Mixing Kibble With Raw ?

[brightstar123]

That's sad but I wonder if it was just the novelty of the food rather than the fact that it was raw?

Yes I agree, I do think the novelty of a large bone was part of the problem, in that the dog probably hadn't learnt how to chew bones properly, causing large sharp bone spicules to end up in the gut. He was also probably over-excited at the treat and scoffed the bone as fast as he could go. One could speculate that he may have had a better shot if his stomach contents were more acidic though?

Perhaps the bone spicules might have been less sharp as they entered the intestine, reducing the risk of obstruction and gut perforation. This is just an example of a case that stuck in my mind, obviously not a watertight scientific argument, however I think that there are some pretty solid papers out there. The flow-on effect of how gastric pH influences the release of other digestive enzymes and gut microflora is also worth reading about.

[ElizabethBailey]

Thanks for the replies everyone :) I think for now I will keep on as I am with my older girls. Puppy arrived a few days ago and is (weirdly for a dachshund) not overly foody, but I think part of this has to do with just settling in to a new environment. I did offer him a taste of the puppy Barf the other day but he wasn't keen at all, so for now we are transitioning him from the My Dog wet & Supercoat dry to Holistic Select puppy dry & wet (with some puppy milk mixed in), he seems to like this.

[BC Crazy]

Oh what a cutie ????

[The Spotted Devil]

Gorgeous!

brightstar I do take your point but I would question the suitability of a turkey shank as a suitable bone to feed anyway. Weight bearing poultry bones break up into shards really badly and I just don't feed them.

[brightstar123]

I don't feed them either but I have seen similar cases of obstruction when dry food has been combined with brisket or kangaroo tail or chicken frames or part of a hare carcass... the turkey shank situation was just an example of a situation that I commonly encounter, as many dog owners may not be aware of the danger of particular types or quantities of raw bones, either weight-bearing poultry bones or otherwise.

I think that the point is that current research shows that feeding dry food containing a substantial amount of carbohydrate combined with raw may lead to less than optimal digestion of the raw component. My personal experience is, of course, neither here nor there, but it does seem to correlate with the research.

[trinabean]

What a gorgeous pup ElizabethBailey. :)

I feed dry and a little raw (human grade) every day with no issues. In fact my dog is doing better on his current diet than he was on raw only, or dry only.

[suziwong66]

Gorgeous!

brightstar I do take your point but I would question the suitability of a turkey shank as a suitable bone to feed anyway. Weight bearing poultry bones break up into shards really badly and I just don't feed them.

i found even the wings of turkey to shard quite badly and stopped feeding them a few years back when my boy was throwing up the shards. Turkey necks however, have been successful for both of my labs.