# Feeding raw then switching back to kibble



## JenKyzer (Jun 25, 2013)

Has anyone done this?
What made you do it ? & what kibble did you switch to?
Have you ever thought of switching back to raw?

Cant go into great detail as to why i'm asking as i'm still
On restricted internet access (phone only)  

Just curious. We have just switched back to kibble.
I feel bad  Almost as if i've gone from shopping in m&s to then shopping in Aldi for their own brand stuff. 

But its going to be a trial basis.


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## Mum2Heidi (Feb 17, 2010)

Cant comment as I've not done it but please dont feel bad. 

Heidi was great with her wet selection before I tried raw. I wouldn't have any qualms going back to it if I had to. I dont think there is one blanket food that suits all dogs anyway. There are some that will be better on kibble than raw and there are some pretty good kibbles out there atm.

Life with our dogs is a lot more than what we feed them.

I think Aldi can give M&S a run for their money in some respects


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## henry (Mar 16, 2009)

Don't feel bad. I feed some raw and some wet food with an Orijen topper, usually raw twice a week, for example, and the high quality wet with topper the other days. Works well for us but if I decided to drop the raw, I wouldn't feel guilty. The fact that you're on a Pet Forum and expressing "guilt" means you've got your dogs' best interests at heart - there are a lot of dogs out there that aren't as lucky.


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## Freddie and frank (Mar 26, 2012)

Don't feel bad. I Know it's easy to say, especially when I'm feeling the same for the same reason. 

we only worry so much cause we love them so much and want the best for them. 

I've decided to swap to kibble with some wet, sardines, and at the moment, still finishing off half a freezer of raw. 
I love feeding raw but with my hectic life, it's one thing I co do without. I'm doing a lot more training with my three and I'd rather spend the extra time doing that. 

I tried them on Canagan and Eden and have decided to go with Eden.

And there's nothing to say you can't go back to Raw in the future if you want. 
Hope that helps a bit.


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## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

Yes I'm doing a trial at the moment - we are about 10 days in and so far so good. Have a look at this thread about it

http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-heal...-experiment-kibble-after-months-raw-diet.html


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## Leanne77 (Oct 18, 2011)

I raw fed my dogs for 6 years, the majority of their lives, but I switched back to kibble in February this year. One of my dogs was having health issues that coincided with me switching to raw. I had explored lots of other avenues without success to decided to change him back to kibble. Initially he was worse but so far, fingers crossed, he has been 100% since June.

I dont feel bad at all, my views on raw feeding have changed and I dont think it's the wonder diet that many people claim it is. No broken teeth on kibble, no weight issues, no constant hunger or rumbly tums, no mess or bacterial issues etc etc.

I tried various kibbles, mainly Burns and JWB but I have settled on TOTW for one of my dogs (he was losing far too much weight on low protein, low fat brands), and Acana for the other 2.


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## SLB (Apr 25, 2011)

I switch mine back to kibble whenever we go on holiday. For me, I'd love the ease of having them on dry food but with Louie having allergies I'd be spending double if not more than double on kibble for all of them. They're doing well on Raw so financially it makes sense to keep them on raw.


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## Gemmaa (Jul 19, 2009)

I feed raw a few times a week, but mostly feed kibble now. If anything their condition has improved, and to be honest I'll probably stop raw altogether before long.


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## Goldstar (Nov 12, 2011)

Funnily enough I have been contemplating switching to kibble, only because OH is getting a 4x4 which he plans to convert into a very mini camper so taking a few days of raw wouldn't really work well then.
What I will probably do though is switch to a good quality kibble (I have been looking at Orijen) for a few days then back on raw when at home.


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## LouLatch (Jul 2, 2012)

I did with Mitzie as she was being sick every morning with an empty tummy on raw. It was driving us mad, I tried a couple of things to help but they didn't.

I put her on burns but I think they've changed it and was giving her wind so I changed to Millie's Wolfheart. I wanted to get her onto a grain free diet anyway.

Im going to start trying her with raw again next week as its cheaper for me and as Tylers on raw it will be easier for me.

Raw really seems to suit Tyler but I wouldn't say I wouldn't go back to kibble if needed or to make things easier, its just about finding a food to suit your dog.


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## Renata (Mar 18, 2013)

Feeding "kibble" is normal here. And I think my dogs are eating better food than me. Your dog will be fine.


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## Hanwombat (Sep 5, 2013)

I switched my dog and cat back to mostly kibble about a month ago because our stockists was only letting you buy in bulk now instead of singly and I hadn't the freezer space.

Io is now on Millies Wolfheart ( she was on this before she went raw ) and is doing really well! She also has a few meal replacements of carcasses, wings, ribs etc a few times a week. She also gets grainfree WW trays

The cat is now on Whiskas, lilys kitchens, grainfree WW trays and chicken wings and his coat is looking a hell of a lot better than it did when he was on raw!


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## shadowmare (Jul 7, 2013)

I switched axel to kibble a couple of times now when he had to stay with someone else while we're on holiday and once when I forgot to order raw on time. Never felt bad about it as axel loves eating anything I give him and I know he did just as well on TOTW as he does on raw. Like Leanne77 I don't see raw as a miracle diet so I don't really mind what I feed my dog.


