rotating a few times a month with turkey, beef, etc. for variety while keeping it affordable.

Hey, maybe start a thread for CHEAP raw feeding ideas?


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## big_dog7777 (Apr 6, 2004)

> Originally Posted By: Brightelf
> To do raw on the cheap, Costo and SamsClub and BJs all do great for discounts on bulk. Not everyone can store stuff in bulk though, so many feed chicken as the main staple, rotating a few times a month with turkey, beef, etc. for variety while keeping it affordable.
> 
> Hey, maybe start a thread for CHEAP raw feeding ideas?


Wellness is not inexpensive AT ALL, and I have a hard time thinking it would be cheaper half the time over raw, especially when you are already doing it the other half. You can stay under a dollar per pound, so for one dog we're talking about shaving $30 in a month off of raw feeding cost and adding the Wellness. Even if you can get two months out of a 26 pound bag (which I doubt), the bag will cost at least $45. So you are saving a whopping $7.50 per month and that's if you stretch the food and get the best price in the world and don't have to pay shipping. A raw diet with chicken, pork necks and fish for RMB staples and beef heart, low quality ground beef/cheek and pork butt and shoulder roasts as MM staples is extremely affordable. Then you can work in whatever else you come across to feed variety. Just my .02.


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

> Originally Posted By: BrennasMomDid Mikko have a sensitive tummy prior to feeding the raw/kibble mix?


no he didn't. sorry i should have mentioned that. that is an important point. i wonder what would be harder on the stomach- eating a mix of raw and kibble at each meal- so it stays consistent. or would it be better to split each meal so they are only getting one type of food...


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## krispifsu (Dec 23, 2007)

I intially started my pup off on 1/2 raw and 1/2 kibble, but it constantly felt like I was running an uphil battle on keeping her poops consistently solid. She's have diahhrea so we would fast, start on boiled rice and chicken, and slowly introduce the raw and kibble again. Then the diahhrea would start and we'd have to do it all all over again. 

After this last bout of diahhrea I decided to just start raw. This is the first time that she has had really consistent solid poops for weeks now. 

Some dogs can seem to handle the change, but for Lily is just seems to be too much. She is doing much better now on all raw. I even have added new protein sources in and still solid poops.


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## The Stig (Oct 11, 2007)

For me, the kibble is more expensive than the raw. But I occasionally ((fed)) kibble to ease her dietary transition if we had to leave her with a friend/sitter or when we travel.

I never noticed any inconsistency with her poop once her digestive tract was acclimated to the kibble. Also, I would only feed a kibble meal once every 2-3 days. But that is just my own personal experience.

Janka has plans of her own though, and hasn't had a kibble since end of Febuary. I tried to coax her, but she would glance at the bowl and trot off. 

She is not a big kibble fan. I tried Timberwolf, Wellness, Fromm and now I have a bag of TOTW just sitting around. She was quite partial to Fromm, and I must admit it smelled pretty good.


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## IsisUnselke (Mar 30, 2008)

I don't feed kibble and raw in the same meal, but I will feed kibble and raw in the same day without any digestive problems. The only thing that I could say that happens is my dog urinates very frequently after eating a raw meal. I would assume this is because of the natural water content of raw meat vs kibble.


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

Dante has had kibble one meal, raw another meal and kibble raw in one meal.
All is fine.

Though he doesn't have EPI or SIBO his GI Tract is not the hardiest though it is much better than it used to be. (I blame that on months of Giardia before finally the dx came with the antigen test)


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Chama gets raw and kibble in the same meal with no problems. Rafi can also handle raw and kibble in the same meal. He usually just gets raw for his night snack but sometimes I put it in his main meals too. He has a hard time if I change his kibble but changing raw protein sources or brands (preprepared) doesn't seem to bother him.


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## Timber1 (May 19, 2007)

Raw plus kibble works fine for my dog Timber, and the rescue dogs I have. 

Feeding 100 percent raw is time consumng and expensive. The kibble I feed my dogs is high end, packaged fresh daily in the US, and never by a third party.


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