Can I feed a mixture of raw food with kibble?

We strongly recommend feeding an all-natural diet without mixing in any commercial grain-based foods. Kibble is vastly different from the natural raw food dogs and cats are designed to eat – it contains a high percentage of carbohydrates. Feeding these foods decrease the acid in the stomach and offsets the natural hormonal balance and organ function/interaction related to the natural digestive process. In summary, feeding a mixed diet requires the digestive system to continually readjust to processing kibble and puts unnecessary strain on your dog or cat’s internal organs.

If feeding kibble is unavoidable, then we suggest alternating meals between raw and kibble rather than mixing the two; allow at least ½ day, preferably a full day, for the digestive system to regain its natural pH level after feeding a kibble meal.

Can I cook the food for my dog or cat?

We strongly recommend feeding the diet raw, if possible. Some dogs and cats may have health conditions that prevent them from being able to handle raw foods, in which case a cooked home diet may be their best option. However, for the majority of healthy dogs, cooking is not necessary and should be avoided. The cooking process destroys many of the live enzymes, amino acids, and essential fatty acids found in raw meats that could otherwise be utilized to promote good health. Furthermore, cooking the food can deplete the food of some of a percentage of vitamins and minerals and make the food harder to digest. If you do choose to cook, please DO NOT cook any poultry meals that contain bones. Cooked bones can splinter and form sharp edges that can cause serous damage to the digestive tract.Instead, supplement the cooked diet with plant-based calcium supplements to insure a proper calcium/phosphorus ratio.

For more questions about raw food check out the BARF Top 50 Questions for Newcomers http://www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm.