# Does anyone mix different dry food?



## JALVizsla (Nov 16, 2016)

My pup will be started on Acana with the breeder, and that's what I intend to keep feeding based on my research. However, I'm wondering if anyone mixes their high quality kibble with one that is still good but less expensive to decrease the overall cost. I.e. 2/3 Acana, 1/3 Kirkland.

I'm prepared for the food bill that Acana alone would bring, but I'm also planning on top dressing with fresh fruits and veggies, so I wondered what sort of negative impact (if any) I could expect by mixing up the kibble a bit, too.

Any personal experience is appreciated!

TIA.


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## pez999 (Apr 22, 2017)

We do exactly that actually. We do Acana Duck & Pear and then mix it with a cheaper kibble. Acana is pretty expensive and as a puppy he's eating like some kinda monster haha so we try to balance out the cost with mixing in. It's been working great, we do half and half. The cheaper one we use is called "Elm" and it's lamb flavored.

Other than that, he'll get and egg in his meal every now and then or sardines or even canned food. I'd love to do raw but don't have enough freezer space lol.


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## EROVizsla (Sep 30, 2017)

Mixing foods is actually quite healthy! Supplying different protein sources allows your puppy to draw a variety of amino acids from his diet which helps him deposit muscle and build connective tissues. A variety of amino acids is also essential for optimal immune development.
So the best way to mix kibbles is to use different protein sources. If your premium food is chicken based for example, try a fish based food for your second. Chicken and fish combined create the best amino acid profile for dogs.
If you are not set on Acana, you could also look into North Paw (if you are in Ontario or Atlantic Canada). It is the most digestible dog food on the market, which is very important when you are mixing your premium food with something of slightly lower quality. The puppy food from north paw is a chicken and fish combination. My 3 1/2 year old V eats the adult North Paw - he is 65lb and very active, eating only about 2 cups per day. It keeps great weight on them! They get just as much (or more) nutrition out of a smaller amount of food because it is so much more digestible.


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## JALVizsla (Nov 16, 2016)

EROVizsla said:


> Mixing foods is actually quite healthy! Supplying different protein sources allows your puppy to draw a variety of amino acids from his diet which helps him deposit muscle and build connective tissues. A variety of amino acids is also essential for optimal immune development.
> So the best way to mix kibbles is to use different protein sources. If your premium food is chicken based for example, try a fish based food for your second. Chicken and fish combined create the best amino acid profile for dogs.
> If you are not set on Acana, you could also look into North Paw (if you are in Ontario or Atlantic Canada). It is the most digestible dog food on the market, which is very important when you are mixing your premium food with something of slightly lower quality. The puppy food from north paw is a chicken and fish combination. My 3 1/2 year old V eats the adult North Paw - he is 65lb and very active, eating only about 2 cups per day. It keeps great weight on them! They get just as much (or more) nutrition out of a smaller amount of food because it is so much more digestible.


That's great information, thanks! 

I'm in Nova Scotia, so I'll look into North Paw. My breeder actually mentioned she was trying out Corey's Pro Series with some of her dogs; do you have any experience with North Paw vs. Pro Series?


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## trevor1000 (Sep 20, 2013)

Personally I think it’s a waste of money to spend it on ahigh quality dog food only to mix it with cheap food, especially when feeding apuppy/junior dog. This is when they are growing and need the best of whatever you can give them. Of course it’s not"bad" to mix dog foods I just think it’s not optimal. Acana has a few different protein choices too. The Acana "Singles" have 1 different protein source each and are all different. They do eat less when they stop growing too J


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## JALVizsla (Nov 16, 2016)

trevor1000 said:


> Personally I think it’s a waste of money to spend it on ahigh quality dog food only to mix it with cheap food, especially when feeding apuppy/junior dog. This is when they are growing and need the best of whatever you can give them. Of course it’s not"bad" to mix dog foods I just think it’s not optimal. Acana has a few different protein choices too. The Acana "Singles" have 1 different protein source each and are all different. They do eat less when they stop growing too J


Thanks for chiming in.

