Raw and Dried together?????

[LynneB]

I feed my dogs on raw tripe and chicken and Autarky complete. I have recently read that you should not feed raw and dried together as they digest at different rates. I am now feeding complete in the morning and raw in the evening but the fussy little horrors turn up their noses at the complete on its own.  Just trying to do the best for my dogs, ungrateful or what? What do others think?

[Pudding]

thats how i feed Bob.... but i do add some fish or cooked chicken and some blended veg to the kibble
then he has his raw in the evening

[mlynnf50]

I feed my dogs on raw tripe and chicken and Autarky complete. I have recently read that you should not feed raw and dried together as they digest at different rates. I am now feeding complete in the morning and raw in the evening but the fussy little horrors turn up their noses at the complete on its own.  Just trying to do the best for my dogs, ungrateful or what? What do others think?

Yes i have read that they digest at different rates and not to feed together   Mine was the same about kibble so now its raw meat only, he is in his crate so quick for his meat he just loves it

[elaine.e]

Mine are now completely on raw food, but when they used to have both they had kibble in the morning and raw in the evening because I was told that you shouldn't mix them because they're digested at different rates.

Having said that, my first 2 Cockers, born in the late 1980s, were fed a mix of raw meat and mixer biscuit because that's how many dogs were fed then in the days before kibble became popular and very few brands were available. Josh was fed that for about 14 of his 16 years and Sammy all of his 11 years, and they both thrived on it

[LurcherGirl]

I feed raw and kibble together and have done so for about a year now without problems. I know they say it digests at different rates, but I can't see why that should be a problem. If dogs were still scavenging, which is what their system is adapted to do, then they would eat stuff all day long that digests at different rates.
We humans also eat stuff together that digests at different rates and I can't remember ever having had a problem because of it.
I haven't actually ever found an answer why the different digestion rates should be an issue...

So if it has never caused a problem to feed it together, I can't see any reason why you shouldn't! 

Vera

[Karma]

But kibble is highly processed and takes far longer to digest than anything the dog has naturally developed to eat...

If it's not causing a problem, that's fine, but in some dogs it can and does cause stomach upsets, and that is why it is generally advised against... 

[LurcherGirl]

If it's not causing a problem, that's fine, but in some dogs it can and does cause stomach upsets, and that is why it is generally advised against...  

I'd like to know though WHY it would cause stomach upsets... surely the "slower" food would just hang around longer than the "faster" food and get processed in its own time. So if I feed raw and then give them the occasionaly dry dog treat, should that also cause stomach upset? Or the other way round, my dog is fed kibble and occasionally given cooked or raw additions to the food or as treats (which a lot of people do), yet noone seems to worry about it that way round.

I've just never come across anyone where it is causing problems (and I have a few friends that feed both together) and haven't heard of an individual case on the internet where it caused problems. I am wondering whether it's just one of these statements that someone once made and it then got carried by the internet as the "truth" without anyone else bothering to check it...

Just my two pennies worth.   And my opinion may of course be completely wrong...

[Jane S]

Must admit I've always found this claim puzzling too & have never found any proper research to back it up  but we all have to do what's right for our dogs - ours have been fed raw tripe with their kibble for over 20 years now without any problems at all and I can't see any reason to stop now

[Sharon]

Must admit I've always found this claim puzzling too & have never found any proper research to back it up  but we all have to do what's right for our dogs - ours have been fed raw tripe with their kibble for over 20 years now without any problems at all and I can't see any reason to stop now

Same here, kibble and raw tripe/chicken/turkey/rabbit together for over 12 years and never any problems

[Karma]

This thread -
http://www.prodoggroomingsupplies.com/dog-forums/showthread.php?t=27337 - has some theories about why it's not a good idea to mix...
As you can see, it gets very argumentative, but some of the possible reasons for not feeding dried and raw in the same meal seem like they may have some merit, so I prefer not to do so.  She doesn get dried biscuits, and I even use some kibble for training, but I do try and leave a reasonable gap between her raw meals and any cooked treats.... Honey does get an upset tum with too many processed treats (even 100% natural ingrediants) so I choose not to take the risk... 

[Jane S]

Yes I've read that kind of thread before but basically it comes down to theories and opinions not facts Dogs have evolved (just as we have) to be able to eat all kinds of things and if you're an experienced owner with healthy, happy dogs then why would you change their diet just because some say what you're doing is wrong? I'm not criticising you or anyone else that chooses not to mix raw with kibble, especially if you have a dog that is prone to tummy upsets but if your dogs don't have problems, I tend to follow the "if it aint broke, don't fix it"

[JeffandAnnie]

Gosh, am I relieved to read this! I feed Jeff and Annie a chicken wing and a bit of kibble at 6pm (just kibble am) as one wing isn't enough and two end up thrown up and re-eaten  I must admit I have been doing so against previous advice because I really couldn't see the logic either 

[LynneB]

Yes I've read that kind of thread before but basically it comes down to theories and opinions not facts Dogs have evolved (just as we have) to be able to eat all kinds of things and if you're an experienced owner with healthy, happy dogs then why would you change their diet just because some say what you're doing is wrong? I'm not criticising you or anyone else that chooses not to mix raw with kibble, especially if you have a dog that is prone to tummy upsets but if your dogs don't have problems, I tend to follow the "if it aint broke, don't fix it"

Thanks for all your comments, I agree and will go back to feeding together as they enjoy it more.

[Marina and Saartje]

If you feed a complete fresh frozen food the bones inside are so small they will digest, if you  feed kibble and raw together, but if you feed raw bones like goatribs or chicken it's better to separate. But why do you feed the kibble if you know she doesn't like it? Leave the kibble and feed fresh only, that's my opinion.

[LynneB]

If you feed a complete fresh frozen food the bones inside are so small they will digest, if you  feed kibble and raw together, but if you feed raw bones like goatribs or chicken it's better to separate. But why do you feed the kibble if you know she doesn't like it? Leave the kibble and feed fresh only, that's my opinion.

I feed raw minced tripe and chicken and Autarky complete, they also have chicken wings usually as a treat. Is there "enough" in the raw food alone?