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## Leanne77 (Oct 18, 2011)

When I give mine the odd bit of raw now (the good thing about raw was it kept their teeth cleaner) they cant seem to tolerate it. It either ends up with them having a dodgy bum or, as one did the other day, they puke it back up. The only thing that has agreed with them since I changed them back to kibble is raw rabbit.


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## Katherna (Feb 20, 2008)

I wish I could get Timmy to eat Kibble! He thinks I'm trying to poison him if I give it to him so I'm stuck with the raw but as I now have enough freezer space for 1kg bag of veg or chips I'd love him to eat kibble to get some freezer back!


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## dogkrazy (Aug 5, 2013)

We fed raw for several months but went back to kibble about 8 weeks ago now (it may be longer, not sure!) Raw was too expensive and I wasn't able to get hold of much different meats (we're in Ireland btw), the dogs choked on bones a few times which scared me and it just wasn't working well for us. I also got fed up of dealing with the mess and blood and I would have to spend two hours bagging up meat once a month when the delivery of raw came (which I'd much rather spend actually doing something with the dogs!!) 

We had them on just wet to begin with but that also got way to expensive for four dogs one of them being a growing puppy! So now they get Acana kibble (we switch between Grasslands, Pacifica, Wild Prairie and a few others so they get variety). They are doing great on it, and love dinnertime. I do give them some 'real' food or canned dog food as topper for the kibble. It seems to be suiting them brilliantly. They're happy, we're happy


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## JenKyzer (Jun 25, 2013)

Thankyou for all the replies everyone - made me feel much better 

We're only on day 3 & they already seem to be itching less :/ willow also doesnt look as bloated. 

Still calm .. But bigger poo's.. Alot bigger! :001_rolleyes: & drinking soo much water!! But other than that, no big change!

I got some 'lilys' (the lilys they sell in tesco) wet stuff to mix in with their kibble (wainwrights for now) as a little treat. 

Will be looking to order a 'better' kibble once my internet is up and running  i hate using pf on my phone !


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## Mum2Heidi (Feb 17, 2010)

That's very interesting. I went from wet to raw to see if it would help with the itching and there isn't much difference - perhaps kibble is the way forward


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## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

I think you just have to experiment to find what works. Itching was probably the thing mine did better on raw with, since they've been back on kibble although everything else is OK or better two of mine are itching more.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

I took ruby off raw Monday, she was on nutriment but the itching got worse.
So she's been back on Arden grange for 4 days.
Besides she was always hungry been though I upped her food.
And she too has put on 1.3kg since being on raw!  I think she had been on it 2 weeks.


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## Mum2Heidi (Feb 17, 2010)

Another good point - I started with Natural Instinct and felt there was a slight improvement in her itching. Then tried 5kg Nutriment and her itching got worse. We are back on NI again (easier to obtain). Perhaps something in Nutriment isn't as good for itchy dogs.


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## henry (Mar 16, 2009)

blade100 said:


> I took ruby off raw Monday, she was on nutriment but the itching got worse.
> So she's been back on Arden grange for 4 days.
> Besides she was always hungry been though I upped her food.
> And she too has put on 1.3kg since being on raw!  I think she had been on it 2 weeks.


Unfortunately, Henry was hungry on the RDA of Nutriment/Natural Instinct. If I fed him the RDA for his weight, it looked pitiful in the bowl and it was gone within a second or two. I liked the food though, but couldn't see my boy hungry. I'm now giving him raw a couple of times a week and using the Natures Menu Country Hunter nuggets as I can adjust the feeding amount easier with these.

I also like wet food and the odd topper of Orijen/Acana. Henry's condition has been the same on wet food/kibble combo and raw.


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## henry (Mar 16, 2009)

Not got an "itchy dog" but know of several and obviously it's not necessarily food-related, although some can be. If I had an itchy dog, I'd feed whatever suited it best, whether that was kibble/wet or raw. Luckily for Henry, he can eat most things, which gives him a good variety, although I know not all dogs are able to do that.


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## Wildmoor (Oct 31, 2011)

JenSteWillow said:


> Has anyone done this?
> What made you do it ? & what kibble did you switch to?
> Have you ever thought of switching back to raw?
> 
> ...


I did it when I ran out of raw options for a dog who had severe averse reactions to the majority of meat proteins - just switched it was life or death, I used Skinners Duck & Rice as Duck meat was the only raw meat I hadn't tried, also bought vegetarian treats from Veggie Pets


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## Sarah1983 (Nov 2, 2011)

Spen's on Taste of the Wild at the moment and will be for the foreseeable future. Everything's up in the air about us moving back to the UK at the moment and I really don't want to be worrying about finding a food he'll eat or having to worry about us suddenly getting a move date and me having a freezer full of raw to throw out or whatever. 

I'm not actually sure whether I will switch back to raw to be honest. I've noticed next to no difference in Spen on TotW compared to raw. We'll see how things are when we're back in the UK.


