Grains or no grains?

[sheesh]

I am totally confused. I have accepted the benefits of whole raw foods and plan to incorporate that into my girl's diet. But I also want to keep feeding her high-quality kibble. But Dr. Billinghurst says no grains - they contribute to chronic illnesses. What to do? I don't want to do 100% BARF because I need to kennel her every now and then, and for other reasons.

Any input/comments greatly appreciated.

[Mary's Mama]

Try reading some different books. You cant just rely on one persons take. Some feel grains are very important (I concur). Get books on nutrition not just on specific diets and see what they say. You really need to educate yourself and then make your own educated decision. :wink:

[Carolk9s]

Depends on the kennel, they might not agree to feeding dog a raw diet while in their care due to possible liability issues.

[alicat613]

I've never heard of that being an issue and they sell prepackaged BARF meals for convenience for times like that.

Switching back and forth is usually considered a no no.

I do feed some grains though - only sweet potato and new potatoes for the most part.

[Carolk9s]

alicat613 napisał(a):

I've never heard of that being an issue and they sell prepackaged BARF meals for convenience for times like that.

It depends on the kennel, some are willing some are not. It's not just a question of whether THEY believe in feeding BARF to a dog it's whether they are willing to expose their employees to raw foods. Some kennels are more flexible than others. Best to find out well before dropping Fluffy off.

[alicat613]

True, just in my experience people who feed raw will take the extra time to find a boarding place that will. Switching back and forth isn't good.
I imagine though it depends on where you live. I am near Seattle and raw is big here, as is premium pet care, so finding a place that would do that wouldn't be a big deal for me, actually I already have the place picked out if we need it. A lot of people here feed raw, including my vet and many of the pet shops advocate raw.

My biggest concern here depending on the breed would be having a raw fed dog going back to kibble without your supervision. I'm a strong believer that in bloat prone breeds kibble is a big factor and to switch from raw to kibble in bloat prone breeds scares me even more than going all kibble. I'm nut a paranoid nut, I had a dog bloat so severely that common veterinary thought was that she would bloat and die within the next few years. She bloated on a too rich kibble and was immediately switched to the cooked Pitcairn diet (this was before he went raw) and not only never again bloated but lived another 12 some years.

I am not saying kibble CAUSES bloat but I have yet to hear of a raw bloat experience and a raw fed dog I feel would have more problems going back to kibble, and I would especially worry about doing this while I couldn't be right there to supervise.

[sheesh]

Thanks for the comments.
I will of course read other sources of pet nutrition including the Volhard plan.
Dog nutrition is no easy topic to master. I think human nutrition is easier!