When Feeding A Mix Of Dry And Raw

[rivergem]

I have some questions regarding feeding a mix of raw and dry (commercial) dog food. I have read through a lot of posts where quite a lot of people seem to be feeding a mix of dry biscuits and raw (chicken frames, wings, lamb flaps etc). Some feed the combo together at meal time, some separate and say feed the dry in the morning and the raw component at night. I have read also that dogs digest these two foods with different acids so it is wise to feed them 10-12 hours apart, but then, a lot seem to feed a mix of both and it works well for them??

If you plan to feed a mix of dry and raw how do you make sure that you don't tip the balance of it all and blow percentages, say for things like calcium/phos ratio...

Any advise and experiences appreciated

[Guest Tess32]

I would say the dry is calc/phos balanced so as long as you're feeding raw meaty bones and not just excessive bone or excessive meat, the balance would remain the same

[Miss Helena]

I read somewhere that not every meal has to be 100% balanced, just that the overall diet needs to be balanced over days/weeks.

Sometimes I wonder if that "different digestive processes for different food components" is a bit of an urban myth. If it was true, we (dogs and humans)would all be in quite a bit of trouble I think. It just doesn't make sense to me.

I feed my girl on mostly a mixture of raw, and dry (eagle pack holistic) and sometimes some cooked mince/veg. Her meals consist of a mixture. She does very well on this and seems to enjoy the different "courses"! The raw always gets eaten first.

I suppose you can try whichever is most convenient for you and see how your dogs react. Any vomiting-up after meals could be a sign it's not working for your doggies!

Cheers, Helen

Edited May 21, 2008 by Miss Helena

[Cavandra]

Dogs digest & process raw meat & bones easily as that is what they are designed to eat ............

Processed foods are full of rubbish & the digestive system has to work hard to process it, as dogs are not designed to eat all the grains, cereals, additives, preservatives etc in processed foods........

Dogs do not need a "balanced diet" at every serve, they need it over time as if they would in the wild. Alot of the stuff in processed foods is wasted anyway, as even though the labels might claim to have this & that in it, in reality most of the "goodness" has been taken out of it by the cooking & processing of it, and most Vits & Minerals are not available to the dog to be absorbed anyway.

[Poodle wrangler]

It doesn't make sense to me that dogs cannot digest a mix of dry and raw foods :D.

Reminds me of those human diets where you're not supposed to eat protein and carbohydrates at the same meal- Problem is most whole foods contain both protein and carbs, anyway . Sure, if you do better doing that, go ahead, but I'm not sold on the idea.

I normally feed the dogs twice a day sometimes feed both raw and dry at the same meal. More often they get one or the other, though. Is more for convenience than anything.

Agree with others- be careful feeding just raw mince or just meat- not at all balanced.

[~*Shell*~]

At the moment I feed a mix of raw and dry (once a day because Zero is on a massive diet!)

Zero has supercoat lite and mature or the diet Pedigree Naturals (1.5 cups) and a chicken wing. Tonight he's getting his normal supercoat and a chicken frame. If i only feed dry then he gets sick of it very quickly!

ETA: I'm trying orijen as of thursday if i can get hold of it - Zero gets sick off a lot of things and refuses to eat others so I'm going to try him on it and see how he goes!

Edited May 21, 2008 by ~*Shell*~

[rivergem]

At the moment I feed a mix of raw and dry (once a day because Zero is on a massive diet!)

Zero has supercoat lite and mature or the diet Pedigree Naturals (1.5 cups) and a chicken wing. Tonight he's getting his normal supercoat and a chicken frame. If i only feed dry then he gets sick of it very quickly!

ETA: I'm trying orijen as of thursday if i can get hold of it - Zero gets sick off a lot of things and refuses to eat others so I'm going to try him on it and see how he goes!

Hi Shell

Thought you might be interested in this info I just found... I have just ordered Orijen myself and hopefully will be able to start feeding it by the end of the week. But from what I know about nutrition the info below makes sense to me. Before he will start losing weight, he will need to feel satisfied then the body can stop the mode of "storing fat" to actually using it and feeling like it is getting enough. Very basic what I just wrote but tis the same for us humans.

www.dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html

Senior and overweight dogs are often fed foods that are lower in protein and higher in carbohydrates, which is a bad idea. Recent research indicates that older dogs need MORE protein than younger dogs, not less. Carbohydrates provide less nutrition than protein and can lead to weight gain. Feed senior and overweight dogs a diet that is high in protein, with low carbs and moderate amounts of fat (too little fat leaves your dog feeling hungry all the time, which can make it harder for them to lose weight).