[Sam D]

Hi all,

We’re getting an Aussie Shepherd puppy in December. Our breeder is wonderful and responsible and has been feeding her dogs Taste of the Wild for years. She says she loves the brand and her Aussies have done well on this food. She’s not against raw at all but she just doesn’t choose to follow the raw diet.

So here is my question(s) We want to start the puppy out on TOTW kibble and, ideally, make a few meals a week raw (turkey necks, beef, chicken, liver, etc…) We’ve also looked at The Honest Kitchen. We want a lot of variety! We want our dog to be able to tolerate both kibble and raw (just not in the same meal, together)

Can dogs do well having a diet that rotates with kibble too?
Thanks, kindly!

[theBCnut]

Yes, they can. Many of the regulars here, including me, for one reason or another, can’t feed only raw. Most of us combine foods however suits us, with no digestive upset in our dogs at all. Mine get half kibble and half raw, in the same meal. Some feed a raw meal once or twice a week using the principles in Steve Brown’s booklet “Feeding the ABC Way.” Some feed kibble one meal, canned the next, then raw after that.

Dogs are just as capable of eating variety as people are and feeding variety is better for their immune system. Most of us rotate kibbles and rotate raw. And maybe dehydrated, freeze dried, and canned too.

[Sam D]

Great! Good to know – thank you!!!

[Kristin C]

Oh I am jealous Sam. We have a Beagle/Aussie mix and adore her. As BC said, you can definitely feed a combo. We feed our girls mostly homemade raw, plus some kibble and freeze dried. They eat something different every meal every day. We have tried commercial raw and didn’t stick with it. Too expensive and I wasn’t real confident about the quality. We have tried a sample of THK, might order more, but I would not recommend the Sojo’s brand. The food pieces don’t digest well and I ended up throwing out the bag. As BC said Steve Brown’s booklet is a great resource. We have started using his See Spot Live Longer Dinner Mix with our homemade and it’s going well. Good luck with your pup!

[Lord F]

Hi!
I am definitely a raw lover. Unfortunately I have 2 large dogs and 1 puppy that we expect to be large-ish as well! (which is an Aussie mix, so cute!) So as you can imagine, raw is expensive for us. We switched to half raw, half kibble, and it works amazingly!
We do raw for breakfast and kibble in the evening. We do splurge on Orijen for their kibble, but they are doing so great on it.
Another thing, I’ve recently decided to switch to store bought meat instead of raw sold in pet stores. Buying the pet food raw, you’re paying anywhere between $7-$13 per pound! Or you can go to a butcher or grocery store and get meat for $2-$5 per pound. They like it more anyway! Plus, you’re paying for the added vitamin/minerals or veggies that they don’t need, they’re getting a balanced diet with regular raw meat plus kibble.
As for Honest Kitchen, I love them too. I buy a big box of Preference and put 1/3 cup with their raw every other morning. It lasts forever and they like it, surprisingly. One of my dogs HATES vegetables/fruits, but she eats this, so lucky me!
Good luck with your puppy!

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