Kibble + raw, will this make him refuse kibble?

[ellak]

I would like to give Matrix some supplemental food once or twice during the week. Somthing like cooked eggs, canned fish, soups, etc mixed with the kibble. However, I'm worried that if I start giving him all these foods, he'll begin to dislike his kibble (Canidae :) and wait only for those food.
At this point this dog eats anything that is edible, or sometimes even not edible. But I do remember that during his puppy hood I used to add either canned soup or fish to his kibble, and at the next meal he would not eat the kibble by itself. He would wait, sometimes skipping a few meals, until I gave him kibble with added stuff. So, I stopped adding it to his food and only use it as treats.
How do your dogs handle mixed food? Did you have a problem with them refusing to eat kibble?

[ladawn]

Daisy may be a bad example because she is GREEDY. I too feed Canidae. I am also slowly introducing her to raw foods. She loves it when I add stuff to the kibble (eggs, pumpkin, yogurt) and she loves her raw turkey necks, chicken etc. Nothing stops her from eating what I put down in front of her (and often times even what I don't put down for her). If you want her to eat her kibble without mix-ins, you could also soak the canidae in warm water to soften it and make gravy.

[Judy Chrusch]

ellak, I feed barf and in the beginning I fed some kibble and some raw and before you knew it he was refusing to eat the kibble but that was o.k. bc I was planning on feeding all raw anyway so it worked out beautifully so perhaps your dog would be a good candidate for barf :D. You mentioned mixing soup with the kibble, be careful bc soups have ALOT of sodium, not to mention preservatives, they need some but not as much as in the cans. Some of your fish has alot as well so it's a good idea to check the labels. If you truly want to feed soup why not make your own, chicken vegetable or beef, that way it's fresh and natural w/o all the salt. But why not do a search on barf, buy some books and see if it would work for you:D. As for eggs, I boil them for 2-3 min. that's all and I give shells as well. I hope this helps.

Judy

[German Vanegas]

Originally posted by Judy Chrusch
.. You mentioned mixing soup with the kibble, be careful bc soups have ALOT of sodium, not to mention preservatives, they need some but not as much as in the cans. Some of your fish has alot as well so it's a good idea to check the labels. If you truly want to feed soup why not make your own, chicken vegetable or beef, that way it's fresh and natural w/o all the salt.

I agree. I feed Canidae during weekdays and natural raw meals on week ends. I also fast my dogs for an entire day (Yes; no food at all. Only water), about every 10 days.

[godfreyc]

I feed my dogs some raw things and years ago when I first started they would later refuse to eat when I gave only kibble, I just didn't give in when they refused to eat. If that meant a day and with the chihuahua sometimes more I didn't care. Then I backed off the raw stuff for awhile. I don't know if it helped any but I do know that what I put in front of them they eat. I don't put up with picky eating in my house. They also know they only have at most 15 minutes to finish up or it's going away so they learned a long time ago to "shut up and eat" :D I'm a little more lenient with the chihuahua, but he is the only one who knows when he is full and will stop eating. Plus the big guys fight if I'm not standing there and I'm not going to just stand around all day while they eat.

[ellak]

Originally posted by German Vanegas


I agree. I feed Canidae during weekdays and natural raw meals on week ends. I also fast my dogs for an entire day (Yes; no food at all. Only water), about every 10 days.

Interesting, why fasting?

[ellak]

Originally posted by Judy Chrusch
But why not do a search on barf, buy some books and see if it would work for you:D.
Judy

Unfortunately, I'm very busy during the week and cannot go on BARF. Plus, if I go on a trip, who will cook for my dog at the kennel? However, like most of us, I feel a need to treat him to a special meal once in a while :), for good behavior, of course.

Thanks for the soup tip. No more Progresso for Matrix :(

[German Vanegas]

Originally posted by ellak


Interesting, why fasting?

Fasting is a natural way to evacuate an overloaded digestive system. Dogs, at one point or another, refuse to eat. We humans worry about it. But more often than not, what the dog is doing is naturally cleaning his digestive system. Would you be surprised to know that even if you don't feed your dog for an entire day, still the dog defecates a couple of times during the day? You see? The intestines are not empty yet. Therefore, fasting is a way to maintain a healthy and clean digestive system. We humans should do the same every so often, but we can't control our appetite.

[Judy Chrusch]

German is absolutely right about the fasting. Czar is still a pup so I don't do a full day of fasting and at times he will fast himself. Once every 2 weeks or so I'll give him less food and he may on occasion not eat one of his meals on his own. As German said though, water is always available and a must:D I could stand to fast once in awhile but boy do I love my chocolate:D :D!

Judy

[ellak]

Originally posted by Judy Chrusch
German is absolutely right about the fasting. Czar is still a pup so I don't do a full day of fasting and at times he will fast himself. Once every 2 weeks or so I'll give him less food and he may on occasion not eat one of his meals on his own. As German said though, water is always available and a must:D I could stand to fast once in awhile but boy do I love my chocolate:D :D!

Judy

I'm goint to try it!
I mean, myself and my rottie, since we are companions and all :)
We'll see if we can pull if off!
Thanks for the valuable info!!!

[Homerhomer]

I fast mine once or twice a month. He gets a small meal in the morning (veggie meal), skip the evening meal (rmb-his main meal), and the next meal is small veggie mix next morning. Back to normal in the evening with rmb.