# Incorporating Home cooking with commercial kibble



## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I can't get the link to work!!!! It is called ' Feeding Your Dog' (WellVet.com) Google it!!! LOL!!!!!


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Does this work? I'll take a little read, though I'm a raw food convert. lol.

https://www.wellvet.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=ART_FEEDINGDOG


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Okay, read it. It sure looks better than all commercial. But I disagree with the 50% meat at each meal. I think it should be more like 80-85%. They don't need grain. And many raw feeders don't think they need anything _but_ meaty bones, organ meat and I think some tripe. But I do feed veggies, steamed and pulverized since they can't break down cellulose. I don't even know if steaming and pulverizing really helps much. But I do feel like I'm covering all bases by feeding some veggies. It sure doesn't hurt and seems to help regulate their poos because it's roughage at least. Do you give extra calcium to compensate for the extra meat or veggies that are throwing the calcium levels off? 

If a diet like that article describes and what you describe has been working for you and is convenient too, that is a good thing. And it's nice to find something from a vet or nutrition person who validates it, spells things out. For me, cooking would be more work and I hate messing up my kitchen with splattered grease. lol. Plus, cooking does kill some nutrients and amino acids etc. So, raw is becoming easier for me, (as I'm getting more use to it) although, it is a little unnerving wondering if I'm getting everything balanced right, as I'm pretty novice at this. Someone on a raw feeding forum I go on said that if you're feeding a _good_ variety, it WILL be balanced, as long as bone and organ meat is included with the meat. But never just meat, of course. So I totally agree with the article there, that feeding variety is indeed a good thing...not only for interest and enjoyment, but for better nutrition. Like I said in another thread, one type of meat has certain nutrients, another type has other certain nutrients. The only way to get all of the important nutrients is to vary the diet. So some commercial foods are better than others I suppose because they have more than one or two meats. That's what I liked about TOTW _prairie_ formula kibble. It had several meats along with other good things. (that is...IF those things were really in there, really abundant, really not filled with chemicals from dead animals etc etc etc) I've been getting more and more freaked out by what I've been discovering. 

Anyhow, cooking some nice, fresh food Molly sounds like a much better way than strictly kibble. At least you know what you're feeding for the most part and if one thing doesn't have it covered, the other thing will.

Happy cooking.:drool: :eating:


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## Deblakeside (Oct 2, 2015)

Yes, the link works. Very helpful article. This is exactly the kind of diet I've switched Billy to. But I have some nagging concerns that I may be leaving out some important nutrients. This article makes me feel more at ease. Interesting note about legumes and peanuts- leading to obesity. I am feeding Billy raw in the morning- which includes 10% organ meat, about 20% veggie mixture with the raw meat, He gets a rmb every other afternoon, and the other afternoons he gets a grainfree salmon based kibble. I'm not sure if I should phase out the kibble and add in fish into his raw diet, but he loves this kibble almost as much as the raw (which is to say much more than the Purina I was feeding him before!) And I have to admit the kibble is really easy! Thanks for the article!

Oh, a question, somewhere I thought I read that a raw diet would help eliminate tear-staining. Now I can't find that article. Billy's tear stains have not changed since I put him on raw in November. I was hoping they would diminish. Any thoughts?


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

Poodlebeguiled said:


> Okay, read it. It sure looks better than all commercial. But I disagree with the 50% meat at each meal. I think it should be more like 80-85%. They don't need grain. And many raw feeders don't think they need anything _but_ meaty bones, organ meat and I think some tripe. But I do feed veggies, steamed and pulverized since they can't break down cellulose. I don't even know if steaming and pulverizing really helps much. But I do feel like I'm covering all bases by feeding some veggies. It sure doesn't hurt and seems to help regulate their poos because it's roughage at least. Do you give extra calcium to compensate for the extra meat or veggies that are throwing the calcium levels off?
> 
> If a diet like that article describes and what you describe has been working for you and is convenient too, that is a good thing. And it's nice to find something from a vet or nutrition person who validates it, spells things out. For me, cooking would be more work and I hate messing up my kitchen with splattered grease. lol. Plus, cooking does kill some nutrients and amino acids etc. So, raw is becoming easier for me, (as I'm getting more use to it) although, it is a little unnerving wondering if I'm getting everything balanced right, as I'm pretty novice at this. Someone on a raw feeding forum I go on said that if you're feeding a _good_ variety, it WILL be balanced, as long as bone and organ meat is included with the meat. But never just meat, of course. So I totally agree with the article there, that feeding variety is indeed a good thing...not only for interest and enjoyment, but for better nutrition. Like I said in another thread, one type of meat has certain nutrients, another type has other certain nutrients. The only way to get all of the important nutrients is to vary the diet. So some commercial foods are better than others I suppose because they have more than one or two meats. That's what I liked about TOTW _prairie_ formula kibble. It had several meats along with other good things. (that is...IF those things were really in there, really abundant, really not filled with chemicals from dead animals etc etc etc) I've been getting more and more freaked out by what I've been discovering.
> 
> ...


I think the recommendation of meat per meal is taking into account the meat in the kibble you will be adding in addition to your (in my case anyway) raw meat. I do not cook either! LOL! I DO always make sure to buy quality kibble with very high meat content and changing it's source often..... and of course her raw chicken contains all the calcium she needs... The variety part is the canned food and leftovers , cottage cheese, an occasional raw egg, etc. The only grain I can think of in her diet is when I share my rice with her! I'm sure our dogs could care less about nutrition.....as long as it smells and taste good to them! LOL! We can only try our best!!!!


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

MollyMuiMa said:


> *I think the recommendation of meat per meal is taking into account the meat in the kibble you will be adding in addition to your (in my case anyway) raw meat. *I do not cook either! LOL! I DO always make sure to buy quality kibble with very high meat content and changing it's source often..... and of course her raw chicken contains all the calcium she needs... The variety part is the canned food and leftovers , cottage cheese, an occasional raw egg, etc. The only grain I can think of in her diet is when I share my rice with her! I'm sure our dogs could care less about nutrition.....as long as it smells and taste good to them! LOL! We can only try our best!!!!


Oh duh! :doh: That's right! lol. Well, it sounds like you've got all the bases covered. And yep, I think our dogs don't care about nutrition and that's why Maurice picks out these tiny 1/16th of an inch pieces of liver and sets them neatly on the floor next to his bowl, sometimes in a nice, neat row. lol. And they both don't like their blueberries and do the same with those. So, now, if I want them to have blueberries, I must pulverize them too and not too many. Talk about picky. But they sure do love their meaty bones.


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