How Close Is A Premium Kibble Like Orijen To A Raw Diet?
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Nov 8th, 2009 |
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Any good websites or books for feeding dogs a raw diet?
Do you add rice for dogs prone to weight gain?
Should fruit and vegtables that canines can safely eat be added?
Is it necessary to supplement raw feeding with vitamins?
How close if Orijen to a raw diet, could you combine raw and kibble?
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This question must be tailored for me! How close is a high quality kibble to raw? I’d say not within telescope distance. High quality, grain-less kibbles are obviously head and shoulders over grocery store brands but they’re still cooked and have veggies. Feeding veggies isn’t bad, but it’s not good either. Nothing is gained or lossed when feeding veggies so I don’t bother with them at all, they’re just a filler. Rice is a grain, and grains are the #1 food allergen in dogs. Grains also break down into sugars, more sugar than a dog needs. It’s not necessary to supplement with vitamins if you feed a raw diet correctly…that said, I give a vitamin once a week anyway even though I’m 100% confident they’re not needed…habit I guess, but it can’t hurt, only help. I do however supplement with salmon oil for the Omega 3 and 6 which farmed animals are known to be low in. You can combine raw and kibble just not in the same meal and preferably not the same day. But there’s no need to continue feeding kibble at all so why not cut it out? I feed a raw prey modeled diet. 70% muscle meat, 20% organ, and 10% bone. I feed more organ because in my personal experience the more dominant a wolf or dog is, the more organ he eats at a kill…so there must be some benefit to it. If you want any menu plans or my opinions on which kinds of meats you should possibly steer clear of, or which ones are plentiful, healthy and inexpensive, feel free to e-mail me!
That goes to anybody who reads my posts, if you’re interested in feeding raw, feel free to e-mail me. I’ll help the best I can.
There are a ton of raw diet websites for dogs, just google it. It requires alot of time reading through everything to make the best choices for your dog. Each person’s opinion differs slightly on what is best to feed a dog on a raw diet.
I feed my dogs raw, and I don’t add rice or anything. I firmly believe they don’t need it. Certain fruits and vegetables are good for them, but there are some that aren’t. Also, supplements are very important to ensure they get the balance that they need.
Actually, I primarily raw feed, and when one of my dogs needs to bulk up I add oatmeal or rice.
Yes, many people feed 2 meals a day, one raw and one kibble.
If I were trying to keep a dog from gaining weight I would cut back on the kibble.
Your best resource for info on raw feeding is to join a couple of Yahoo! raw feeding groups. Please realize that some people are a bit fanatical though! (I simply do what is best for my dogs and me.. which includes feeding some scraps and some carbs, treats and an occassional meal with kibble).
I don’t supplement at all.. unless you count the wide variety of things I feed as supplements.
I feed a home cooked diet not raw
The books I have found useful are
Home prepared dog and cat diets Donald R Strombeck, DVM, Phd
Dr Pitcairn’s complete guide to natural health for dogs and cats
I have read many other books and discussed nutrition with vets and nutritionists, read as widely as you can do not restrict yourself to one method of feeding, do your own research and form your own opinion
It is time consuming and expensive (I feed the best organic foods I can find)
When feeding raw you need to be careful where you source your meats, supermarket foods are not suitable as it is assumed such foods will be cooked, you need much fresher foods from a known source.
With commercial diets again you need to do your research
Rice is just a filler and not needed, if the dog is prone to weight gain, just feed less.
Dogs don’t have the digestive tracts to get nutrition from fruits and veggies. Some people feed them some don’t, I don’t.
As long as you are feeding roughly an 80/10/10 ratio, no supplement needed. 80% meat, 10% edible bone and 10% organ, about half of the organ percentage should consist of liver. Variety is also key with a raw diet, but you don’t want to start out with to much variety while your dog is adjusting.
Some good sites are http://www.rawfed.com http://www.rawlearning.com The raw feeding forum on dogster is great, this thread for beginners http://www.dogster.com/forums/Raw_Food_D… is full of information.
