# How to add raw to kibble



## puppyhastopee (Feb 8, 2011)

Hi, I currently feed my 60lb lab mix, Ellie, Wellness Super 5 Mix kibble. My room mate decided to get a great dane puppy and with a little prodding he's decided to go with Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul food which is $35 for a 35 lb bag compared to my $55 for a 30 lb bag. I was thinking about maybe switching Ellie to the cheaper kibble and using the extra twenty bucks a month to add something to it. I'm open to meat, eggs, yogurt, whatever you guys think would be best. Or do you think it would be better to just keep her on Wellness with nothing added. Would twenty a month even be enough to add something? I'm a vegetarian and have never bought meat or even looked at prices. I know twenty dollars a month doesn't seem like much but hey, i'm a college student so every penny counts. Also i've been reading that it may not be okay to combine raw meat with kibble. Does this apply to cook meats and eggs as well. I'm new to all of this so any help is really appreciated! Thank you!!


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

Tell you roomate to buy the chicken soup large breed puppy formula and feed that until the pup stops growing. Here's a link on large breed puppy food http://dogfoodchat.com/forum/dry-canned-dog-food/5794-grain-free-formulas-lbp.html

If your going to feed kibble and raw, feed raw in the morning and kibble at night. Kibble takes longer to digest than raw. You can mix cooked meats with kibble. You could feed raw egg with kibble. Shop for sales and try not to spend over $1 a pound on meats. Try to spend $.50-$1 range.


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## sassymaxmom (Dec 7, 2008)

Lets see. A sixty pound dog would eat about 19-20 ounces of meat/bone/organ a day if completely raw fed, that would be about 2% of her weight. You can just substitute about 25% of her usual 'complete and balanced' kibble for fresh food without unbalancing the diet. 

I figure every other day you could give a meaty bone that was 1% of her weight, about 10 ounces edible stuff instead of dinner. That would be a maximum of 15 meals a month, about 150 ounces or about 9.5-10 pounds of meaty stuff that needs to cost $20 or less. 

Chicken is less than a dollar a pound, that would work great, find smaller birds and cut into 1/4s. Pork ribs are more expensive, wait for a sale. Beef ribs are only partly edible for my 38 pound senior citizen so $1 a pound ribs end up costing more like $2 a pound - still within your proposed budget. Whole pork necks are about $1 a pound but I toss some bone, still fine. Pig feet might be beyond your tolerance ickwise but are usually cheap too. Whole fish might work, or bits of them although fish is quite expensive and many dogs don't care for it. Turkey bits would work well too, usually expensive around here but I found a pack of wings for $.50 pound a few weeks ago. Feeding boneless meats is great too. You might find pork chops in the clearance bin at the meat counter, cut the bone out and serve up the meat. Hamburger is great as is any boneless beef. I would probably want to feed a bony bit and a boneless bit the next time I fed a raw bit to balance it out a little.


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## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

Yay! Another veg feeding raw! I've been veg for 15 yrs, so I had a lot to learn about buying meat - there were whole supermarket aisles that I had never gone down, and I had never worried about food prep in my kitchen. Luckily, adding raw to a dog's diet is pretty easy, and even though the dog will still eat some kibble, it will get many of the benefits of raw.



cast71 said:


> Tell your roommate to buy the chicken soup large breed puppy formula and feed that until the pup stops growing. Here's a link on large breed puppy food http://dogfoodchat.com/forum/dry-canned-dog-food/5794-grain-free-formulas-lbp.html


Ditto. The Great Dane puppy needs to be on a low-calcium diet (< 2%) to protect against joint and bone problems. I'm not sure where Chicken Soup falls.



cast71 said:


> If you're going to feed kibble and raw, feed raw in the morning and kibble at night. Kibble takes longer to digest than raw.


Ditto again.




sassymaxmom said:


> I figure every other day you could give a meaty bone that was 1% of her weight, about 10 ounces edible stuff instead of dinner. That would be a maximum of 15 meals a month, about 150 ounces or about 9.5-10 pounds of meaty stuff that needs to cost $20 or less.


I like this idea.

Chicken quarters - usually a 10# bag (which has 10 quarters) sells for around $0.59 - 0.79 / pound, or $6-8 for the bag.

That would leave you about $12-14 to buy another 5# of meat, or a budget of $2.40 - 2.80 / pound.

How you spend it is up to you. I would buy red meats, since that's what my dog (and I think most dogs) do best on. I'd buy cheap, boneless - even ground - beef. Most supermarkets will have a small area for discounted meats. Although I wouldn't feed these to a person, they're ok for dogs.

I live in the south, and pork is cheap down here. However, my dog doesn't like it very much.

Fish is expensive. Even canned fish can be pricey.

Turkey is cheap - only slightly more expensive than chicken - but you may have to section it yourself (which is gross) and doesn't add much if you're already feeding chicken.


