[Woody Taylor]

Connie and others...what kinds of simple foods are okay to blend in to a kibble diet? I feed innova raw and solid gold seameal...with a bit of water...I sometimes put in a few pieces of crumbled feta, string cheese, dehydrated lamb lung, etc. Nothing big and always for flavor. Other suggestions?

 

[Connie Sutherland]

Connie and others...what kinds of simple foods are okay to blend in to a kibble diet? I feed innova raw and solid gold seameal...with a bit of water...I sometimes put in a few pieces of crumbled feta, string cheese, dehydrated lamb lung, etc. Nothing big and always for flavor. Other suggestions?

Oil and vitamin E, produce, and anything else that's good for dogs except raw animal products that would be forced into the much longer contact with the digestive system that kibble requires and that a raw diet (without kibble) doesn't.

I personally think that fresh foods added to a commercial diet are great. More micronutrients, better chewiness, good for the gut. Yogurt with active cultures (if the dog tolerates it, and I think most do; it's the unfermented milk that causes problems, IME) is good. And I think that in small amounts (so you don't have to start figuring out how to supplement with calcium for the missing bone), cooked meats add variety. Variety is good, IMO.

I've heard a few times about the dehydrated lamb lung, but haven't seen it yet. Do you guys get it online?

 

[Connie Sutherland]

Forgot to add: cooked wild fish or canned wild fish (rinsed if not low-sodium) are (IMO) really good protein sources, especially if you stay away from the high-mercury fish like tuna and swordfish. Canned wild salmon with the bones and skin....... a little at first because it's fatty ...... is a relatively untainted choice, and so are sardines. Both are calcium-rich, with soft bones. I know most breeds didn't evolve eating a lot of fish, but wild fish has a lot of good stuff in it.

 

[Woody Taylor]

I buy Solid Gold LA Lamb Treats from Chuck and Don's, Minneapolis' super-fine pet food outlet. 100% lamb lung. Even Annie, who's not real food driven (my fault), digs them. They are expensive...like $10 for four ounces...but four ounces of dehydrated meat goes a long way (think beef jerky).

Does anyone here dehydrate their own meat for treats? I've never done it before...someone I know made a random reference to slow-cooking liver sliced up and slathered with garlic. Said it smelled like crap but the dogs couldn't resist it.