What kibble are you feeding?

**wolfsoul** · 04-23-2007, 05:16 PM

Normally I feed raw, but my dogs get a ton of exercise and therefore need ALOT of food -- they are skinny and it's getting expensive -- so I've started adding California Natural Lamb and Rice Puppy Food to their meals to keep up their weight (it has more fat and caloric density than any of the other foods I can find here, but I found a place in town that might have Acana and I'd really like to try their Extreme formlua -- really high in fat and calories). They have no problems eating kibble and raw together. It's been good so far, Solo has already gained a pound since I started last week.

**M&M's Mommy** · 04-23-2007, 05:33 PM

Innova Evo Red Meat Formula.

**Glacier** · 04-23-2007, 05:37 PM

Originally Posted by wolfsoul

I found a place in town that might have Acana and I'd really like to try their Extreme formlua -- really high in fat and calories.

Acana has a retailer locater thing on their website...http://www.championpetfoods.com/StoreLocator.aspx

I feed the Extreme formula in the winter to my working dogs who are hard keepers. Pacer and Ozzy in particular loose weight incredibly quickly. I've been very impressed with it. Even the Performance formula is higher in fat and calories than most pet foods(that's what most of my dogs eat). They also offer a buy 12 get the 13th bag free program at most of their retailers. I buy in bulk so I can't get that deal, but they knock 3 bucks off a bag when I order by the pallet(45 bags at a time).

**wolfsoul** · 04-23-2007, 05:51 PM

Thanks Glacier, that's where I found the place in town that may sell it -- though I have never seen it there so I'm going to have to call and ask.

I bet they probably wouldn't have that formula (not alot of working dogs around here) but maybe they could order it for me.

I know what you mean about them losing weight fast. My dogs are so hard to keep weight on. At one point I was feeding Solo 16.5 pounds of raw food A DAY. Otherwise in perfect health. The vet says it just must be the amount of exercise they get as neither one had worms or anything. Since I'm now doing the raw and mixing in the kibble and feeding them each three meals a day and tons of treats in-between, Solo has gained a bit of weight, Visa still hasn't but I'm hoping she will. What can ya do...intact working Belgians with high metabolisms. My excuse: They says that underweight dogs live longer.

Atleast it's true.

**Glacier** · 04-23-2007, 06:07 PM

Originally Posted by wolfsoul

I know what you mean about them losing weight fast. My dogs are so hard to keep weight on. At one point I was feeding Solo 16.5 pounds of raw food A DAY. Otherwise in perfect health. What can ya do...intact working Belgians with high metabolisms. My excuse: They says that underweight dogs live longer.

Atleast it's true.

Wow! That's alot of food! That's why you'd be hard pressed to find a serious musher who feeds exclusively raw. It's just too hard to get enough fat and calories into a working dog. I supplement heavily with raw--mostly wild game, but the hard keepers especially, need the kibble too. I always giggle a bit when people say you can't mix the two. Every musher I know does it, usually in the same meal, without any problems.

I had to take Pacer to the vet this morning. They made me weigh him 3 times. He's lost 11 pounds since his last trip. The last trip was made in the off-season. This one he's just coming off his working season and is at his lightest weight.

I don't even have the intact excuse! All my dogs are altered and I still can't keep weight on some of them!

**wolfsoul** · 04-23-2007, 06:32 PM

Originally Posted by Glacier

Wow! That's alot of food! That's why you'd be hard pressed to find a serious musher who feeds exclusively raw. It's just too hard to get enough fat and calories into a working dog. I supplement heavily with raw--mostly wild game, but the hard keepers especially, need the kibble too. I always giggle a bit when people say you can't mix the two. Every musher I know does it, usually in the same meal, without any problems.

