from raw to kibble???

[dogsbestfriend]

Before I went away on my trip, I bought dry food for my raw fed dog (Natural Balance Potato and Duck), since my dog sitter didn't like the idea of handling raw meat. When I got back 10 days later, my dog was in excellent condition. Should I just keep giving her the Natural Balance? She was doing great on the raw diet, but she looks just as good eating the NB for just those few days. Is it okay to switch back and forth from raw to kibble?(In case I ever have to leave her again). I kinda feel guilty not resuming the raw diet, but, I have to admit, giving her the kibble is alot easier and I find the results are just as good. What would you do???

 

[Bobsk8]

I personally like the idea of feeding Kibble. I know Smokey is getting a pretty balanced diet, and my dog does wonderfully on the 2-3 types of NB Kibble that she eats. I would always feel like I would be guessing regarding the nutritional balance of the raw diet, and I would rather not deal with her dragging chicken bones into the living room to munch on..

 

[DanL]

It will take more than 10 days to see the effects of the diet change. Think more in terms of 3-4 months.

 

[deb27]

It will take more than 10 days to see the effects of the diet change. Think more in terms of 3-4 months.

ditto that

 

[sam]

It will take more than 10 days to see the effects of the diet change. Think more in terms of 3-4 months.

agreed - 10 days isn't nearly long enough to see changes. My dogs look very healthy on premium kibble. Their teeth are the only difference I can see with my own eyes that are noticeably better on raw. I think there are benefits to feeding raw that you can't see just be looking at your dog. Dogs eating a fairly poor diet but one with a high fat content can have shiny lovely coats- it can be deceiving.

I think that's a personal decision.

I do switch back and forth for my conveniece and to give the dogs variety. We travel quite a bit and the dogs get kibble and canned on the road or if I forget to thaw.

I personally wouldn't feed NB exclusively (without adding meat /protein in the form of canned or cooked meat/poultry/eggs) because it's quite low in protein esp compared to other comparable high end foods.


When we decided to have another baby, I decided to put the dogs back on kibble with canned. In the end I went back to raw because with premium kibble + canned + all the supplements I was adding to make it a healthier option, it was actually more expensive and equal the hassle. Then there was cleaning the kibble poop of 100 lbs of dog out of the yard - that was the final straw.

 

[showpug]

You wont notice a difference in 10 days. What happens a lot of times when you leave a pet for a while they just kind of look different when you get back because you have not see them everyday for a while. This happened to me a lot when I would return from vacations etc.

Natural Balance is a good food. If you want to continue feeding it then that is your choice, but it's a little low in protein and fat so you may want to consider supplementing.

 

[Bobsk8]

I personally wouldn't feed NB exclusively (without adding meat /protein in the form of canned or cooked meat/poultry/eggs) because it's quite low in protein esp compared to other comparable high end foods.


.

I really get tired of reading this on this forum, because it is not true.

For example:

Canidae 24% Protein
Innova 25% Protein
California Lamb and Rice 18%
Solid Gold Hunder Flocken 22%
Natural Balance 23%


Now why is it that people insist on stating that Natural Balance is low in protein when in fact it is higher than some other premium foods and in reality maybe 1% lower than others? Is 1% difference that big a deal?

 

[showpug]

I really get tired of reading this on this forum, because it is not true.

For example:

Canidae 24% Protein
Innova 25% Protein
California Lamb and Rice 18%
Solid Gold Hunder Flocken 22%
Natural Balance 23%


Now why is it that people insist on stating that Natural Balance is low in protein when in fact it is higher than some other premium foods and in reality maybe 1% lower than others? Is 1% difference that big a deal?

Bob, the original poster stated that they purchased a bag of duck and potato Natural Balance. THAT FORMULA contains 21% protein and 10% fat. That is really low in my opinion. How about you think what you want to about the food and I can think what I want to? Then we are both happy.

Oh, and I may also add that I just started my bulldog on Natural Balance Vension and Brown Rice formula and she is doing terrific. We were having some occasional loose stool issues. This food has helped a ton. So see, I am a FAN of NB! This doesn't change my mind about it being too low in protein and fat for my liking.

