# Is it ok to mix foods



## LucieLilac (Jul 15, 2017)

I have a 9 week old puppy who came from the breeder with a Forthglade puppy pack. She was raised with a mixture of Iams kibble, Forthglade wet, dry and some of her moms chicken etc. Also a small amount of bio yogurt and carrots to chew on.
She is not keen on the kibble or the wet commercial food but loves chicken and minced beef. She will eat some of the commercial food if mixed with the home cooked. I am a bit worried about mixing as I want to make sure she gets the nutrition she needs.
Her digestion is fine and she is content.
I would be grateful if anyone has any comments on this.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

10-15% extra chicken or beef mixed into a balanced commercial food should not be a problem - much more than that and you may need to think about keeping the calcium/phosphorus balance at the right level, especially for a puppy. I think I would try making the home cooked food into a soupy grave, and using that to flavour the commercial.

If you want to move over to entirely home cooked I have found the information here DogAware.com Articles: Growing Bodies (Dog World Magazine) very helpful.


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## LucieLilac (Jul 15, 2017)

fjm said:


> 10-15% extra chicken or beef mixed into a balanced commercial food should not be a problem - much more than that and you may need to think about keeping the calcium/phosphorus balance at the right level, especially for a puppy. I think I would try making the home cooked food into a soupy grave, and using that to flavour the commercial.
> 
> If you want to move over to entirely home cooked I have found the information here DogAware.com Articles: Growing Bodies (Dog World Magazine) very helpful.


Thanks!. The information was very helpful.
For now I am going to continue and add a little home cooked meat in the form of gravy as suggested, eventually I will look to switch to home cooked so I know exactly what she is having.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Yep - gravy, not grave!


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## Michigan Gal (Jun 4, 2019)

If you are adding home food to the kibble, you might as well just give raw. There are enzymes in the meat that help your puppy to digest it. When you cook it, the enzymes are destroyed.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

The benefits of raw over cooked are somewhat controversial - such feeding trials as there have been show little difference in digestibility, and raw foods carry a risk of bacterial contamination if not handled carefully. And for most people a gravy made by cooking meat is a lot pleasanter to handle than one created from a slurry of raw meat - that, like feeding green tripe, takes dedication!


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