Skip to content

Rotating food

Basenji Feeding
  • I noticed when I was at the pet store earlier, that they have frozen raw foods from Nature's Variety.

    I wondered how well it works to do a raw diet at one meal and doing dry kibble for the other meal (in the same day)? I feel like I should be incorporating more into Kananga's diet and not using one thing for every meal.

    Has anyone read anything bad about Nature's Variety Raw? I've used their dry kibble for awhile now and it has been an excellent brand thus far.

  • One the primary reasons why this came to mind was concerns over dehydration since I only use dry kibble for his diet. I thought perhaps using canned or raw food as one of his meals each day could help prevent future illnesses.

  • My mom uses their raw medallions with her dogs and they do well on it but she has one that will only eat them if they are warmed to at least room temp.

  • I think I may give the raw medallions a try. I was just making sure there's no harm feeding him dry kibble (same brand, rabbit formula) in the morning and the raw chicken/turkey medallions in the evening.

    I do know, however, that it's best not to mix both in the same meal.

  • I rotate frozen raw, 1 week duck, 1 week chicken and maybe 1 week lamb or beef. I also rotate any canned or dry.

  • @Kananga:

    I think I may give the raw medallions a try. I was just making sure there's no harm feeding him dry kibble (same brand, rabbit formula) in the morning and the raw chicken/turkey medallions in the evening.

    I do know, however, that it's best not to mix both in the same meal.

    That's what I've been doing the past several of months without any issue. I feed kibble in the morning and medallions of various protein sources (beef, chicken, rabbit or venison) in the evening. I'm in the process of switching over to a raw meaty bones in the evening but planning to keep the kibble still in the morning for now.

    Edit: And I am using Nature's Variety medallions and patties (I think that's what they're called) at the moment. I've also used Prairie medallions too.

  • @Nemo:

    That's what I've been doing the past several of months without any issue. I feed kibble in the morning and medallions of various protein sources (beef, chicken, rabbit or venison) in the evening. I'm in the process of switching over to a raw meaty bones in the evening but planning to keep the kibble still in the morning for now.

    Edit: And I am using Nature's Variety medallions and patties (I think that's what they're called) at the moment. I've also used Prairie medallions too.

    Thanks for the input. :)

  • Out of curiosity, how many medallions did you use in a meal? I've read that 6-8oz should be allocated daily for around a 20lbs dog. So I'm thinking 3 medallions for his meal, which i'll serve him at dinner (kibble in the morning). He also get's a very small portion of kibble before bedtime to keep food in his stomach.

    This is strictly his winter diet. I'll probably up the portion in the summer when he's more active.

  • My mom uses 2-3 medallions per dog, it sort of depends on the calorie needs of the dog. There is a lot of adjusting based on look and feel of the dog.

    She also feeds a kibble meal in the morning and uses the medallions as only one meal a day.

  • Ah ok.

    I actually did some browsing on their site and they have this nifty calculator:

    http://www.naturesvariety.com/feedguide

    This was perfect to start with as a baseline since I'll still be using their Instinct dry kibble. Gave me a portion of dry and raw to feed each day, but i'll use it as a baseline to start with and adjust as needed.

    It recommended 3.1oz of raw and 1/2 cup dry per day (I put in average activity and 22lbs).

  • Kananga approves. :D

    Local pet store that I go to carries all of the frozen raw diets offered by Nature's Variety. It's nice to have a good selection to possibly rotate proteins.

    I thawed out 3 medallions and it only took Kananga 20-30 seconds to realize this was yummy food. He's a big fan of this but hopefully he'll still like his dry kibble. :)

Suggested Topics

  • How many rotate dog foods?

    Basenji Feeding
    8
    0 Votes
    8 Posts
    4k Views
    LyshL
    i stay with the same brand, good quality kibble. thats all Hope gets with maybe a raw bone and/or bits of left over meat (such as chicken) and pumpkin to have in the evening. when i was working in a grooming salon she used to get other premium kibble (samples for our customers) as "treats" - she was none the wiser and thought "yummo!" hehe and never had issues with it :) also -when we have fostered dogs she has had some of their kibble and had no issues with eating it. im pretty lucky i dont have a fussy eater :)
  • Dry food and real food!

    Basenji Feeding
    16
    0 Votes
    16 Posts
    5k Views
    DebraDownSouthD
    Fran, what does BAB after your name stand for?
  • Changing food

    Basenji Feeding
    21
    0 Votes
    21 Posts
    8k Views
    barklessk9B
    I would highly recommend the fish oil. As I stated before in a previous post, I put Zak on a grain free diet and added fish oil pills daily and a Cosequin DS (glucosamine & chondroitin) capsule sprinkled on his food each day for arthritis and he has not had a problem with arthritis since. There are foods with these supplements included, however, it is my understanding that they are just sprayed on the food. My vet had in the past suggested for my senior dogs at least 1000mg fish oil daily for cognitive health and the arthritis. For Zak and some early kidney disease he is showing she is recommending, and I have also read on line, 100mg fish oil per 10 lbs. of body weight (2500 mg daily). I don't think you're going to find the best level of fish oil supplement in a kibble. Oh, and his coat this year is sooooooooo soft! :)
  • Baby Food?

    Basenji Feeding
    3
    0 Votes
    3 Posts
    2k Views
    S
    I give it to dogs who don't eat…or to hide pills in. But not as a regular thing.
  • What Food And How Much??

    Basenji Feeding
    22
    0 Votes
    22 Posts
    9k Views
    MacPackM
    Topper,12; Nicky 10, ; and Eddie 8 all eat a combination of 3/4 EVO by Innova, and 1/4 regular adult Innova. We free feed, dry kibble is down all the time, but I think I put about 3 cups out a day, some days they eat it all but some days I don't add kibble at all. Mine do get a bit of whatever we have for dinner, mostly veges, they love all veges as long as they are cooked, especially broccoli and sweet potatoes. IT acts as an appetizer, as soon as they finish their plates they run to the kibble bowls to finsih their dinner. We used cheaper grocery store foods for many years but I felt my dogs deseerved a better quality food so tried several premium brands and settled on Innova. Then when they came out with EVO, I slowly added that but when I went 100% EVO, their poops were a bit loose, so we re-added the regular Innova and it seems to suit them perfectly. Eddie's coat was very coarse when we rescued him, he is soft and silky now. Even though it costs about twice as much as the cheaper stuff, I know they are getting good nutrition and their coats glow and their teeth are clean, so it is worth every cent to me. We are what we eat, and if we eat 'animal by products' (hooves, bones, feathers and even sawdust in some) sprayed with flavors and dyed with food colorings, we may be saving money now, but inviting health probelms in the future. Just MHO, but strangers compliment my dogs on their gloss and vigor! Anne in Tampa, off the soapbox
  • Bad Foods…

    Basenji Feeding
    23
    0 Votes
    23 Posts
    14k Views
    B
    [image: 03.gif][image: 09.gif][image: 10.gif] Here's the link for them all. http://www.scaashanghai.org/funstuff_cleaner.shtml