Some good books include Raw Meaty Bones, and Works Wonders both by Tom Lonsdale. I also have Ian Billinghurst’s book, but that makes it sound overly complicated.
Not all kibble is created equal, but the fact that dogs allergic to one protein source in its cooked form, can do great on that same protein source in its raw form shows how much the cooking process changes the food.
Orijen is a good kibble though. You can feed both kibble and raw, but you don’t want to feed them at the same meal. You could feed raw in the morning, and kibble at night, or have a raw day and a kibble day. Kibble and raw digest at different rates and this can cause tummy upset for some dogs.
It is a good kibble, but raw is raw, and as much as most people would like, kibble can not replace raw. (Not to undermine anyones effort in what high quality kibble they do feed).
Anyway, a good book I like about raw is tom lonsdales Work Wonders book which can be found on http://www.rawmeatybones.com along with information about raw feeding.
Websites I like:
http://www.rawfed.com/myths
http://www.rawlearning.comhttp://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/sa… (has a calculator if you are confused about how much your dog should be eating)
A google search will bring many more.
I dont add any grains normally. If they need to gain weight, I add more to the diet percentage wise.
I also dont feed fruits and veggies often enough for them to be considered part of the diet, but I do feed them as treats.
I do not supplement unless my dog needs them. Currently only one of my dogs gets anything, but it has nothing to do with raw feeding. It has to do with the crappy food we fed her before we knew better and her back legs are giving out on her now. The other two dont get anything as far as supplements.
The main thing I can tell you is to remove the skin and fat from the meat when you start and always have plain mashed pumpkin in your cabinet. If you can avoid the diarrhea I had to go through for atleast two weeks, then you are in the clear(for the most part).
For other experienced raw feeders advice, http://www.bigdogsporch.com can help you.
Orijen is as close as you can get to a raw diet. Its VERY rich in protein and is an excellent choice for those who dont want the hassel of raw. Of course no kibble can ever be the same as raw, there is a small amount of grain required to make any bag food, and it is processed, you never get the full control you would get with a raw diet. But the conveinence and the knowing your dog is getting a balanced diet evens it out. My border collies eat Orijen, its to rich a food for my aussie though.
There are so many approaches to raw diets some owners add grain and veg, others are strict meat and bones people. There is no absolute right or wrong. I feel that a varied diet is best personally. In the wild there is strong evidence that dogs would have ate fruits like berries and vegetation when other food sources where low. Most owners supplement their dogs diet with various vitamins.
Have you ever joined the dogster website? http://www.dogster.com you have to create a profile, but its free and fun. They have very busy forums there one is all raw focused and the othr all home made focused. You dont get alot of the ‘troll-esk” answers you get on Y!A the people on there are really dog lovers and very knowledgable. I would check it out if you are going to go raw, there is ALOT to learn to get the most benefit for your dog from it.
Rice and other starches would CAUSE weight gain.
Yes, fruits and vegetables can be safely added, but watch the sugar content.
Here’s an excellent site with lots of good information on dog nutrition.http://dogaware.com/
If your dog looks healthy and maintains a level of energy and happiness, it might be you’ve found the right food..http://dogtime.com/raw-food-diet-martine…
good q..ive been thinking about going raw for a while..so im curiouse to see the answers
Orijen is a high quality dog food, but the closest kibbles to raw meat are things like Wellness CORE and Blue Buffalo Wilderness.
Do not add rice. It will cause weight gane. They don’t need it.
You can add fruits and vegetables, but watch the sugar, and not too much of them.
No, you don’t have to supplement raw feeding. I don’t. A lot of people don’t.
And NO, do NOT combine RAW and KIBBLE, unless you like to clean up DIAHHREA and PUKE. And for your dog to get UPSET STOMACH.
****Sorry for the caps lock, just wanted to get the point across.**** ☺