Is it possible to feed a dog with natural and dry food at the same time and how to do it correctly?

The health, longevity and appearance of a dog is largely determined by the nutrition of the dog. There are two main options - dry food and natural food. As you know, experts do not recommend combining them. But if you still have to do this, how to combine dry and natural food with the least harm to the pet?

Natural food and dry food have advantages and disadvantages. Before talking about this in more detail and why you can't feed a dog with different types of food at the same time, it is worth clarifying. Natural - this is a diet that best suits the natural diet of the dog, and she, by the way, is a predator. Based on this, it should be understood that the basis of its nutrition is animal protein, in other words, meat, and mostly raw. The diet should be supplemented with carbohydrates, vegetables and herbs. Many dog ​​owners confuse the term "natural food" with the concept of "food from the table", which is fundamentally wrong.

With regard to dry food, its types can be of different composition and nutritional value. The lowest quality food is of the economy class, which experts do not recommend to use for feeding a dog. There are also premium, super premium and holistic foods. In this case, they are arranged in ascending order of the quality and nutritional value of the product.

Holistic have appeared relatively recently and are characterized by the most natural composition. However, not every owner can afford them to their pet.In principle, super-premium analogues are not much inferior to holistics in quality; before the latter appeared, they were considered the best option.

Now you can start comparing a natural diet with a ready-made food of at least a super-premium class.

The main advantage of natural feed is its environmental friendliness. The owner personally prepares food for his pet, sees and evaluates the quality of the raw materials. Will not use obviously unsuitable products, feed the pet with food that has expired.

For the health, longevity and visual appeal of a pet, it is important that the diet is rich and balanced. It is quite difficult to calculate the required amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates with your own hands, so that natural nutrition is rarely balanced. Most dog breeders also cannot understand exactly how much food the pet needs and whether the diet “fits” into the daily calorie intake. In most cases, when feeding with natural food, the animal is overfed. If at the same time the dog leads a passive lifestyle, this is a breed prone to weight gain or the individual is already elderly, then regular overfeeding is a direct path to obesity, heart and intestinal problems.

When buying high-quality ready-made feed, the owner can be sure that the balance of BJU is observed in it, and thanks to information from the manufacturer, it is easy to determine the size of the portions. Thus, dry is a more balanced and nutritious option for a dog's diet. However, it is important to make an amendment here - this is only high-quality feed, the price of which is above average.

Cheaper options are skewed towards vegetable protein, allergenic carbohydrates (corn, wheat, soy) and fats. The nutritional value of such food is low, so the animal is either overfed (again, with fatty food), or feels hungry.

The next criterion for evaluation is usability. Undoubtedly, the purchase of ingredients and the preparation of natural food takes time and effort from the owner. Although, according to experienced dog breeders, if you buy ingredients and prepare them for future use (for example, cut and freeze meat for several days at once) it does not take too much time.

With commercial feed, of course, it's easier. but some elite varieties can not always be found in the public domain, you have to order them from official representatives or in online stores.

Another point is the need to purchase additional elements, in particular, a vitamin and mineral complex. It is already present in the composition of high-quality feed. If the dog is on natural food, then be sure to mix with food or give separately vitamins and minerals.

Veterinarians talk about the inadmissibility of a mixed diet, since when digesting dry food and natural food, the animal's intestines function differently.

However, there are times when mixed food cannot be avoided, among them there may be different situations.

• Feeding puppies in the kennel. Breeders deliberately add fermented milk products, cottage cheese, vegetables or herbs to dry food so that the animal can easily adapt to any type of food in the future, because it is not yet known which scheme the future owner will choose for the pet.

• Keeping a puppy or stud dog. This category of animals requires food with a high concentration of nutrients, as a rule, the basis of the diet is the usual food for the dog (natural or pellets), but an alternative option is added to it.

