In a message dated 12/11/2002 7:43:34 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> I have some questions about my 11 month-old male Berner puppy. > > - We are planning on switching from ProPlan to another type of > kibble due to his loose stools. We were considering using one of the > following: Flint River, PhD, Wysong, Wellness, Canidae complemented with > raw meat and grains. I would be cautious about adding meat and grains for several reasons. First, is that muscle meat is very high in phospherous and low in calcium. If you add plain meat, it would be a good idea to also add a calcium source such as yogurt. If you really want to add something meaty to a kibble, one way to go would be to add what's commonly referred to as 'raw meaty bones', ie: a 'package deal of meat & bone. A good example is chicken necks, these can be fed whole (one crunch and down the hatch they go) and as with ALL bones, should be fed raw...NEVER cooked (even when ground). Grains are a very common cause of allergy and digestive trouble in dogs and are difficult for them to utilize. Being primarily carbohydrates, the second most calory dense food group (behind fat), they can also contribute to obesity. As a reference point, my (2) dogs on BARF diets don't get ANY grains in their food at all. They do get some in cookies and other carbs from veggies such as sweet potatoes. Personally...I wouldn't add much of anything to a kibble diet other than maybe a small amount of pureed fresh fruits and veggies. Afterall, the reason you're using kibble is your confidence in the manufacturer's ability to provide a healthy, complete diet. If you believe that's the case, why upset the 'balance'? -Sherri Venditti
