Raw feeding a kibble fed pooch.

[cj-sharpy]

Before we start I know it's wrong in most eyes. And I know about digestion rates etc etc.
Right here goes. The missus picked up jack a few days ago and I've met him and had a look. He's a lively springy boy but his poop is shocking.
Bright green, far to soft and stinks like a tramps flip flop.
I've binned the food he came with (Purina rubbish) and got him in to a better additive free dry food.
I am pushing for him to go raw but the GF says she just can't do it and I agree.
The last thing I want is for him to bounce between the two and if she can't handle feeding raw then beat to stick with kibble.

My question is would you feed a kibble fed dog a raw rib every few days? Not for any nutritional value but just to help with his stools?

Any input would be good cos if I had my way he'd be eating raw chicken already.


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[Smokeycat]

I give my dogs raw elk ribs despite being kibble fed. I just make sure the ribs are given apart from mealtime.

 

[cj-sharpy]

And why do you do that? Is it for poop reasons or some other.
How do your dogs handle the little bit of raw being kibble fed?
I think it's a good idea but don't want to make him ill.


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[glen]

I feed raw Wirth kibble the kibble we feed is ok to do that with, we also give the rib bones as a treat.

 

[Smokeycat]

I just do it for a treat now. I think I started when I was trying a dehydrated raw diet with Kryten and it was to firm up his poop but Jiggers was still on kibble. I wanted both of them to get a bone.

 

[DennasMom]

I'd say it will vary with the dog, too.

Adding a raw bone for an otherwise "normal" (kibble) fed dog should be no problem - and will give the dog happy chew time as well as good minerals and poop-firming material.

I might go with a knuckle or saddle bone instead of a small pork rib or big, hard beef rib (based on my experience with Denna... she's more likely to chomp/gulp a rib, where the saddle bone gets more time to gnaw on). For just poop-firming, an occasional chicken back or turkey neck might do fine, too. The dog might come to expect the special treats, though, so I agree with keeping it separate from meal time to make sure the kibble gets the dog's full attention.

At least... that's my opinion!

I might add some probiotics and consider adding yucca schidigera (herb, temporary support) to help alleviate the stinky poop, too.

 

[Liz_M]

I do maybe 80-90% raw and the rest kibble; I don't see anything wrong with mixing it up a bit. A dog fed right (with none of this "NO people food" or "switch kibble over a period of a week or two") bullshit is a healthy dog doing what dogs have always done best: being opportunistic scavengers. After all, it is how wild canids became Man's Best Friend: by being opportunistic scavengers at the camp site. Since 1999 I've had both my personal dogs and rescues bounce back and forth between kibble and raw with no issues at all.

So to answer the OP, of course I would. Why ever not? For a while I followed a blog by a veterinarian who had a herd of rescued Greyhounds. He fed kibble on weekdays, and raw on weekends to keep their teeth clean. Makes sense to me. It's probably about the ratio I do, and my 7-year old Lab and 8-year-old JRT cross have almost perfectly pristine teeth and are stupidly healthy.

 

[BAMCB]

My JRTs were on kibble for 15 yrs but got raw bones all the time for treats. In all honesty I had no idea that feeding kibble with raw was not suggested. Never had an issue.

 

[Liz_M]

Meant to add earlier...there are several kibbles and dehydrated dog foods on the market that encourage you to add raw or cooked meat to the meal. Wysong and Honest Kitchen come to mind, there may be more. So it's really OK. Dogs are carnivores but also scavengers by nature, so if they're fed a healthy varied diet on a regular basis they can happily digest a wide range of foods. A dog who has been fed a monotonous single-brand kibble diet with no "extras" might need a slower introduction (simpler meats, nothing too rich, smaller meals) but will ultimately do fine.