• Large breeds of dogs - hunting, working, sports. For this group of animals, a menu should be selected in which there is an increased (by about 30% in comparison with the standard) amount of protein. If the dog receives dry food, then the only way to increase the protein in its diet is to additionally feed it with meat, eggs, and cottage cheese.
• Picky dogs in food. As a rule, fastidious eat only meat from natural food, leaving vegetables and cereals. However, with such a diet, very soon they will have a deficiency of carbohydrates, fiber and vitamins in the body. And protein without vegetables will not be fully absorbed. Here dry food comes to the rescue of the owner. If the capricious refuses to eat pellets, you can try giving wet food.
• Pet encouragement. There are special incentive treats for animal training. However, if they are not available, it is convenient to take dry granules for a walk, using them as a reward for teaching teams. In other cases, on the other hand, a piece of meat, your favorite vegetables or fruits can be a way to pamper your pet on dry food.
• Travel, rest. These are cases of forced mixing of types of feeding. On the road, there is usually no way to feed the animal with natural food, so the owner temporarily transfers the pet to dry granules. However, you cannot just take ready-made food on the road and offer it to the animal, the transition should be smooth, and begin - 3-5 days before the trip.

In these cases, it is allowed to combine different types of food, but it is still better to alternate them and not give different types of food at one time. We must not forget that dry granules are moistened with animal saliva before they enter the stomach and begin to be digested. If you give the granules along with natural food, for example, porridge, then there is not enough saliva to soak the granules, which can provoke digestive problems in the animal.

If it is better not to combine natural food with dry food, then it is quite possible to add additives to the finished granules from the diet of natural products. In other words, a combination of the main diet of dry food with natural products is permissible. Doing the opposite (when the base is natural food) is not recommended.

You can add fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs to dry granules. They should be cut into small pieces. It is better to boil potatoes or bake them in their skins. Allowed vegetables include carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, and pumpkin. Cabbages and legumes should be avoided as they contribute to gas in dogs. Do not give onions and garlic to the animal.

It is permissible to give dry food, meat, seafood, offal in one meal. Meat - beef, chicken, turkey, rabbit, lamb. It is better not to give pork, it is too fatty and even after 12 hours of freezing and scalding with boiling water, parasite larvae may remain in it. If your dog is prone to allergies, avoid chicken and beef. The meat is given raw, after keeping it in the freezer for several hours.

The fish should be seafood, it is offered to the dog only in boiled form (cook without salt). Allowed offal - chicken necks, liver, stomachs, hearts. It is unacceptable to give a dog chicken legs, offal, intestines. The by-products are also pre-frozen, and scalded with boiling water before feeding.

Quail and chicken eggs can also be added to dry food. It is better to give proteins raw or boiled. When it comes to puppies, lactating and pregnant dogs, working individuals and pets that lead an active lifestyle, it is permissible to feed them with yolks.

The answer to the question about the possibility of alternating food types is generally positive.Of course, you should not do this on purpose, but if there is a vital need, then alternation is the most acceptable option.

Wherein it is important to remember that the time taken to digest different types of food is also different... Natural food enters the stomach after 40 minutes, and it takes about 2 hours to fully digest. Dry versions take longer to digest - from 3 to 5 hours. If you are used to feeding your dog often (usually this applies to animals during the growth period, that is, up to 8-12 months), then this should be taken into account. It may be necessary to shift the next natural food intake slightly when adding pellets to your daily diet.

It is important to calculate the pet's daily calorie intake. The easiest way is to divide it into 2 meals - put part of the calories in natural food, the rest of the calories in dry food. With the latter, it is easier, since information from the manufacturer will help to calculate the required amount of food. Just look at how many kcal are in 100 g of feed and make the appropriate calculations. This will tell you how much dry food you need to add.

It will be more difficult to make such calculations with natural food. However, it is important to calculate everything thoroughly, not forgetting about the need to include vitamin and mineral supplements in the diet. If you plan on alternating food types long enough, it is best to contact your veterinarian to have him build the most balanced diet in which different types of food will alternate.

Veterinarians recommend giving dry food in the morning and natural food in the evening. It is necessary to assess the quality of the feed, if it contains a lot of cereals, then the amount of porridge should be reduced. If a carbohydrate-free food is used, then, on the contrary, the pet can be given a little more porridge while eating natural food.

For information on choosing the types of food for your dog that allow you to optimally combine your time, money and care for your dog's health, see the video.