Blog Mixing kibble and raw pet food.
Have you ever wondered if you can mix raw pet food with your dog’s kibble? You’re not alone. It’s true that feeding your carnivore pet a raw diet is the closest you can get to feeding them as naturally as possible, not to mention choosing to add more nutrient-rich, natural ingredients to your pet’s meals comes with many health benefits for them. But changing up your dog’s feeding routine can feel daunting, we get it! And though we recommend a full transition to a raw diet for your dog, at Carnos, we believe that a little raw is better than none. Once you see how great your pet feels, you might agree that more raw is even better.
The raw advantage.
When you choose a raw diet for your pet, you are making an investment in their health and wellness. A truly raw diet—filled with plenty of raw muscle meat, organs, edible bone, and other all-natural ingredients like whole fruits and vegetables—emulates what they would be eating in nature. This diet comes with numerous advantages that enhance your carnivore pet’s life and improve their well-being. Let’s take a deeper look at some of the specific benefits of feeding your pet raw.
Digestive Benefits
The most direct impact raw food has on your pet is in their digestion. It’s not uncommon for new raw feeders to notice their pet’s stool become smaller, more compact, and less frequent. Dogs’ bodies are designed to break down raw meat and animal parts, but they struggle to fully digest and absorb nutrients from processed kibble. Kibble is made using a lot of plant matter as filler, often including too much fiber. A raw diet including whole fruits and vegetables has a more approachable amount of fiber, making it easier to digest.
Nutrient Variety
When kibble is made, it is put through a high-heat process that causes the nutrients present in its ingredients to be lost or altered. And unfortunately some kibble is made from low-quality ingredients from the start. After processing, manufacturers often add nutrients back into their products in the form of feed-grade supplements. This means that your pet may not be getting the full breadth of essential nutrients they need to thrive. When you add even a small portion of raw food into their meals, you help to add essential amino and fatty acids back into their diet and diversify the nutrients they are receiving.
Why do dogs need fruits and veggies in their diet, I thought they were carnivores? Yes, dogs are carnivores. But unlike cats, which are obligate carnivores (meaning their diet requires only nutrients found in meat and animal parts), dogs are facultative carnivores. Facultative carnivores are animals that primarily eat meat and animal parts, but also benefit from nutrients in a variety of other whole foods like fruits, veggies, seeds and nuts – they’re scavengers.
Hydration Support
One of the biggest changes pet parents notice when they transition their dogs from kibble to a raw diet is that their pet drinks less water. Since kibble only contains 10% or less moisture content and raw food offers high natural moisture (around 65-75%), this makes a lot of sense. A raw diet provides a moisture content closer to what your dog would get through their food in the wild, which is why you will notice your pet drinking more water on kibble and less once you begin to add more raw food in their diet. Many kibble-fed dogs live in a constant state of mild dehydration without us even realizing it.
Improved hydration has major benefits for your pet. More moisture in their diet supports kidney function, urinary tract health, and energy levels. This is especially important for cats who are notorious for not drinking enough water on their own, putting them at higher risk for kidney disease which is one of the number one causes of illness or death in cats.
3 Myths About Mixing Kibble and Raw Food
There are a few common misconceptions about mixing raw food and kibble. And while many veterinarians and pet nutritionists agree that mixing raw and kibble can enhance your dog’s nutrition, the myths stick around. Let’s take a closer look.
Myth 1: Kibble and raw food digest at different rates, which causes stomach upset. This one is partially true. Kibble and raw food do digest at different rates…because all food digests at different rates (and this is true in human bodies too, by the way). For example, foods higher in fiber like carrots will take longer to digest than lean meats like poultry that are lower in fiber. That said, it is not true that this mismatch in digestion rate causes any stomach upset or gastrointestinal issues.
Myth 2: Mixing raw and dibble alters your dog’s stomach pH, lowering acid and making room for bacteria to thrive. This is entirely untrue. Healthy dogs naturally have very acidic stomachs and this is the case whether they are eating kibble or raw food. So long as your dog is healthy, feeding them a mix of raw and kibble is perfectly safe!
Myth 3: Mixing raw and kibble is unsafe because raw food is inherently unsafe. This one is also entirely untrue. Handling raw food that is meant for your dog is no less safe than handling raw food that you’d prepare for yourself—you just have to make sure that you’re following food safety best practices when you do it. Check out our blog on tips and tricks to safely handle raw food to learn more.
Feeding raw is budget-friendly and flexible with Carnos.
For some pet owners, cost is the number one barrier to being able to switch their pet from kibble to a fully raw diet. And let’s face it, kibble is cheap. But so are the ingredients used to make it and the nutritional value it provides your pet – it’s all cheap.
But feeding your dog a raw diet doesn’t have to be all or nothing, and it doesn’t have to break the bank. Let’s take a look at how replacing some of your pet’s kibble with raw food benefits their health and can be good for your wallet and your schedule too.
Start Small
When adding raw food to your pet’s kibble, we suggest you mix 25% raw to 75% kibble to start. Some dogs need some time to adjust to changes in their diet, and cats can be particularly picky. This ratio is adequate to allow for your pet to begin receiving some of the benefits of raw, while also ensuring raw feeding is manageable and sustainable for you. As your pet adjusts, you can increase the amount of raw food you mix into their kibble each week until you are comfortably within your budget.
Convenience Meets Quality
One of the biggest reasons why kibble has become such a common way to feed our pets is because of how convenient it is. It takes only a couple of minutes to scoop dry kibble into a bowl and for busy pet parents, making the switch from kibble to an entirely raw diet can feel intimidating. By adding a portion of raw food to your pet’s kibble, you balance the ease of what’s familiar for you with the added benefits of feeding raw for them.
When considering which truly raw food to add to your dog’s diet, choose meal blends that are designed for convenient and easy prepping. Carnos’ Complete & Balanced raw meals are blended with ease and convenience in mind and were developed with a canine nutritionist, ensuring it’s very easy to feed a balanced raw diet.
Helping Pet Parents Take the First Step
Achieving a balance between manageable costs, a convenient feeding routine, and a healthy natural diet for your pet can seem like a tricky juggling act. No matter where you are in your raw food journey, we’re here to help you strike that perfect balance for you and your unique furry family members, one step at a time.
Progress Over Perfection
Any step toward incorporating raw food into your dog’s diet is a positive step towards improving your pet’s health and wellness. Carnos supports sustainability in raw feeding, whether you choose to feed your pet a raw diet 100% of the time or 10%. Even a small amount of raw food added to their diet will make a difference in their day-to-day life and you’ll certainly notice the benefits.Mixing kibble and raw food helps you to customize their meals based on their needs and your lifestyle. When you choose Carnos as your raw pet food company, you also have the option to explore new raw food options with your pet. We offer single-protein raw meal base blends in a variety of different proteins–from beef to pork, and chicken to duck—which makes it possible to diversify their diet and discover their favorites. For the DIY enthusiasts, we have an assortment of butcher’s choice raw animal parts including grinds, organs, and raw meaty bones that make building your own meals of kibble and raw food easy. And our Variety and Truly Raw base meal blends work great as a topper for kibble that packs in flavor while adding the essential nutrients your dog needs.
No matter how you choose to mix your pet’s kibble with raw food, the decision will make a difference. Explore Carnos’ raw food options, reach out to us if you need support, and start today on your journey to better pet health, one bowl at a time.
