Another raw question
 

Hi

I have been feeding Millie kibble since I got her 3 weeks ago. She only picks at it all day, and never finishes the recommended amount on the bag. I am afraid she is not eating enough.

I tried her with a chicken wing 2 nights ago. I gave her another one last night. She loves them. I also gave her a bit of mince tonight.

I would like to make this permanent, but perhaps one evening meal raw, and kibble for the rest of the day (1/2 guideline amount).

The thing is, I am not sure how much raw food she actually needs. She is 17 weeks old.

Thanks
Michelle & Millie

The rule of thumb is 2-3% per day of their ideal body weight. :)

I feed NV's Raw Medallions - but I love prey model, which is what you're doing. There is a thread by RawfedYorkieluv that is ALL about prey model. :)

Do you think its ok to feed kibble and raw? Is it 2-3% of current weight or estimated adult weight?

It should be 2-3% of their current ideal weight (whatever it should be now).

As for feeding kibble/raw together - you'll hear varying opinions and this is mine: there is no physiological reason whatsoever to NOT feed them together. The stomach does not recognize things as raw or non-raw. Something enters the stomach and is recognized as a carb, fat, protein, or toxin - the corresponding enzyme is released (there is NO raw vs. non-raw enzyme :rolleyes:). The chyme churns. When any portion of the contents are ready to move on, they're pushed into the small intestine for for further processing. The intestine, which is also a dynamic organ - moves things along as they are further broken down.

Contrary to what other message boards out there say, stomach contents and raw/non-raw contents do NOT stay in one large clump together, proceeding through the digestion process. That is simply not true. So if you read that "raw/non-raw can't be fed together bc it will ferment" - that is pure hogwash. The body does not work that way. Do we eat sushi rolls, which is raw and non-raw together? Yes. Same concept.

This is a really important myth to dispel bc it gets at the very basics of understanding digestion. I don't know where this myth started, in terms of raw w/ non-raw - but I see it everywhere and it's so frustrating.

THAT said, some dog's tummies ARE sensitive to feeding raw/non-raw together - so find out what's best for your dog and go from there. :)