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  1. #1
    House Broken black_paws's Avatar
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    rules of grain-free?

    Does anyone know if you can bounce back and forth between grain-free and non grain-free kibble??

    I know you can't bounce between kibble, homecooked, and raw.

  2. #2
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    You can bounce all of those. If you have some reason to think your dog might not like all that bouncing then don't but I fed grain and grain free and lots of people feed raw and kibble in the same meal with no complications. The old story about kibble and raw being digested at different rates is in dispute and there's no logical/proven/scientific study/reason to say it's harmful even if they do digest at different rates. I also fed homecooked and raw in the same meal and in the day when we moved from homecooked to raw.

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  4. #3
    Senior Dog Maxx&Emma's Avatar
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    I feed mostly grain free kibble but mix raw, home cooked and veggies in to it. I will throw a bit of grain inclusive every so often. I change brands and protien every bag, so every 3 weeks or so with 2 dogs. I have never had any problems mixing it all up.
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    Maxx and Emma Jean

    Ozzy - 10/2002 - 06/2011 - Rest well my sweet boy. You are forever remembered, forever missed, forever in my heart.

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  6. #4
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    I’ve never fed raw, but have bounced from grain-free to grain inclusive as well as the occasional home-cooked with no issues.
    Annette

    Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
    Sassy (HIT Jamrah's Blonde Ambition, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015

    Chloe (HIT HC OTCH Windsong's Femme Fatale, UDX4, OM6, RE) 6/7/2009

    And remembering:

    Scully (HC Coventry's Truth Is Out There, UD, TD, RN) 4/14/1996 - 6/30/2011
    Mulder (Coventry's I Want To Believe, UD, RN, WC) 5/26/1999 - 4/22/2015

    And our foster Jolie (Windsong's Genuine Risk, CDX) 5/26/1999 - 3/16/2014

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  8. #5
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    I do the same, no issues. I won't feed, corn, wheat, or white potatoes.

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    black_paws (07-09-2015)

  10. #6
    Senior Dog smartrock's Avatar
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    I also switch it up- no all raw meals but grain-free, grain-inclusive, raw or cooked vegetables and fruits, cooked meats, we do all those. Usually not all in the same meal, but fruits and vegetables with kibble, sure, cooked meats with kibble, yes. My dogs have no apparent issues with grains in their kibble.
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    Chase 9/29/2006- 6/30/2017 Always in our hearts
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    Joey 5/14/2022

    “Because of the dog's joyfulness, our own is increased. It is no small gift. It is not the least reason why we should honor as well as love the dog of our own life, and the dog down the street, and all the dogs not yet born. What would the world be like without music or rivers or the green and tender grass? What would this world be like without dogs?”

    Mary Oliver, Hidden Content

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  12. #7
    House Broken black_paws's Avatar
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    Thanks for the responses!
    I asked for a few reasons...
    1. Emmy was put on a "prescription" kibble, trying to rule out food allergies. Leading up to that she's been Grain-free for 3 years. 1 month into this prescription diet she developed a bladder infection. With no other apparent changes I was guessing the food might be the culprit.
    2. Ruby and Keene have been grain-free out of pure convenience. I was entertaining switching them back to grained food, but with Ruby being 13 I don't want to cause an issue.

  13. #8
    Senior Dog Maxx&Emma's Avatar
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    If I remember correctly food actually accounts for one percent of actual allergies. Environmental issues are usually the cause of allergies. I absolutely understand why you wouldn't want to mess with a diet that is working for a 13 y/o though.
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    Maxx and Emma Jean

    Ozzy - 10/2002 - 06/2011 - Rest well my sweet boy. You are forever remembered, forever missed, forever in my heart.

  14. #9
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    Have you considered one of the food and other things tests? I did the Nutriscan saliva test on Oban, even though we were sure his itchies were seasonal and environmental. What else could they be when he only itched in summer and was fine in winter no matter what food he was on? But it did show some foods to steer clear of and after four summers of itching I was not surprised as all my readings say allergies, sensitivities, intolerances - whatever they are - worsen and apply to more things as the dog ages.

    Nutriscan only tests food. Glacier Peak tests other things, I did Nutriscan.

    Funny thing though, (not so funny in light of other stuff I've read recently) Oban got really sick last spring of 2014, went on a novel protein, novel carb, home cooked diet and TCM and he didn't itch. At the Intergrative Holistic Vet's urging we went raw and fed a variety of proteins and vegetables (the BARF diet) and he still didn't itch but it was winter then and he never had itched in winter anyway. Oban got sick again, went to a special Internal medicine Vet who put him back on kibble but yet another novel protein, kangaroo. Rayne KSP if you want to look it up. He is still on that kibble and TCM and he is not itching.

    The/a culprit with Oban's illness (Lymphangiectasia) is thought to be too much fat in his diet. The Rayne KSP is 10% fat and all his other kibbles were 16%. Despite the big drop in fat content Oban's coat, which was never good, is better now than it's ever been, but I think one of his TCM supplements, Dispel Dampness, does target skin and coat as well as gut.

    That's our personal experience and it may not be yours but if I ever face something like this again I will be looking at a single novel protein as my first try at a fix. Good luck.

 



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