is 1/2 BARF OK

[Diamond Dog]

The only reason we dont go to a 100% BARF diet is time.

I was wondering if giving kibble in the morning and BARF at night is OK. Not just OK, but do I loose the benfits of BARF by doing it this way (ie might as well not hassle and do all kibble because you will not see any gains from 1/2 BARF diet)? Do you think I will see changes in my dog even with the 1/2 BARF

I know you are not to mix kibble WITH the BARF at the same time.

Also, my 8 year old female doesnt like raw chicken. So I was think of using whole fish (guts and all from what I have read). Is it OK to always give her fish? Or is it necessary to vary the meats. She is so finicky. She loves the veggies though!

I also read the rough components of BARF on a web site. Is this correct:

3-5% of body weight a day for adults 8-10% for puppies
60% RMB (or whole fish)
40% Veggie Slop
raw egg with shells
add some supplements if you want.

I guess I could always make all the dog food on the weekend, freeze in serving sizes and defrost as needed?

[Sansano]

There is nothing wrong with feeding 1/2 & 1/2 although I would change what I feed & when meaning I would feed BARF in the morning as it digests so much faster and will be digested by the time you feed the kibble in the evening. Good luck!

[Barbara Surplus]

Hi Diamond, I've never fed both BARF and kibble but what I do do is feed BARF once a day. That's it. They eat in the morning. I've had great success with keeping the dogs healthy (pets in the developed world usually eat more than what's good for them anyway, don't you think?) so if you were to simply increase the amount of BARF that you would prepare and eliminate the kibble meal, you wouldn't be faced with two different diets.

I've checked with my vet about this and certainly have her blessing although I realize it's not a popular method of feeding with most dog owners. In all the literature I've read which supports one meal a day, the most compelling reason to feed two meals a day is that we feel sorry for our pets as we're just about to fill our own faces around supper time.
Barbara

[palepeople]

Diamond Dog, if you went with kibble and raw, you wouldn't be alone on this forum. I know of some folks that only add an element of raw to a kibble diet and at least one vet that says raw needs to be added to the diet regularly. Has your vet ever said put a raw egg in the kibble to help with the drab coat? That would be about the minimum raw you could do for a kibble based diet.

I feed both, and would not consider myself a 'true barfer' at this point in time. I feed kibble (canidae, or solid gold) for two reasons. First, I like the idea of getting a variety of nutrient sources over time. I figure kibble is just one more block in the food pyramid. The second reason is time and convenience. This is also where I add most of the supplements.

Usually, I will do all kibble in one day and all raw the next, instead of one in the am and the other pm.

If I do ever mix in day, I make the pm meal rmb's only. No kibble, no veggies. The reason is sometimes I need to bring the dogs in at night so I make the afternoon meal raw. It passes through faster. ( I don't need any late night scratches to get out and evacuate a kibble meal. Know what I mean;) . Do your home work, and you'll figure out what works for you and the dogs in a relative short amount of time.

[babyray]

The idea that kibble and raw cannot be fed together is not based on fact. your dog's digestive tract does not change the way it works depending on the food that comes through-all the content that comes through is processed the same way.

[Diamond Dog]

Maybe i am reading too much and getting too much advice!

I just read on here that kibble and raw foods digested at different rates. I thought I read that if you feed it together the raw food moves with the kibble (at the faster rate) and the body does not absorb the nutrients properly andalso does not kill all the bacteria properly.

I would really appreciate a difinative answer as I am getting a little confused.

Originally posted by babyray
The idea that kibble and raw cannot be fed together is not based on fact. your dog's digestive tract does not change the way it works depending on the food that comes through-all the content that comes through is processed the same way.

[brunie's mom]

Kibble takes much longer to digest then the raw meat and vegetables. This is why kibble and BARF should be fed seperatly.
There is nothing wrong with giving one meal kibble and the next BARF if this is easier for you.
Better is one day kibble and the next day Barf.
Do whatever is more convenient and easier:)

Gina

[babyray]

The action of the cilla of the intestine and the peristaltic reaction occur at the same rate no matter what the content is-how would the intestines know what the food is? I think we must be talking about absorption.