jenb
Grey Puppy
Posts: 89
|
Post by jenb on Mar 25, 2008 15:23:40 GMT -5
Hi there,
I was wondering if anyone combines raw food with kibble feeding? I am reading about the benefits of feeding raw, but I'm not sure I'm prepared to go 100% raw.
I was thinking of a kibble meal in the morning and a raw meal at night - does anyone do this? How much do you feed in this case? Would this upset digestion? I heard that often at the racetrack, they get a combo of kibble and raw anyway.
I saw some interesting items at the grocery today, cheap as chips - beef heart and lung, soup bones, turkey necks etc etc. I would love to be able to include these but not sure how/when to work them in.
Thanks a bunch
|
|
|
Post by tinastroops on Mar 26, 2008 8:06:45 GMT -5
Correct, Some race tracks do the 50/50 combo when feeding pups. You have to do your homework on the raw portion though. But I don't see any issue with it.
|
|
AnneC
Junior Grey Lover
Peaceful Dove, always in my heart
Posts: 163
|
Post by AnneC on Mar 26, 2008 21:09:56 GMT -5
I've been feeding Dove a combination of raw and kibble for the past 6 months - I was having a hard time getting any "meat on her bones". I had tried various kibbles, mainly to get past pudding poop, and while I was successful in getting slightly firmer poop (at least I could pick it up!), she was still just skin and bones. I found that if I increased the amount I was feeding, I just got more poop . So I decided to investigate grain-free kibble - went with Orijen (Canadian made, 70% animal ingredients, 30% fruits, vegetables & botanicals, 0% grain) AND just after I switched her over, she went to Camp Greyhound for 10 days where she discovered tripe and turkey necks ;D There was no going back for this food hound, so now she gets about one and a third cups of kibble per day - half in morning with a blob of pumpkin and just recently we've added a little bit of raw heart and the other half at night with 6 oz of tripe. She also "flosses" each day (usually around noon) with a turkey neck. She gained 5 pounds in short order and looks fantastic . I make adjustments to the amount of kibble when it looks like she might be gaining or losing weight. We've managed to maintain her weight all winter, despite limited exercise due to TOO MUCH SNOW!!! Bottom line, you can feed a combination - get some of the benefits of raw (especially poop-wise) and keep some of the convenience of kibble and have a healthy, happy hound. Karen is an excellent source of info on raw feeding, as well as tripe and really yummy liver treats (www.awsome-paws.com)
|
|
jenb
Grey Puppy
Posts: 89
|
Post by jenb on Mar 26, 2008 22:06:09 GMT -5
Thanks Tina and annec, that is very helpful. I guess we'll let Pixie be our guide in the end, but it is good to know that you've had success with a combination.
I've been reading tons, and in an ideal world I think I would go totally raw. But my world is not ideal...it may involve someone taking care of the dog that would be totally grossed out by raw. Or if she ends up at the vet for a length of time... I am not the most organized person and I would hate to have the dog rely only on what I stocked up in the freezer. We are planning on trying a mixture of Kirkland and Evo for kibble - no wheat or corn in either.
|
|
jenb
Grey Puppy
Posts: 89
|
Post by jenb on Mar 26, 2008 22:09:03 GMT -5
I meant to add...I read something, a training manual for greyhound handlers in Australia. The section on feeding recommended a mix of kibble and raw meat, and said that many racetracks feed this. The person who wrote the manual said that for racing purposes, the dogs need carbs (I'm sure this is controversial) and that he personally fed his dogs multigrain toast spread with lard and honey for breakfast! Who the heck knows what they got on the track!
|
|
dsm
Grey Puppy
Posts: 89
|
Post by dsm on Mar 31, 2008 12:01:21 GMT -5
I have read that it's not a good idea to mix raw and kibble in the same meal, as the rate of digestion for each is different (so your initial thought of kibble AM & Raw PM should be OK). It's a bit difficult to get good data on this, as many raw feeding references are quite biased, so will usually recommend going raw 100%.
