Wow - advice please?

[LisaB]

My last cocker had extreme issues with food guarding.  Following a visit to a canine behaviourist in the Uni, he recommended only dried fod, low palatable, but down all the time, so it had low value.  We changed to Hills dried and managed her on this.  I therefore, have almost no understanding on dog nutrition.

Now I have a new girl, I don't want to feed dried (everyone seems to think it's cruel), and so bought some Hills wet.  She loved it!  So, I went on line and bought £125 worth of wet Hills and it arrived this morning.  However, at PAH yesterday, after reading the archives in this section, I saw some Natures BARF and bought it - on impulse.  She loves it!  I have given her 5 nuggets of it today and some wet Hills.  The BARF says "complementary pet food" on it.

Is it ok to combine the Hills with this barf and as the Hills runs out (in about 100 years )! gradually increase with the BARF.  Also, I have loads of dried Hills puppy here that needs using up.

What's everyone's advice?

[ladylola]

you shouldn't mix Raw [Barf] food with cooked or kibble. As they digest at different rates. You could use the hills/kibble on a morning and feed a raw meal for tea. There is a lot of threads on raw feeding on here, Have a look through.

[sal]

Oooh I have just read this about raw and kibble at same time and have only just realised that I feed Oska once a week with raw mince with his kibble, it was said to keep his coat nice.  Am I doing the wrong thing here, or is a small handfull of raw mince once a week not qutie the same as barf feeding all the time.

Sorry to butt-in with this question Lisa B.

[Cob-Web]

Some dogs, not all, can struggle to digest raw and processed food eaten at the same time; but you should soon know as it can have explosive results!

If you want to feed an exclusively BARF (or other raw) diet, then it is worth reading up about the science behind it, so that you can combine the Natures Menu Complimentary Nuggets with the additional elements needed to keep your dog healthy 

[DennyK]

My last cocker had extreme issues with food guarding.  Following a visit to a canine behaviourist in the Uni, he recommended only dried fod, low palatable, but down all the time, so it had low value.  .........  Is it ok to combine the Hills with this barf and as the Hills runs out (in about 100 years )! gradually increase with the BARF.  Also, I have loads of dried Hills puppy here that needs using up.

What's everyone's advice?

1.               Offer the Hills puppy for sale - car boot sale, via E-bay whatever - just off-load it so you aren't tempted to stray from the path of righteousness (or self-righteousness which is a danger for wafflers like me who "converted" to BARF!!).

2.               Get stuck in to BARF properly and you'll never look back.  Lots of threads on here with a "how to..." step-by-step guide to raw feeding.

3.               Never, ever go back to see that behaviourist.  Read two great books "The Culture Clash" by Jean Donaldson and "Complete Idiot's Guide to Positive Dog Training" by Pamela Dennison (make sure it's the Dennison version - US copy, from Amazon).  Culture Clash will teach you (a) how dogs think and learn and (b) specifically, how to deal with any resource guarding in a positive way for you and your dog, rather than the misery of horrid food for years.  Grrrrrrr to that "behaviourist" - right diagnosis, wrong treatment.....

Denise