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## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

blade100 said:


> I took ruby off raw Monday, she was on nutriment but the itching got worse.
> So she's been back on Arden grange for 4 days.
> Besides she was always hungry been though I upped her food.
> And she too has put on 1.3kg since being on raw!  I think she had been on it 2 weeks.


Sorry it didn't work out for you either - hope she loses the weight and gets the itching under control nice and quick.


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## CheddarS (Dec 13, 2011)

I think different things work for different dogs.

I moved to raw cause my boy was just not interested in kibble (and we tried loads...TOTW, Origen, F4D etc), in addition he had a Weimie sensitive tummy.

Moved to raw and now got a dog that loves his food, still have some issues as think he is intolerant to poultry, but worth working through.

I would have stayed on kibble but now wouldn't look back for my boy, but each dog is different


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## Goblin (Jun 21, 2011)

As most on here know I feed raw and will continue to do so. I do think however that as there is such a range nowadays in terms of kibble it is possible to feed a decent food without sticking to raw. One of my main concerns would be teeth and general mouth hygiene as this has been linked to overall health. Even there though there are alternatives. 

Of course if you then said switching from raw to bakers, or simply trying to convince me that grain based food was imperative for the health of a dog, I might say something negative


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## pogo (Jul 25, 2011)

I will be sticking with raw, but not only do the boys adore their food I still enjoy feeding it them, finding bargains and have no need to swap


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## ellenlouisepascoe (Jul 12, 2013)

JenSteWillow said:


> Has anyone done this?
> What made you do it ? & what kibble did you switch to?
> Have you ever thought of switching back to raw?
> 
> ...


Don't feel bad that your current situation does not allow you to feed raw.

I fed raw for over a year before swapping back as my freezer decided to start playing up and I couldn't afford to replace it.

In all honesty my view on raw feeding has completely changed since swapping back to Kibble. We are now feeding Lukullus charolais beef & trout along with the occasional Lukullus Gustico wet or Webbox Natural wet trays.

Blade was being fed almost 1KG of raw per day and I could not for love nor money get weight on him. His coat was dull and I just generally wasn't pleased with his condition. We swapped back two months ago and he is looking fantastic, he's gained a couple of KG and I am finding it so much easier to keep track of what all the dogs are eating and adjusting when needed ( IE if we go out scootering they get an extra meal )

There are some excellent quality kibbles, raw feeding is not the be all and end all of dog ownership. I also believe it does not suit every dog and or owner.


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## labradrk (Dec 10, 2012)

Yep - been there are done that! I think unless you have a dog with particular issues that are exacerbated by NOT feeding raw, there is pretty much zero difference between feeding a good commercial food and a raw diet.

I wouldn't go back to raw. Feed some raw elements (bone etc), sure. But full time? no way - couldn't be bothered with it.


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## toffee44 (Oct 21, 2011)

Sept last year me amd the boys moved. I left my chest freezer behind coz had no space. They got the odd box of tripe from Albion. Struggled to find kibble which suited teal, settled with chudleys as for some reason he has no reaction to it, he reacted to Acana  and also csj no grainer. They still got bones once a week.


As of this month they are mainly back on raw with small amount of kibble if needed to tie over end of month. I now only have one shelf in the freezer for me. I can't feed the variety I did before as can only stash mince and don't have outside area to feed. No stomach problems, I know I'm lucky that my only problem is teals reactions to some foods ( gungy ears, runny bum and mucous) other than that they switch to and fro with no problems. I prefer them on raw. I was struggling to keep weight on Dylan with us cani crossing so frequently, the more I fed/ worker type food the it came out the other end. He's the main reason we are back on, I want him to do half marathons and hard hilly 15kms he needs the right nutrition and for him raw works so well. 

Seeing how it goes. My dogs are amazing they have coped with routine change, diet change over night by me keeping them. Grateful everyday. 

Don't feel guilty your dog will love you much more for good walks, cuddles and kisses than if you feed raw or not!


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## Goldstar (Nov 12, 2011)

I have decided to stick to raw, been out today and saw some big juicy lamb bones and packs of ox heart and realised how much I enjoy buying her food  even after 4 years I still enjoy going out and picking up bargains.

She's been on raw mostly all her life so think she's pretty settled on it now, our camping holidays will have to consist of popping into a shop every couple of days for her food


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## JenKyzer (Jun 25, 2013)

Little update, both are still enjoying kibble.. Even more so with tin/tray of Lillys mixed in! Both dogs are itching waaay less ... I found i was always saying 'stop scratching/licking..' Hardly said it at all past couple of days & OH agrees. 
Still get frozen raw necks/wings etc though


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## ellenlouisepascoe (Jul 12, 2013)

JenSteWillow said:


> Little update, both are still enjoying kibble.. Even more so with tin/tray of Lillys mixed in! Both dogs are itching waaay less ... I found i was always saying 'stop scratching/licking..' Hardly said it at all past couple of days & OH agrees.
> Still get frozen raw necks/wings etc though


Brilliant news  One of mine is being a fuss pot with his food ( Blade ) so I have been out and bought some WW grain free wet trays to tempt him back in :lol:


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