|
|
|
Post by karenrickers on Mar 31, 2008 15:47:29 GMT -5
I feed mostly raw and homecooked, but do serve kibble as well (Canidae) and often mix the two without problem. My two are doing extremely well on the raw/homecooked ... I vary the meat source quite a bit, and supplement with salmon oil, Vitamin E and Glucosamine. Also, if they're low on the bone component, and my guys aren't as crazy about the bone, I use a small portion of vitamin/oatmeal etc to firm the stool, and add calcium (from eggshells).
There's a website called K9 Nutrition on Yahoo which is just fabulous. They are NOT pushy about 100% raw feeding, and seem to respect everyone's feeding choice. I highly recommend it. They also have some very qualified breeders who talk about Lyme Disease, diets for pancreatitis, you name it.
|
|
jenb
Grey Puppy
Posts: 89
|
Post by jenb on Mar 31, 2008 15:51:30 GMT -5
I did join a rawfeeding list recently, and cancelled my subscription because some of the posters were obviously crafting posts from atop a pretty high horse. Thanks, that K9 Nutrition group sounds interesting, I will check it out.
|
|
greytluck
Grey Addicted
Hobbes- Always loved, never forgotten.
Posts: 2,335
|
Post by greytluck on Mar 31, 2008 20:40:29 GMT -5
I switched Hobbes over a little under 2 months ago. In the beginning I was doing a half and half thing. After the first week Hobbes got serious upset stomach. I stopped the kibble and everything cleared up. I now have him eating chicken, beef, turkey and all the associated organs.
I was doing the kibble for the convenience factor in the morning, but really once I got in to the swing of things and Hobbes learned to eat faster it's not that much work.
|
|
|
Post by karenrickers on Mar 31, 2008 21:17:59 GMT -5
You now, one thing that I forgot to mention is that since I started feeding raw/homecooked, Gini's coat has changed colour. She used to be white with a few brindle patches, but now the parts that were white are a funky version of what horse owners call 'roan' ... white mixed with black and caramel. When I saw a vet recently, he said it was the improved nutrition in the past year (I've had her just over a year).
|
|
|
Post by mollymoo on Apr 1, 2008 21:22:45 GMT -5
Hi Jenb, We started feeding Molly (Lakai) 50/50 kibble and raw meat about a year ago....as sometimes she would eat up her food and other times not touch it at all...I thought of how boring it must be to eat the same thing (chicken or beef kibble) day after day......I experimented with cutting back her kibble and have found that 1 cup of kibble and about 4ozs of raw seem to satisfy her, for breakfast and dinner. (Our vet thought that was pretty good proportions as well) Her favorite is lean ground beef. She loves sardines, steak (don't we all?, scrambled eggs (note: the Princess can clear a room though with some pretty wicked farts) and oh boy, does she love her turkey necks! those are a semi weekly treat. As always, watch your puppy's poops...this is usually a good indication of how well they tolerate anything new.
Good luck and let your pup be your guide.
|
|
jenb
Grey Puppy
Posts: 89
|
Post by jenb on Apr 2, 2008 10:18:20 GMT -5
Greytluck, we might eventually go down that road too, but I'd like to start off slowly. Karen, that is really interesting-their coats really do show their health in a big way! mollymoo, I agree with you. Imagine eating the same cereal for every meal, every day of your life. Ugh. I eat a health food super protien cereal in the morning and at my house we call it Human Kibble. Or sometimes Bachelor Chow in homage to Futurama
|
|
|
Post by chouinardstable on Apr 4, 2008 13:57:21 GMT -5
I do feed 100% kibbles , thats a new way to do with greyhounds used by some top trainers in Australasia , I used Nutrience Activee for large breed . i give 300 to 400g a day depend of the dog .
Cheers ! Paul
|
|