I don't quite get the logic, though. Let's say I eat organic veggies most of the time, but get generic frozen veggies a few times a week when I'm too busy to do any prep. I don't think eating the frozen veggies defeats the purpose or negates the "good" aspect of the organic veggies.

Is there something in particular, a certain ingredient for example, in a "cheap" food that leads you to believe it undoes the benefits of the "high quality" food?


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## trevor1000 (Sep 20, 2013)

I buy Acana because I want to feed my dog a top end food. I don't want to feed my dog 2/3's top end food and 1/3 not. I'm not sure what you mean by " it undoes the benefits of the "high quality" food?" I certainly didn't say that. So Again, In my opinion, "Of course it’s not "bad" to mix dog foods I just think it’s not optimal". Its like eating salad and lean protein for supper and having a chocolate bar to finish it off.


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## JALVizsla (Nov 16, 2016)

trevor1000 said:


> I buy Acana because I want to feed my dog a top end food. I don't want to feed my dog 2/3's top end food and 1/3 not. I'm not sure what you mean by " it undoes the benefits of the "high quality" food?" I certainly didn't say that. So Again, In my opinion, "Of course it’s not "bad" to mix dog foods I just think it’s not optimal". Its like eating salad and lean protein for supper and having a chocolate bar to finish it off.


I suppose I was referring to the fact that you think it's a waste of money; I extrapolated "waste of money" to pointless, so mixing it takes away the value (and further, the benefit). My apologies if that's not what you intended.

I guess I don't see it as an all or nothing (your example of eating a salad/lean protein for supper and finishing with a chocolate bar isn't something I see a problem with as I live an 80/20 lifestyle... I like chocolate bars!). I am genuinely interested in hearing what other people do/believe, I just don't subscribe to the philosophy that it has to be all good, all the time, or it's not worth it (like your example; I certainly don't eat spinach and turkey 24/7).


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## pez999 (Apr 22, 2017)

I'm definitely not an expert in dog food and dog food brands and nutrients etc. But I'm sure just like in human food brands, there are the 'whole foods' types and the general every grocery store types that may be the cheaper alternatives and are just as good. Meaning, I'm sure there are over priced dog foods and ones that are cheaper but may still be good quality. Of course I'm not knocking on Acana, I feed my dog that and it's been great. But the one we mix in, may not be $75 per large bag, is still decent quality and gives him a different source of protein to mix in. So I wouldn't worry about it too much. They definitely slow down and my 7 month old eats half the amount he ate when he was smaller so it definitely helps with food costs lol (but let's not talk about chew snacks...). 

To be honest, all my previous dogs have gotten pretty generic food before. None of these fancy high end expensive "grain free" things and have all lived to almost 20 (except for my lab who had to be put down at 14). Now with my V, I've tried to invest more and get as much of the good stuff as I can in hopes that it'll be worth it in the long run or make a difference, but who knows. There are dogs that eat the best of the best yet get sick or don't live as long, and ones that eat the cheap stuff and live very long healthy lives. I think lot of it is genes and it's predetermined, but that's just my own opinion. 

Sorry for the long post, just didn't think you should feel bad for mixing in a cheaper brand. I don't think I'm mixing fresh salad/lean meat with sugary unhealthy snacks lol.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

While I always try and feed a high quality dog food. Abbey can be very picky. So along with her high quality dry kibble, she gets cheap, probably not very nutritious Pedigree canned dog food mixed in.
I tried everything under the sun, but the silly girl only cleans it up if I add that cheap food to it.

She's happy, and looks good. So I don't feel the least bit bad about it.
Shoes, she likes to eat those to.


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

mine get a mid range food, I periodically change the brand and flavours. They seem to thrive ok , they do get some table scraps thrown in too, typically steamed veg's, rice cooked sausages maybe some surplus chicken casserole. From this week they'll be out working 3 days a week (grouse, partridge, pheasant) so I should be able to tell and adjust their diet accordingly if I suspect they're flagging.


