Mixing raw food and Kibble for your dogs.

The dog training industry is currently unregulated, allowing anyone to call themselves a dog trainer and say or do whatever they please. Unfortunately, this can be harmful and lead to the spread of myths and misinformation to the public. Having owned a dog myself and going through countless research, I aim to bust some of these myths and provide factual information to help educate as many people as I can.

Can You Mix Raw & Kibble?

Firstly, it is important to note that there is no such thing as an "all raw" or "no raw" diet. This means that if you are unable to feed a fully raw diet, you can still incorporate bits and pieces of raw food into your pet's diet. For example, if you are feeding 50% kibble and 50% raw, that is perfectly fine. If you are feeding 80% kibble and 20% raw, that is also acceptable. Even if you are feeding all the kibble and adding some raw goat's milk, that is still beneficial. The more meat and moisture you can add to your pet's diet, the better it is for them.

The modern trend of raw feeding can be traced back to the mid to late 90s when Australian veterinarian and nutritionist Dr. Ian Billinghurst created the BARF model. BARF stands for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food. The principle of the BARF model is to go back to what our dogs are evolutionarily designed to eat, which is a combination of meat, organ, bones, and limited leafy greens, seeds, nuts, etc. that you would typically find in the digestive tract of prey.

In the earlier days of raw feeding, there weren't many commercial raw options available. People would read books, look at websites, and create their own raw diets based on what they could get at the grocery store or butcher shop. During this time, it was a common belief that you should not mix kibble and raw. If you are feeding both kibble and raw food, you should at least separate them into, for example, a kibble breakfast and a raw dinner.

The idea behind this concept was that raw food requires a higher stomach acidity to digest it, and it digests much quicker, whereas kibble makes the stomach acid less acidic and takes longer to digest. The theory was that if you feed them both at the same time, the kibble would make the stomach acid less acidic, making it difficult to digest the raw food. It would also slow down the digestion process, leaving the raw food in the stomach longer, which could increase the likelihood of harmful bacteria being introduced to the body. However, this idea of not mixing kibble and raw has been a long-standing theory that has been debunked. Unless your dog has proven that they cannot digest the two together, it is safe to incorporate both kibble and raw in the same meal.

The benefits of having additional meat and moisture in your pet's diet far outweigh any potential risks that may come up from feeding the two together. The theorized risks of mixing the two are further lessened if you are feeding a commercial raw pet food. In the United States, all pet food, including kibble, canned, cooked, and raw, are required to have zero percent pathogens, such as E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria. This means that feeding a commercial raw pet food is just as safe as feeding kibble or canned food. Adding additional meat and moisture, whether it's from raw food, canned food, or cooked chicken breast, helps increase the digestibility of the kibble, making it easier to digest and absorb all the nutrients your pet needs. It also helps alleviate stress and pressure on organs like the kidneys or liver, making it easier to digest and reducing damage to those organs that can happen over time for a variety of reasons, including difficult-to-digest food.

If you find that your dog is not digesting both kibble and raw well together, you can try spreading them out, such as doing kibble in the morning and raw at night. However, it is not necessary to separate them. The idea of mixing both kibble and raw is not only safe but also encouraged. There are many raw topper options, such as freeze-dried raw or frozen raw nuggets or raw goat's milk, that are made specifically to be added to whatever kibble diet you're already feeding to help boost the nutrients, meat, and moisture.

In conclusion, the debate surrounding the feeding of raw or kibble to dogs is a complex issue that is often accompanied by myths and misconceptions. The unregulated nature of the dog training industry has resulted in the dissemination of misinformation, making it imperative for certified dog trainers to dispel these myths and provide accurate information to educate pet owners.

Over time, the question of whether raw and kibble can be mixed in a dog's diet has evolved. Initially, there was a belief that combining the two could lead to digestive issues due to differences in stomach acidity and digestion speed. However, this theory has been debunked, and it is generally considered safe to mix both raw and kibble in a dog's meal. The benefits of incorporating additional meat and moisture into a pet's diet outweigh the potential risks. Commercial raw pet foods, like kibble, are required to meet strict standards for pathogen control, ensuring their safety.

The concept of mixing raw and kibble is not only safe but also encouraged, providing flexibility for pet owners to enhance their dogs' diets. Various options, such as freeze-dried raw toppers and raw goat's milk, are available to complement kibble diets and offer additional nutrients, meat content, and moisture. Ultimately, prioritizing the well-being of pets through well-informed dietary choices is the key takeaway, aiming to promote their health, digestion, and overall quality of life.