Mixer food

[kaz60]

I feed Arthur Natural Instinct and Wainwrights complete puppy food kibble to mix in with the meat. My problem is, I believe Arthur is getting too much protein and I think it's causing him to scratch a lot. I have taken him to the vets to be checked over and he has no obvious skin problems so the vet suggested altering his diet. I want to continue with the Natural Instinct but want a wheat free dog mixer biscuit to mix in with the meat, does anyone have any suggestions please?

[Mudmagnets]

You could try this one from Judges Choice/Nature's Harvest

http://www.naturesharvestpet.com/natures-harvest-mixer.html

If you phone the makers they will send you a free sample...and if you decide to buy it after free sample has run out, shop around - these guys charge £5 delivery

Hope this helps

[kaz60]

Thank you for that, I have sent off for a free sample.

[Joules]

Why do you think it is protein that is making him itchy?  Could be an intolerance to a particular ingredient in the food

Some people have found Arden Grange Salmon and Potato kibble to be good for itchy dogs   

[Jane57]

I dont think protein in food would have any bearing on him being itchy, unless of course its the type of protein.
He could be intolerant of certain meats, fish etc.
You could add some salmon oil, cocunut oil or some evening primrose oil to his food, it does wonders for the skin/coat.

We feed eden, high protein but no fillers, grains, cereals , beet pulp etc.

[its.sme]

Sounds like Arther could have a allergy or intolerance to something, Bea suffered with Yeast infections in her ears and feet, since changing to N.I this has all but gone.

I'm sure I've read somewhere that Kibble and Raw should not be fed at the same time, the stomach digest Raw quicker than kibble .

Have you thought of cutting out the kibble ?

[Joules]

Sounds like Arther could have a allergy or intolerance to something, Bea suffered with Yeast infections in her ears and feet, since changing to N.I this has all but gone.

I'm sure I've read somewhere that Kibble and Raw should not be fed at the same time, the stomach digest Raw quicker than kibble .

Have you thought of cutting out the kibble ?

I agree - kibble and raw should not be fed together.  I would try feeding the NI on it's own for a while and see if that helps    There is no need for a mixer if he is on a raw diet - you can always add more veg if you want to bulk it up a bit, although NI already contains a proportion of veg.

How old is Arthur?

[kaz60]

Arthur is 8 months old. He has been on Natural Instinct since he was a pup, the breeder fed him on it. I give him yumaga oil every morning on his food to help with the itchyness. I have tried really hard not to introduce wheat into his diet as our previous cocker suffered terribly with ear infections. I am going to try a mixer added to the natural instinct and cut out the kibble, see if that helps. Thank you all for your advice.

[elaine.e]

Sounds like Arther could have a allergy or intolerance to something, Bea suffered with Yeast infections in her ears and feet, since changing to N.I this has all but gone.

I'm sure I've read somewhere that Kibble and Raw should not be fed at the same time, the stomach digest Raw quicker than kibble .

Have you thought of cutting out the kibble ?

I agree - kibble and raw should not be fed together.  I would try feeding the NI on it's own for a while and see if that helps    There is no need for a mixer if he is on a raw diet - you can always add more veg if you want to bulk it up a bit, although NI already contains a proportion of veg.

How old is Arthur?

I agree with Joules, that Natural Instinct is a complete food and doesn't need anything added to it. Why don't you try just feeding it on it's own for a few weeks and see if that improves things?

The cereal in the kibble you've been feeding him with the NI is more likely to be the cause of the itchiness than too much protein. If that's the case, switching to a cereal based mixer isn't going to help.

[Jane57]

I feel raw and eden, granted its grain free so will digest at the same rate,
I do know some who feed other kibble with raw no problem at all.
Dogs have stomach of steel sometimes lol.

[its.sme]

Can I ask your reasons for feeding a mixer / kibble with Raw, are you worried he is not getting crunch in his diet ?

[kaz60]

I feed Arthur with the kibble added to the Natural Instinct as the breeder did it and I have continued to do so. I started off with  science plan kibble but changed to Wainwrights.

[Pearly]

I feed a mix of raw and wainwrights puppy kibble but not in the same meal. 

Coral is still on 4 meals a day of which 1, sometimes 2 are kibble and all are c5 hours apart giving plenty of time for her gastric enzymes to do their work 

[Jane57]

Can I ask your reasons for feeding a mixer / kibble with Raw, are you worried he is not getting crunch in his diet ?

Oh no Im not worried at all, he is thriving on his diet.
I occasionally feed raw mince / tripe, mostly at separate meals but sometimes if there is a little bit left over I mix it with his eden.
Absolutely fine to do this.
Its a bit of a myth to be honest, no real proof about mixing raw and kibble, as I say though his eden is grain free so all digests at same rate.
Im quite relaxed as riley has always been a brilliant eater.

[its.sme]

Can I ask your reasons for feeding a mixer / kibble with Raw, are you worried he is not getting crunch in his diet ?

Oh no Im not worried at all, he is thriving on his diet.
I occasionally feed raw mince / tripe, mostly at separate meals but sometimes if there is a little bit left over I mix it with his eden.
Absolutely fine to do this.
Its a bit of a myth to be honest, no real proof about mixing raw and kibble, as I say though his eden is grain free so all digests at same rate.
Im quite relaxed as riley has always been a brilliant eater.

The reason I asked was, I changed Bea to Raw before her teeth had bedded in, she found it difficult to change from Kibble to very soft food, a Raw food shop advised feeding it slightly frozen as she would then be able to chew it, Bingo ! Worked like a treat,  she loved it and always asks me for her food at meal times now, this was un heard off for Bea as she NEVER asked for her food until I changed her to a raw.