dry and raw (or homecooked?)

[banana]

I recently got a greyhound mix (looks almost 100% greyhound if it weren't for her having floppy lab-looking ears) from an animal shelter and I want to feed her a mix of dry (Kirkland signature chicken and rice dog food) and raw (I've read about the dangers of raw and bacteria being spread so I'm also considering homecooked) and I was wondering what your guys opinion on this is? I want to keep the dry kibble in her diet to make sure she's getting all the nutrition she needs but some people say not to mix because dry and raw digest differently and it could be bad but I've also seen a lot of people saying that its all myth. Have any of you guys discussed this with a vet before and have any advice? My greyhound is a bit picky with food and really only gets excited when I mix her dry with some raw or cooked food so I would like to include it always to keep her excited and happy with variety, but I want to do it in a safe way. I'm definitely going to be talking to my vet about this next week once I bring her in for a exam to make sure she's healthy, but I was curious on your guys' opinions as well.

TLDR: what are your guys' opinions on mixing dry and raw/cooked? Also is raw dangerous and do u guys recommend I do cooked instead to be safe?

I also attached a pic so you guys can see her! She's a pretty dark brindle!

[Remolacha]

She is a very pretty girl! The myth about mixing raw and kibble is just that, a myth. Racing greyhounds get a mixture of raw meat, cooked food, and kibble and do just fine. I have fed raw for years, sometimes mixed with other things, and all of my dogs have been fine. Just follow the usual precautions for handling raw meat (wash hands, etc). Remember, if given a choice most dogs will drink out of the toilet and eat dead squirrels . 
Many vets are against raw feeding, but as long as you are not doing raw exclusively the vet probably won’t give you much grief.

[HeyRunDog]

I like the way you've chosen a lovely looking dog to blend in with your floor . What's her name?

Greyhounds have a sensitive digestive system and continually changing their diet can cause sloppy poops and diarrhoea. If you want to change her diet do it gradually over a couple of weeks.

Don't get hung up with giving your new hound variety. Grace has been wolfing down the same meal twice a day for the last three years and shows no sign of wanting anything different.

I've only fed Grace a good quality kibble so I can't comment on raw or cooked. I do put a couple of spoonfuls into her bowl first and add hot water to make a gravy before adding the rest after its cooled down.

[MaryJane]

I have been feeding only cooked real food for close to 20 years - all my greyhounds have done great on it.

[cleptogrey]

what ever you feed just watch their weight. the GHs around here that are fed a combo are HUGE! (a good amount over weight- not height). remember they are built for speed and need to be streamline. you will be shocked at how little a retired GH needs to eat. a scale will be your dog's best friend. your pup looks perfect currently- so weigh and keep track of monthly weigh-ins. all of the ribs, hip bones and spine are covered- no padding necessary. 

[BatterseaBrindl]

I've been feeding a mix of raw and kibble for years.  We currently have one Greyhound and  Grey/ Galgo.

I am lucky to have a local raw manufacturer.  I buy 80, one pound blocks at a time and keep it in a freezer dedicated to dog food.   They get one thawed block for breakfast with a little Camalina oil dribbled on top.   For dinner they eat  heaping cup of Kirkland Lamb/Rice kibble.  

One of my Greys did get a bit constipated on the raw food....it has crushed bone in it and that can make them constipated.  I just added a bit of Metamucil to his kibble and he was fine.

[RaineysMom]

I used to feed our Zeke raw in the morning and then kibble at night, he did find on it (when he DID eat).  I would get beef/lamb hearts, beef liver, and green tripe from My Pet Carnivore but they don't have truck deliveries anymore (and it's $$$ to have Fed Ex deliver).  Please do some reading on raw, you have to make sure they only get 5% organ meat per day or things get BAD (liver, spleen, pancreas, kidney are organs - tongue and heart are muscle meats).  Ground hamburger and turkey are good and easier options (I spent hours every week hand chopping up the heart, etc. as Zeke didn't like it chopped in the food processor, HAD to be by hand 

raw is perfectly safe as long as you keep things clean   your girl is BEAUTIFUL!  (and looks 100% greyhound to me!)

Edited June 28, 2021 by RaineysMom

[banana]

wow, thank you for all the advice! Good to know im not going to be accidentally destroying her stomach or something LOL

@RaineysMom I did not know about the organ meat thing, so thats very helpful! I'll definitely look more into dog nutrition and raw to make sure I dont mess anything up. I work at a health food store and our meat dept sells 'dog food' which consists of a ground mix of chicken meat, backs, necks, livers, hearts, and gizzards, so i was thinking of giving her a spoonful or two of that every so often (maybe not everyday, maybe every other day) on top of her dry food. So far ive been just giving her chicken meat, an egg, sardines, or the 'dog food' mix on top of her dry food and shes been doing well on it as her poops have been nice and firm. Zeke sounds like a princess LOL 

also fun fact, but ive been doing research and I don't think my dog is the typical english greyhound, or a even a greyhound mix, but i'm pretty sure shes a galgo! She fits the physical description of a galgo quite well (hips being higher than their shoulders, hooked tail, longer ears which explains her ears, etc.). Weird thing is, I was reading galgos are quite rare in the U.S. and typically you need to pay a few thousand $$ to fly one in from Spain?? I wonder how mine came to be loll, her brother is still at the shelter as well waiting to be adopted too!

Edited June 28, 2021 by banana

[BatterseaBrindl]

Here is the 'formula' that my local raw people use.  I've been feeding it for 25+ years to all breeds of dogs and my Vet highly approves.  They get this for breakfast and Kirkland lamb/rice at supper.   

Ingredients

About 30 years ago we were asked to supply several sled dog racing teams with a specific blend of raw ingredients. The dogs liked it so much, we have continued to produce Raw Dog Feed using the same recipe.

• - Chicken (meat, bone and viscera) 40%
• - Beef (meat, bone, offal, green tripe, heart, liver, kidney) 35%
• - Fish 20%
• - Cooked Eggs 5%

Average dry matter feed analysis shows 48% protein, 33% fat and 6% ash. The ingredients are fine ground and mixed together then frozen in 40 pound blocks. Using a bandsaw, the blocks are cut into 40 pieces producing roughly 1 pound of feed per piece.