Raw feeding and kibble too ? Advice.....

[chloesMama]

I switched Chloe from Science Diet small bites ,which she came to me eating, to Blue Buffalo puppy (dry kibble) . I also switched Sydney ,my three year old mixed breed terrier over to the Blue Buffalo brand.

Though Sydney seemed to like the food , she did not tolerate it well . She had diarrhea and vomiting daily for almost a week and a half. * Although now we have found out that rawhide can be a danger , and that may have been the cause of her sickness , we are just not sure * Her vet told me I probably tried to make the switch too fast.

Chloe on the other hand did well on the food , but neither dog cares for the "life source" bits that come in it.So now I want to switch to something they hopefully will like and be able to tolerate.

I have been looking into NVraw and Wellness (dry kibble) . I would like to feed a combo of both raw and kibble but I have a few questions...

Is it O.K. to do kibble during the day and NVraw at night ? Or would that be to upsetting to their system? Also , I free feed my girls now and both are good at regulating what they eat but if I do raw in the evening should I not free feed kibble during the day? And if not free feeding , how many times should I feed them 2-3 for the older dog and the same or more for Chloe?

Secondly, Since I will be taking it alot slower this time around , should I start with kibble for both of them and add in raw later after I see how they do on the kibble ?

And finally do you think Wellness would be a good choice for them ? And at what age should I switch Chloe to adult food ? She is 8 months now and I have heard between 10 months and a year..

Any advice or other opinions on food would be appreciated. Thank you

[greyacresmom]

Yes, you can do both raw and kibble. I love raw! Be prepared. You will probably get flack from your vet. Their is a lot of great information on the internet about raw. Do your research and make sure you are providing the proper "diet". They need the different "organs" for different vitamins.

[Suzy]

It is fine to do raw and kibble at the same time. It shouldn't be upsetting to their system if it's done gradually. The vomiting and diarrhea when switching from Science Diet to BB was probably because of either the fast change or that the illness was all of the bad stuff from the SD coming out of her system. A good food can "clean out" all the toxins, and that can result in vomiting and diarrhea.

I think offering kibble during the day and raw at night is a good plan. If they won't eat the raw though because they've filled up on kibble, you might need to take the kibble away after it's down for 20 minutes so they learn to eat the raw when it's offered. 2-3 times a day is great-with little ones like yorkies their metabolisms are faster than larger dogs, so eating more frequently is good for them. It may make them poop more frequently though because it's an amount of food running through their systems more often during the day, so be prepared for that. I fed my two BB for awhile, and since the recalls have changed to homecooking. BB has been reformulated in the last year, and it's a good food-sorry they don't like it! I feed mine 2-3 times per day (depending on how many snacks they get) as well, and they do well on that plan. If you have a very small one, or one that is liver compromised, you will want to ask your vet about how often and how much to feed them. The little ones can go into hypoglycemic shock if they don't eat often enough, so I'd keep some food out for anyone who was 3 lbs. or smaller.

Wellness is a good food option-glad to see you have done your research 10-12 months is a good age to switch puppies to adult food. I can't remember though-is Wellness an "all life stages" food? If so, you could switch her now.

[chloesMama]

Thank you Greyacres and suzy...

I have been reading alot about the different types of Raw diets and also quite a bit about the benefits of home cooking. My husband was leaning towards home cooking while I was leaning more towards the NVraw . Mainly because it is a prepackaged meal and I since I am so new at this ,even with reading and trying to plan , I don't feel I know enough to feed them a complete and well rounded diet on my own . My dh also did not like the idea of giving them raw meat with the bones so the NV raw medallions seemed like a logical and "safer" choice .And I felt better that I could make sure they were getting all of what they need.