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## richie (Jan 30, 2011)

*new at buying meat here too*

I have been a vegetarian for 36 years, and a couple months ago switched my 13 pound 4 year old Westie to raw meat. As you said, being in the meat aisle for the first time was strange! Today the ShopRite had Perdue chicken quarters for 69 c a pound, so I stocked up, and chopped them in half for my little dog on a piece of plywood in the back yard. That way, no need to clean up, she licked the blood up afterwards. Right now I have the "eighths" (?) outside freezing so we will be well supplied for a while. Suzie has been eating mostly wings, and legs, but "wolfed" down a whole quarter today, yikes! It is amazing how much meat a little dog can eat, but I don't think I will let her have that much tomorrow. She is super active though, and burns it off, especially in the cold running through the snow, etc. Besides the chicken, she gets some venison (including the liver and heart) and a little fish. Surprisingly, she took to the new diet with no problems, at least compared to what I had expected. Possibly what helped: for several months before transitioning she was on a mix of mostly Ziwi Peak venison and fish with a little Evo red meat, so I guess it was not a big change. Mostly adding fresh chicken, and substituting fresh venison and fish for the dried ones. Might actually be a good way to transition for other dogs... Ziwi Peak isn't cheap, but for a small dog not too bad, and for only a few months .... Raw is a lot cheaper though and better for the teeth I am sure. Suzie sure loves it!!!


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## Sophie45 (Jan 3, 2011)

I don't have much to add on which meats to feed, but I will say that Chicken Soup is an excellent kibble for the price, and no matter what you spend the difference in cost on (although I'm sure your dog will be THRILLED if you spend it on meat for her!), save yourself the $20/month and don't bother with Wellness-yes, it's a good dog food, but overpriced-your dog won't see any nutritional benefits on Wellness vs Chicken Soup. Just my opinion.


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## rcdahl (Nov 28, 2010)

Is it safe? can i feed morning raw then dinner kibble? cause there is still 2kg left of orijen puppy. .my labrador is in raw. .but i have 2 kg left orijen left


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## KC23 (Nov 17, 2010)

I personally have no problem when I feed that way. Two of my 3 dogs sometimes get kibble for dinner, mostly because I have so much of it left AND because I don't have the extra freezer space at the moment. I still follow the raw feeding guidelines of Danemama and RFD though. If you take it slow like I am, you probably won't have any problems. I started a few weeks ago with the chicken backs, legs and quarters, and I'm just now introducing ground turkey and turkey necks. All is going very well with all 3 dogs. Don't be scared to give it a try. Good luck! :smile:


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## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

KC23 said:


> I personally have no problem when I feed that way. Two of my 3 dogs sometimes get kibble for dinner, mostly because I have so much of it left AND because I don't have the extra freezer space at the moment. I still follow the raw feeding guidelines of Danemama and RFD though. If you take it slow like I am, you probably won't have any problems. I started a few weeks ago with the chicken backs, legs and quarters, and I'm just now introducing ground turkey and turkey necks. All is going very well with all 3 dogs. Don't be scared to give it a try. Good luck! :smile:


Ditto. You'll be fine, and your dog will love you even more.


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

I just wanted to add that I would rather feed a medium grade kibble like diamond natural and raw than feed a premium kibble like orijen only. Here's a link to a better food and deal than chicken soup. TOTW is $27.99 for 30lb. at PETCARE RX with coupon code vis123 and free shipping. If you live in NY they charge tax, but still worth it. You have to spend over $35 for the coupon to work.

Taste Of The Wild Hi Prairie with Roasted Bison and Venison in Dogs - Dog Food available in our Dogs Department at PetCareRx.com

Taste Of The Wild Wetlands Canine with Roasted Wild Fowl in Dogs - Dog Food available in our Dogs Department at PetCareRx.com


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## KC23 (Nov 17, 2010)

:smile:Before going to raw, I combined cooked meat w/broth, eggs, etc. with dry food all the time. To this day, I still use homemade broth from chicken I boil--I freeze it in containers and then warm it up and add it to my dogs' dry food. 

You can't beat the deal that Cast71 mentions because that same bag of food (TOTW) in a pet store can be $42 or so. JUST my 2 cents, but Diamond makes Chicken Soup, Diamond Naturals, and Costco's Kirkland. If you want to stick with a food like that, they are so similar and you can get twice the food for less than you're paying for for the Chicken Soup. My dogs have tried all 3. Sometimes DN is on sale for $25 for 40 lbs., and you'll pay even less than that for Kirkland if you belong to Costco. 

I fed those foods rather than something pricier so that I could spend the difference on real meats. Just keep your eyes open for good sales and manager's specials.


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

Another option is to go with diamond natural from that same site. You can get a 40lb. bag of chicken and a 40lb. bag of lamb for $47.98 shipped no tax. Use sam code vis123. More money for fresh meat:hungry:

Diamond Naturals Chicken and Rice for Dogs in Dogs - Dog Food available in our Dogs Department at PetCareRx.com

Diamond Naturals Lamb and Rice for Dogs in Dogs - Dog Food available in our Dogs Department at PetCareRx.com


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## killyousweetie (Aug 24, 2019)

Do you like to cook? I love very much. Therefore, I recommend you this page. There you can find a wonderful recipe for chicken soup.

club.cooking/recipe/chicken-rice-soup/
Try to cook.

Ingredients
1 onion chopped
3 large carrots peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery diced
1 tablespoon oil
1 clove garlic diced
....


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