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

as for actually mixing kibble together I only do that when they're coming to the end of a brand period, I usually mix about 2 days worth of the "old" brand with the "new"


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## Jenmull506 (Oct 4, 2017)

Hi, new to the forum. I have a 10 week old female named Targa. I recently started giving her Country Pet Naturals which is a raw food mixed with vitamins and ground bone. I am currently giving this to her for one meal separate from her kibble which I also put down. She gobbles up the raw food. I just am not sure what I'm doing. Not sure if I should be giving that to her for more than one meal? Has anyone else used this brand?


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## Bob Engelhardt (Feb 14, 2012)

I don't know how one can tell what's better. There's the "sounds right" theoretical stuff like "canines didn't evolve to eat grain" and chemical analysis for percentage protein, fat, etc. But I don't think that there are large scale, controlled studies to support it.

There's also plenty of anecdotes of dogs living to ripe old ages on run-of-the-mill kibble (our 1st 2 lived to 16 & 16-1/2 on full-of-grain Iam's).

A dog's bowel function is the most obvious indicator of a food's suitability. But I think that's more a matter of the dog's physiology than food quality. Loose stools doesn't necessarily mean poor food.

In the end, don't worry about it too much. If he likes it and he's fit, there are other things like genetics, exercise, disease that are going to affect his well being more than his food.

Bob


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Jenmull506 said:


> Hi, new to the forum. I have a 10 week old female named Targa. I recently started giving her Country Pet Naturals which is a raw food mixed with vitamins and ground bone. I am currently giving this to her for one meal separate from her kibble which I also put down. She gobbles up the raw food. I just am not sure what I'm doing. Not sure if I should be giving that to her for more than one meal? Has anyone else used this brand?


We do have some members that feed raw. Hoping one of them responses to your question.
Sorry, I'm no help with the raw questions.


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

texasred said:


> We do have some members that feed raw. Hoping one of them responses to your question.
> Sorry, I'm no help with the raw questions.


@einspanner


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

@Jenmull506

I feed raw. I'm not familiar with the brand you mentioned. I'd feed three times a day until around 6 months. What are you reasons for feeding kibble and raw? If it's primarily budget related, than you'll probably want to stick to feeding raw in the morning and kibble for lunch and dinner. It is possible to feed only raw pretty cheaply, if you go the DIY route and source items in bulk. 

Did you have any specific concerns or questions?


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## JALVizsla (Nov 16, 2016)

Thanks everyone. It's good to hear what different people do. Puppy comes home in a week (!!), and I've already got my Acana ready so I'll start with that and probably try out mixing in some different stuff after we go through the first bag. Like many of you, I grew up feeding dogs what would likely be considered moderate quality food (Purina, etc.) and they were always happy and healthy and lived long lives. I'm trying to find a balance between feeding the best available, while still being mindful that the benefit/impact it may or may not have in my scenario (pet vs. performance animal). 

There's also the seesaw of, will these high "quality" foods make a real, tangible difference in the health of our dogs, or are we paying a premium because the market has figured out that we'll do anything for our children... err, dogs. Probably a bit of both.


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## JALVizsla (Nov 16, 2016)

Jenmull506 said:


> Hi, new to the forum. I have a 10 week old female named Targa. I recently started giving her Country Pet Naturals which is a raw food mixed with vitamins and ground bone. I am currently giving this to her for one meal separate from her kibble which I also put down. She gobbles up the raw food. I just am not sure what I'm doing. Not sure if I should be giving that to her for more than one meal? Has anyone else used this brand?


You will likely have better luck with responses if you create a new thread that references your questions directly in the title or original post. You can also trying searching for threads on raw feeding, as I've seen several discussing it in greater detail.

Good luck!


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## Jenmull506 (Oct 4, 2017)

I guess I was doing both for cost and variety and wasn't sure if there was something in the kibble she wasn't getting from the raw. I gave her the raw twice yesterday and she still ate her kibble but then she ended up vomiting during the night. She is showing a lot of rib so I'm not sure if she is getting enough. She has her vet appointment on Monday so we will get an idea on her weight. Thanks for letting me know you do raw exclusively. I'm going to talk to her vet as well about the matter.


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