 

[sam]

I really get tired of reading this on this forum, because it is not true.

For example:

Canidae 24% Protein
Innova 25% Protein
California Lamb and Rice 18%
Solid Gold Hunder Flocken 22%
Natural Balance 23%


Now why is it that people insist on stating that Natural Balance is low in protein when in fact it is higher than some other premium foods and in reality maybe 1% lower than others? Is 1% difference that big a deal?

Because it IS low in protein- esp compared to many high end kibbles. and NO 1% isn't a big deal. I wouldn't feed any of those that you listed either (without supplementing with canned or some other form of adding quality protein). 24% protein isn't enough for a scavenger carnivore in my mind. That's a whole lotta carbs. Solid Gold and Naturapet both make foods with MUCH higher protein. ie For kibble days I'm currently using Evo reduced fat which is 52% protein. The next kibble I'll buy will be Orijen and it's comparable. There are LOTS of kibbles to choose from with higher protein levels.
I also don't think it's a terribly bad thing-- supplementing kibble with fresh food, canned food or food that hasn't been cooked and preserved to be able to last a year in a bag is a great thing to do no matter what kibble you feed. I have never said Natural Balance is a bad food. I use their rolls as training treats all the time.

 

[shazbot]

Sam what kind of canned food would you recommend feeding that has high fat and protien, I'm feeding NB also and I'm finding that my dogs are getting dry skin...their coats are ok...but the skin is flakey.

 

[showpug]

Sam what kind of canned food would you recommend feeding that has high fat and protien, I'm feeding NB also and I'm finding that my dogs are getting dry skin...their coats are ok...but the skin is flakey.

Innova EVO canned 95% varieties are great for adding protein and fat. You can also add a whole raw egg if your dog is not allergic to eggs.

 

[sam]

Sam what kind of canned food would you recommend feeding that has high fat and protien, I'm feeding NB also and I'm finding that my dogs are getting dry skin...their coats are ok...but the skin is flakey.

Well for the flaky skin you could add some oil to the diet. Fish body oil (as opposed to fish liver oil) is a great thing for dogs but you can also a little flax oil or coconut oil too.

Canned food adds moisture as well as meat. There are lots of good canned foods out there. I would use any of the high end canned foods. I personally love the Evo 95% meat canned foods. Evangers makes nice canned foods. Wysong is supposedly nice canned- I can't get it so I haven't tried it.Solid Gold makes canned. If your dog likes his Natural Balance you can use their canned foods too- the list goes on. The only "high end" canned food I avoid is Merrick and Wellness- which I don't consider high end but it's priced as if it were and at first glance the ingredient list looks good too. I like to feed canned tripe on occasion too.

Adding a raw egg is also a really cheap and easy way to get some healthy, complete protein in your dogs diet. Kibble with egg is a favorite at my house second only to kibble with tripe.

The other good thing to do for kibble fed dogs is to add water to their food.

 

[dogsbestfriend]

I personally wouldn't feed NB exclusively (without adding meat /protein in the form of canned or cooked meat/poultry/eggs) because it's quite low in protein esp compared to other comparable high end foods.


When we decided to have another baby, I decided to put the dogs back on kibble with canned. In the end I went back to raw because with premium kibble + canned + all the supplements I was adding to make it a healthier option, it was actually more expensive and equal the hassle. Then there was cleaning the kibble poop of 100 lbs of dog out of the yard - that was the final straw.[/QUOTE]


After doing much research, I decided on Natural Balance because it is considered to be a "super premium" food and one that is easy to find (Petco).
Wouldn't any super premium food be good enough to feed exclusively? Also, when feeding super premium food, the poops are usually much, much less.
And I just can't understand why I would have to supplement a super premium food. I would think that it would be more than nutritionally complete. Sorry, I'm just confused

 

[dogsbestfriend]

Sorry, those first 2 paragraphs should have been in "quote". Don't know what happened!

