This post may contain affiliate links.
DepositPhoto/zzkruger
A few months ago there was a blog post going around that suggested that kibble might digest faster than raw. Throughout my time as a raw feeder I've been told to never ever mix kibble and raw in the same meal, because kibble digests slower, keeping the raw in the digestive system longer than what's natural. The raw starts to decompose in the gut, making the dog sick.
I was convinced that this was true when J mixed raw and kibble and Rodrigo vomited his meal (raw and kibble) all over the sofa. The smelly, messy proof was right there. All over the sofa.
Kibble Digests Slower than Raw
I was lead to believe that raw takes 5-6 hours to digest while kibble takes 10-12 hours to digest.
Raw Digests Lower than Raw
Per the article I referenced above, after a test comparing the digestion rate between raw dog food and Science Diet (yes, I know), raw digested slightly slower than the kibble and there were bone fragments still in the gut up to 5 hours later.
What's the Answer? Which Digests Faster?
I wasn't able to find anything official on this topic, but Dr. Cathy Alinovi, DVM, HealthyPawsibilities.com, was kind enough to point me in the right direction and I found a lot of information on cat food and digestion that we may be able to apply to dogs, because both animals share a short digestive tract (reaching here, I know).
Cats fed extremely cheap food made with low-quality grains and grain by-products will pass three or more stools per day. The actual volume of these stools might even be more than the amount of food eaten. This is because as indigestible food travels through the animal, it absorbs quite a bit of water which increases its bulk. The digestibility may only be about 70 – 85% in lower quality foods.
If an animal eats a food that is highly concentrated, say more than 90% digestible, it will still produce a stool but perhaps only once a day. The stool will be well formed and firm, however, it is composed of both undigested food and the residue of intestinal secretions and bacteria.
The digestibility of the food is an important consideration for cat owners. You are paying for the amount of food in the bag or can, not the amount the cat digests and absorbs. In addition, lower digestibility means more litter box cleanup. Choosing a food simply because it appears inexpensive does not mean that it is a good buy. Cost per feeding is the only way to determine the actual cost of the food.
Source: Feline Nutrition Awareness Network, Commercial Food
Although this doesn't give a definitive answer, it does make me wonder about the quality of kibble versus how fast it digests in the body. And I still don't have an answer, I'm going to return to my old standby – it depends on the dog.
Today, nearly 2 years after the sofa defacing, I know a lot more about our dogs' nutrition…
1) not enough time had passed between Rodrigo eating and vomiting on the sofa – I don't believe that the raw food decomposed to a point that it would make him sick in less than an hour. This would happen if the raw was already rotten (it wasn't) or had too much bacteria (it didn't).
2) Rodrigo has a very sensitive gut; that is why he got sick. The mixture of a rich, high-quality kibble and a raw meal (he was still new to raw feeding) was too much for his gut, so he tossed it all back up on the sofa.
That doesn't mean that I'll start mixing dry and raw in the same meal for our dogs, but I'm no longer convinced that it's a terrible idea for all dogs.
To keep up with the raw feeding series, CLICK HERE and bookmark the post and visit weekly, I will hyperlink each letter as I publish each post. Or you can sign up for the Keep the Tail Wagging newsletter and receive updates weekly to your email box and a code to try The Honest Kitchen for FREE.
There is a thought that the two foods are digested so differently that when they are mixed they lead to weight gain, but also increase the possibility of torsion given the dry kibble will absorb moisture from the raw food and expand in the dog’s stomach. I don’t advocate feeding raw and kibble together. It’s like eating McDonald’s with a salad.
I believe it depends on the dog how fast the food digests. I don’t feed fully raw food but I have never mixed raw food with kibbles.
This isn’t an issue I had thought about. Good X post!
Yvonne
Yes it does. But it’s so worth it when you get that first perfect poop!
Actually, I didn’t read the instructions on the site; I had a phone consultation and the person I spoke with helped me figure out our transition plan. If I would have read what you read, I would have mixed too.
Rodrigo and Scout are our GI boys – they can’t do the THK protein meals, but they can do raw plus the THK base mixes. It’s just tough trying to figure every dog out and then getting them balanced. It takes a long time.
Darwin said to start by substituting 1/8th of Darwin before moving on to 1/4 and then 1/2…. It’s difficult to feed a full meal of 1/8th, which was why I thought it meant mixing it with raw….
But I agree that this really depends on the dog’s digestive ability. My rescue dog never had a day of diarrhea no matter what we gave her. She even drinks milk with no issues. One of my foster dogs had difficulty even transiting from kibble to The Honest Kitchen although THK isn’t raw. He had diarrhea and runny stools, but after a while he did okay on a full THK diet. But we never dared to give him any fruits or vegetables because I don’t think his digestive system can handle it.
I read the Darwin’s instructions differently. What we did was feed raw in the morning and kibble in the evening over a month or so and when we were out of our kibble our dogs got 2 meals of raw per day.
I do know people who mix them together and have never had an issue, which has lead me to believe that it really depends on a dog’s digestive system. If a dog has a weak gut, mixing the 2 would be a bad idea.
I was concerned about this issue too, especially when I was transiting my rescue pup to raw. Darwin’s website said to slowly add increase the amount of raw food in the dog’s diet, which means mixing raw and kibble together. But I read that we are not supposed to mix raw and kibble too.
Luckily after trying raw, my rescue dog refused to touch her kibble so I didn’t really have to deal with this issue!