Yes , my Chloe is a small one . She is 2.5 lbs @ 8 months.But she is a healthy dog with no health/ liver issues so I may have to just let her continue to free feed and see how she does with the raw in the evening. She seems to almost schedule herself around 4 times per day, eating about a 1/2 a cup of kibble a day, plus she gets little extras most days. Sydney is around 12 lbs. so I would be O.K. with a more scheduled feeding for her. But as I said they both do well regulating themselves , so I will have to see.

Another question that occurred to me . I am assuming they can still have some home cooked food if on a raw diet ? Or is that not allowed ? My dh or I will sometimes make them a boiled Chicken and mix it with the kibble for a treat. That would still be O.K. , or no?


Thanks again , and feel free to give opinions

[Wylie's Mom]

Yep, you can still give homecooked - no problem there .

I feed raw (NV, Primal, or Suzy's) and really love it for my guys. I used to homecook too. Homecooking is very good for them too - but you *really* need to know what you're doing there. Balancing just the cal-phos ratio is extremely complicated and if you don't know how to do it, you can cause short and long-term health issues in your dogs. I can't stress that highly enough. What I liked about moving to raw is that it was a complete diet and I no longer had to re-balance things or wonder.

Btw, I started Marcel on raw when he was under 3 lbs. too and he did great!

[chloesMama]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

Yep, you can still give homecooked - no problem there .

I feed raw (NV, Primal, or Suzy's) and really love it for my guys. I used to homecook too. Homecooking is very good for them too - but you *really* need to know what you're doing there. Balancing just the cal-phos ratio is extremely complicated and if you don't know how to do it, you can cause short and long-term health issues in your dogs. I can't stress that highly enough. What I liked about moving to raw is that it was a complete diet and I no longer had to re-balance things or wonder.

Btw, I started Marcel on raw when he was under 3 lbs. too and he did great!

That's what I was concerned about. I know I am no where near knowledgeable enough yet to try and design a diet they would be both tasty and nutritionally balanced.... Before joining YT I was giving Science Diet and Beneful , so I am way behind on the nutrition knowledge train.

That is why I was leaning toward the predone raw. Nothing for me to have to figure out as far as balanced nutrition.

One more thing ( I know I keep saying one more and then asking five more ) but should I add salmon oil or a fish oil to the kibble ?

Thanks again

[PrincessDiana]

Originally Posted by chloesMama

One more thing ( I know I keep saying one more and then asking five more ) but should I add salmon oil or a fish oil to the kibble ?

Thanks again

Adding fish oil is not necessary if you feed a well balanced kibble or raw diet. However, many people do use it to improve coats. It's kind of just up to you. Make sure that if you give omega-3 that you also give Vitamin E. Eicosaderm is a great supplement. You can find it here "DermaPet" Eicosaderm 8 oz (230 ml)

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by chloesMama

One more thing ( I know I keep saying one more and then asking five more ) but should I add salmon oil or a fish oil to the kibble ?

You could add it if you think there is a fatty acid imbalance (i.e. skin issues, coat issues). It's not necessary, per se, but many people add Omegas as a supplement and there is nothing wrong with that -- it is good for them, as it is a good supplement for humans as well. There are some papers out there that explain how both humans and canines used to get more Omegas in their diets (naturally), and no longer do; so, a supplement can be beneficial.

Recently though, I've learned how terribly easy it can be to create an imbalance in your dog by giving incorrect ratios of Omegas. That can actually *cause* skin issues. So, I no longer will give a suppl. that contains only Omega 3s. Right now I'm giving this one: Skin & Coat Care Supplements for Dogs & Puppies: Drs. Foster & Smith Premium Plus Skin & Coat Liquid

[chloesMama]

Thank you . I wasn't considering the omegas/fish oil for any pre existing skin issues . They don't seem to have itchy, dry, or flaky skin ( beyond the typical indoor winter heat stuff) But their coats are a bit dull .I was thinking about it more in terms of a preventative to skin issues and a boost to the coat.

I wouldn't want to cause an imbalance with to many/much omegas , so I will look into the info you gave me. Maybe I will start by adding something only once a week and go from there.

Thanks