[William S]

I have 3 dogs my most recent is a great pyrenees puppy. I use Orijen Large Breed Puppy As I really the the food and the company. The cost is quite high and I am looking to mix it 50/50 with Fromms Holistic Gold Large Breed Puppy food which will bring my cost per pound to $2.06 per lb vs. $2.65.
Is this acceptable? I will have a food that is 32% protein and 34.5 calorie weight basis.

[Laura M]

I have always gone by the rule I was taught that you should never mix brands of dog food because you are messing with the guaranteed analysis of each brand and perhaps giving too much of one thing or another. I use Orijen now (adult) and have used Fromm in the past but that gave me some GI upset in my dogs even though it is a superior food. I would not recommend mixing brands – just my two cents. Good luck with your puppy!

[crazy4cats]

I think mixing two Kibbles is fine as long as both are complete and balanced. Which in your example, they are. There are a few participants that do this. In fact, Sandy, one of the moderators is a self-confessed food mixer. Lol! However, it is tougher to know which food is causing an issue if there is one. It is good to have a little variety. So it would be best to switch up the flavors or brands of food that you are mixing now and then also. Good luck! Don’t blame you for wanting to cut down the cost a bit. Btw, you could even feed one for breakfast and the other for dinner as well.

[Naturella]

I used to mix brands of food with no issue for about 8 months or so, but then I realized that I am reducing variety for my dog rather than increasing it. For example, I had mixed Blue Buffalo Wilderness with Holistic Health Extension (both chicken/turkey based), then I had mixed Dr. Tim’s Kinesis with Nutrisca Chicken and Holistic Health Extension GF (all chicken-based), then I fed some other mix I don’t remember, and then I fed Earthborn Coastal Catch mixed with Victor Yukon Salmon and Holistic Health Extension. The thing is, with my small dog, the mixes were lasting forever, so storing them properly was a mild concern (I would keep the mixes sealed in the bags they came from), but I also wasn’t giving much flavor and variety as Bruno would eat the same mix (which he saw as his one type of food, even if it were 2-3 mixed together – he didn’t taste or know that) for a long time. So I just feed one bag at a time for variety and easier storage of the food.

I do, however, have a friend who also mixes, and she does it kind of for the same reason – she would get a 3-ish star-rated food and mix with a higher-quality kibble. Her dogs have no issues and burn through foods pretty quickly seen as she has 5 of them. She is also pretty good with watching expiration dates and remembering what she’s mixed and storing the leftovers properly. So you COULD technically do it if you need to.

[William S]

Thanks to all. I have an appointment with the vet friday for a rabies shot. I will let you know what I have decided on then. All of your imputs are helpful.

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