I'm posting this completely without doing any prior research. I got this idea the other day, after reading some posts here, about adding some raw to our pups meal, if anything for variety. I went and got some stew beef chunks, gizzards, and a tub of chicken livers (ack!). I started adding, say, one of each under their TOTW Pacific Salmon kibble (which they both like). Needless to say, the feeding frenzy was furious!

Is it ok to do this?

What other stuff can we add to give them some spice? Do I understand that chicken bones, like legs and rib meat, is ok?

Any thoughts are appreciated.

CG

Cheyenne has been eating TOTW and raw chix wings for dinner for a long time. We've never had an issue.

I'd be careful feeding chicken wings unless you know that Violet will actually chew them and not swallow them whole. Cheyenne spends about 5 mintues just eating the 2-3 wings I put in there so I don't worry about it. Any bone-in part of the chicken (that is raw) is fine to feed really.

As long as you don't feed RAW and kibble together, you are fine.

RAW, since it is...well, raw....digests at a much faster and more efficient rate then kibble; Kibble digests much slower. Rushing kibble through the system, or slowing down RAW, can cause a lot of issues. Rushing kibble through means their systems aren't taking the time to break it down, so you are losing value. Slowing down RAW means the natural bacteria in RAW foods stays in their system longer, possibly increasing their chances for getting sick. Additionally, since these foods digest at different rates, you are increasing your chances for bloat either way.

So when it comes to mixing it up in one bowl, I follow these rules:

Adding dairy, such as yogurt and cottage cheese, is okay.
Cooked raw, such as cooked organ and muscle meats, are okay.

Everything else, like bones and raw organ/muscle meats, feed at a earlier time or in a different meal altogether.

I don't think there is any proven science saying that feeding raw and kibble together harms the dog. I know people that do it all the time. And we eat foods that digest at different rates all the time as well and we are fine. I say go ahead and try it the way you want to do it, if raw and kibble together doesn't seem to negatively affect your dog (as in her poop looks normal after given time to adjust to the change, it being runny at first is to be expected) then I see no problem with feeding her that way.

So far so good. They love the kibble/raw mix. And their poopies remains unchanged. With deer season upon us (I don't hunt) I wonder what deer liver or kidney would do to their health...

Though I'm not a fan of feeding organs I think they'll do fine with the liver, kidneys and probably the heart.

Deer organs (really any deer parts) would be fantastic. Just be mindful that organs, like liver, are very rich so it can cause stomach upset/diarrhea if they're not used to it or eat too much. I try to keep organ portions small.

I think it's great that you're supplementing raw. While I've never had a problem in the past feeding kibble and raw together I do try to feed them separately if it's a significant amount of raw that they're getting. For example, if raw consists of 25% of their meal or greater then I try to feed raw separately to avoid digestion issues because the two do digest at different rates. When I separate them I'll try to feed the raw portion a few hours before the kibble. Raw digests in about 4 hours while kibble can take 12 hours to digest, big difference. But as a small portion/topper for kibble I have no problem feeding it with kibble and have not had any problems doing this to date.

So far so good! They love the meals, and their stools are nice and compact. Can't believe I'm paying so much attention to doodoo...