 

[terrier terror]

After doing much research, I decided on Natural Balance because it is considered to be a "super premium" food and one that is easy to find (Petco).
Wouldn't any super premium food be good enough to feed exclusively? Also, when feeding super premium food, the poops are usually much, much less.
And I just can't understand why I would have to supplement a super premium food. I would think that it would be more than nutritionally complete. Sorry, I'm just confused

Why wouldn't you want to supplement your dogs' diet with healthy add-ins regardless of how "super" the food is?

I'm sure my dogs would survive on plain kibble and look fine to anyone on the street who don't know my dogs. But *I* and those who do know them notice a difference, even the slightest little thing. That's enough to convince me!

I always add water and canned when my dogs get kibble, because of moisture content. My dogs get raw meat, RMBs, eggs, etc. (the raw is not given with kibble, except the eggs) and thrive, not just survive. I like my dogs to eat healthy, and imo, plain kibble every day isn't going to cut it.

 

[Bobsk8]

Why wouldn't you want to supplement your dogs' diet with healthy add-ins regardless of how "super" the food is?

I'm sure my dogs would survive on plain kibble and look fine to anyone on the street who don't know my dogs. But *I* and those who do know them notice a difference, even the slightest little thing. That's enough to convince me!

I always add water and canned when my dogs get kibble, because of moisture content. My dogs get raw meat, RMBs, eggs, etc. (the raw is not given with kibble, except the eggs) and thrive, not just survive. I like my dogs to eat healthy, and imo, plain kibble every day isn't going to cut it.

On the natural balance Bag that the kibble comes in , it specifically says that supplements are not necessary.. Here is the quote:


Note: These feeding guidelines are suggested only, feeding amounts may vary by breed, activity level, temperament and climate. We recommend that you do not add vitamins, minerals or any other supplements, except upon the advice of a veterinarian.

 

[Brattina88]

good point, Bob

however two words seemed pretty important to me in those two sentences:
suggested and recommended

 

[terrier terror]

On the natural balance Bag that the kibble comes in , it specifically says that supplements are not necessary.. Here is the quote:


Note: These feeding guidelines are suggested only, feeding amounts may vary by breed, activity level, temperament and climate. We recommend that you do not add vitamins, minerals or any other supplements, except upon the advice of a veterinarian.

I believe some members suggested mixing it with canned, and on their canned food it gives a suggested amount to use if your going to do a combo of the two. So obviously they must think it's OK to go that route, right?

I've also seen that quote before, and I'm sure many vets out there will say it's great to feed healthy add-ins while other vets say don't bother. To me, just because a kibble is designed to keep dogs alive and is labeled "complete and balanced" does not mean things can't or shouldn't be added to make it better.

 

[gaddylovesdogs]

Adding things to commercial foods may not be NECESSARY, but it's certainly a good idea. I know I would not be healthy if I ate the same cooked food day after day after day and never ate a piece of fresh food. How come my dogs would do fine on a diet of nothing but cooked food? They are animals that would be eating whatever they could find (variety).

 

[Shahrazade]

I mix Natural Balance Organics and Nutro Ultra Puppy- I had been feeding just NB but found that my dog's coat was better when he was on the Ultra, so I compromised and mixed the two. I also give him scrambled eggs a couple times a week- still a little leery about the raw eggs about hearing that humans can get salmonella from dogs carrying it from raw eggs, even though dogs don't get it themselves. I sleep with my dog sometimes, take him everywhere with me, bag his poop on walks, and it seems to me that the potential for transmission is huge. In the spring when my ducks start laying I'll give him raw duck eggs because I know my ducks are healthy and well cared for and won't have salmonella.

I also tend to toss Gus a little raw meat when I'm cooking dinner- a little ground beef, a cube of (lightly cooked to kill parasites) pork, a quarter of a chicken breast- and when this 3 feet of snow melts I'll get him some raw meat bones to give him when he can be outside to eat- we are apartment dwellers though so we aren't able to do a raw foods diet completely.