Totally -- I have tried and tried to keep with just raw, and it just isn't working to keep their weight up with their activity. Took me a while to realise that wolves in the wild running however many miles daily may eat only raw but they also eat an entire deer LOL.
As for mixing the two, I always used to be afraid of it -- you hear the "kibble may keep the raw back and the bacteria in the raw will make the dogs sick" theory. But my dogs tend to have loose stools when I feed them kibble, so the way I look at it, it's the raw keeping the kibble back!

Dogs are dogs -- they will eat rotten things covered in bacteria and not get sick (my garbage hound is living proof). So I don't see the big deal mixing kibble and raw.

**crow_noir** · 04-23-2007, 11:49 PM

I just get over those mentioned problems by feeding raw in the morning, then feeding kibble in the evening. (When i have raw available.)

The problem that worries me though is the problem of kibble and raw supposedly being one opposite sides of the pH scale.

Originally Posted by wolfsoul

...
As for mixing the two, I always used to be afraid of it -- you hear the "kibble may keep the raw back and the bacteria in the raw will make the dogs sick" theory. But my dogs tend to have loose stools when I feed them kibble, so the way I look at it, it's the raw keeping the kibble back! Dogs are dogs -- they will eat rotten things covered in bacteria and not get sick (my garbage hound is living proof). So I don't see the big deal mixing kibble and raw.

**wolfsoul** · 04-25-2007, 09:12 PM

Originally Posted by crow_noir

I just get over those mentioned problems by feeding raw in the morning, then feeding kibble in the evening. (When i have raw available.)

The problem that worries me though is the problem of kibble and raw supposedly being one opposite sides of the pH scale.

Unfortunatly feeding kibble alone gives my dogs diahrrea.

Kay -- they do say the more inconsistent the colour, the more natural the food is -- and I have found that this is correct when purchasing my own processed organic foods. Though since they said that wasn't the case, that really is weird. I tried Timberwolf when I got Visa and she had bloody diahrrea for the entire month of feeding it. I saved it for dogs that I sat and they all got bloody diahrrea too. I have been afraid of it since.

**Cinder & Smoke** · 04-23-2007, 06:01 PM

Originally Posted by Glacier

I buy in bulk ...
they knock 3 bucks off a bag when I order by the pallet (45 bags at a time).

<gasp>

45 Bags at a time!??
OMG!

And just how many days / weeks / months does that Last?

**Cincy'sMom** · 04-23-2007, 06:04 PM

Cincy is still getting a mix of Nutro Lite and Science Diet Lite. It has been what works for her, and so far, netiher has been recalled.

Sadie and Spot are getting eagle Pack Holistic

**Glacier** · 04-23-2007, 06:09 PM

Originally Posted by Cinder & Smoke

<gasp>

45 Bags at a time!??
OMG!

And just how many days / weeks / months does that Last?

It comes in 55 pound bags. One bag equals 3 meals in the summer. 2 in the winter. I do a bulk order twice a year.

**Cinder & Smoke** · 04-23-2007, 06:39 PM

Originally Posted by Glacier

One bag equals 3 meals in the summer; 2 in the winter.

I do a bulk order twice a year.

<double GASP>

45 Bags x 3 Meals = 135 Days per Summer Pallet
45 Bags x 2 Meals = 90 Days per Winter Pallet

So that's at LEAST 3 Pallets a year ... wow!

Does the Dawg Food come like the Wood Pile does - via Tractor Trailer?

**lv4dogs** · 04-23-2007, 08:14 PM

All of my crew still gets raw, but due to other circumstances their diet varies more so lately. Some of it is related to special diets needs, time and financial reasons.
When not feeding raw Kaige gets fed EVO (a mix of the WM & RM). I occasionally mix about a quarter can of a decent brand (usually something with venison, rabbit, etc.. in it, the brand varries but the quality doesn't). And when not fed raw Raustyk gets a mix of her special diet (cooked hamburg, bread, rice, eggs, & vitamin supplements) with some Wellness senior along with more supplements & meds. She will also sometimes get a partial can of canned food.