Raw versus kibble?

[Sally33]

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Hi everyone
We recently had a trainer come round to help us with some training problems with our dog. She also talked to us about his diet. He's on what we thought was a decent quality kibble. She said she recommends raw feeding and we thought her reasons were sound. But I do have reservations about the practical ( we holiday self catering with no freezer) and hygienic ( we have a small grandchild just crawling) reasons. Am I concerned for no reason. I would appreciate all your thoughts and advice.
Many thanks

 

[JoanneF]

Raw is excellent but the lack of a freezer on holiday would mean some creative thinking would be needed - are you able to access a butcher on holiday? Because a balanced raw diet doesn' have to be balanced on a daily basis, as long as it balances every few days, if that makes sense. Or, maybe you could find a butcher who will make up dog food packs. Or (I don't know if such a thing exists) maybe you could buy a mini freezer to take on holiday.

For hygiene, you could feed your dog on a hard surface and clean afterwards - using normal hygiene practise with raw meat.

Also, Gentle dog food has been formulated to feed alongside raw, and could be used as a backup. There is a lot of debate about the perceived risk of mixing raw and dry but a dog's digestive system is generally pretty robust.

@excuseme and @JudyN feed raw and may have more to add.

 

[JudyN]

Welcome Frozen raw food will stay frozen for a few days in a cool bag with ice blocks, so you'd be able to take enough to keep you going and then find a butcher. And/or, as JoanneF says, you could take an alternative food - you can get 'dehydrated raw' which would be a good option. It doesn't matter if your dog's diet isn't particularly balanced for a few days so you can feed whatever is convenient.

Hygiene is often a concern with raw feeding but I know (online and real life) a lot of people who raw feed and have never had an illness that's possibly related. Again as above, if you're careful and clean the area where the dog eats, your grandchild will be fine. People often worry about the dog licking the child but dogs' mouths are so full of bacteria anyway (from licking their bums amongst other things!) that again, this isn't a concern - though it would be sensible to discourage your dog from giving the child a good wash

 

[merlina]

All good advice! As for dogs and licking I would've thought much the same until last year when I was bitten (for about the fourth or fifth time so no big deal, I've done dog rescue for years.) Anyway got a cleaned up and a stitch at our local walk in clinic but they said no antibiotics. I've never had an infected dog bite anyway, so no problem. The nurse giggled and said we'd probably only give them if it was a human bite- 'now they do carry nasty bacteria!'

So long as you use reasonable kitchen precautions there's no problem with raw.

 

[Caro Perry]

Many dog friendly self catering places are well used to raw feeders and a lot will have freezers available. Harri is fed partially raw and partially Butternut Box with a side order of kibble on top. I can keep them frozen well enough in a coolbox with ice packs for a couple of days.

I find B&B is more challenging. My fall back position is the Natures's Menu foil sachets. Harri loves them, they contain very few nasties and don't need to be kept chilled or frozen.

 

[Sally33]

Thanks everyone for all your advice. We have a holiday coming up and will make a decision after that. Out of interest, is there such a thing as high quality kibble, using natural ingredients? Feeding is such a minefield, the more I look into it the more confused I get!!

 

[JoanneF]

Yes! Have a look at www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk

It is an independent dog food comparison website which scores all types of foods (dry, raw, wet) on a scale of 0 to 5. You can set filters for natural ingredients, things to avoid, then your dog's weight, age etc and choose to view only the foods scoring, say, 4 and above. Then you can show them listed according to daily feeding cost so you can see what gives you best value for money.

 

[FrankieDoodle]

Hello We've used Hills Science Plan Puppy medium, Orijen, butchers, Lily's Kitchen Puppy, True Instinct (atm).

My favourite based on positive experience is Hills and Lily's Kitchen. Least favourite was Orijen.

Next one will be getting is gentle.

Opps, forgot to say we started raw feeding too, but only offer kibble when have to.

 

[Caro Perry]

If I was feeding kibble as anything other than croutons I'd probably use Millie Wolfheart. I had a few samples from them and Harri liked it but I really didn't want to buy large quantities mail order when we use so little. I've opted for Canagan which is available locally in smallish bags and a variety of flavours and if he does need it as a meal its good quality.

 

[Sally33]

Thanks Joanne f for the allaboutdogfood website, and thanks everyone for your helpful comments. Sally33

 

[millymojo1]

A high quality kibble should have no fillers i.e grains. Grain is no use to a dog -or a cat or horse for that matter. The kibble should have a high percentage of protein, with a small percentage of veg.
My dog is raw fed but occasionally she has a handful of kibble in her treat ball. I use Evolution. I also give her Smartbarf as a raw feed supplement. This is said to replicate the ingredients that would be in the stomach of prey.