Can you mix two dry dog foods together? (Answered)
Yes, it’s possible to mix dry dog food together. Nonetheless, even though most schools of thought do not go with this practice, it’s probably safe for you to mix two different kinds of dry dog food as long as you first make sure that the products you are mixing are made for the same size breed, and stage of life.
For example, you should never mix food made for a large breed puppy with food made for a regular puppy. Or even worse adult dog food. And you should never do this because the amount of calcium a puppy or adult dog needs depends on the breed.
In fact, feeding a large breed, of dry food for puppies with too much calcium can make your canine friend more likely to get a crippling form of hip dysplasia that won’t go away.
When you mix two dry dog foods together, you change the way calcium and other important nutrients are “concentrated.
So, we advise you to look for the AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) Statement of Nutritional Adequacy on the dry dog food label. It’s just a simple sentence that tells you what stage of life and breed size the product is best for.
Do dogs get bored of the same food?
The straightforward answer is No, and this is because dogs have fewer taste receptors about 1700 compared to that human which is 9000. And this means they won’t get bored eating the same food every day as much as you think.
Nonetheless, it does not mean that your dog would not appreciate a new recipe every now and again.
You might think that your dog would get tired of eating the same food over and over again, but most dogs are happy with the same routine. In fact, if you pay close attention, you would discover that dogs like to eat the same things every day, and they don’t like different tastes as much as we do.
So, if you feel like you need to change your diet a little with different proteins and snacks, you shouldn’t make it too different.
Truth is, we can’t make our pets feel the same way about food as we do based on how we feel about it. We might enjoy all the different ways our food makes us feel, and we love to try out new flavors.
But just because you like chillis and your dog has fewer taste buds doesn’t mean you should try feeding it chillis.
Dogs don’t have the same idea of what they might be missing out on when it comes to food. As humans, we most probably would get bored eating the same type of food every day for a week and don’t add any interesting sauces or snacks. We’re fully aware of what we’re missing.
On the other hand, dogs do not care about these things as much as we do. Hence, we can say that dogs are indifferent to their food varieties.
Should I wet my dog’s dry food?
Mixing your dog’s dry food is a matter of personal preference and not a rule of thumb. Even though dry food is meant to be eaten as is, there are times when adding water to their feed can be helpful.
These are related to both normal and unhealthy situations that your dog may currently be at the moment.
Here are a few reasons why adding water to your dry dog food might be beneficial:
If they have problems with their tooth
Dogs with mouth problems like gingivitis, periodontal disease, mouth ulcers, etc. may find it hard to hold and chew hard food. Because of this, it is often best to give the food that has been moistened. This will keep you from having pain when you chew or making sores in your mouth worse.
Dogs that don’t want to drink water
Even though this situation is very common with cats, however, some dogs will also refuse to drink water. Dogs that are dehydrated will need a plan for fluid therapy to get better.
But if the situation isn’t too bad or you just want to keep the animal healthy, you can add water to the feed to make the animal drink more.
Convalescent dogs
When dogs are sick or have had surgery, they often lose their appetite while they are getting better. If they don’t eat enough, it could hurt their health as a whole. In these situations, it’s best to add water to their dry food to make it taste better and get the dog hungry.
Puppies
Like other young mammals, puppies should only feed on their mother’s milk for the first few weeks of their lives.
Their mother’s lactation period, this period usually lasts between a month and a month and a half. After this time, their mother will start to feed them solid food.
This starts to happen when their first teeth come in. Puppies need to be weaned slowly from a diet of only liquids to one that includes solids.
Gastrointestinal disorders
Adding water to dry dog food could help dogs with stomach problems that make it hard for them to digest.
Stomach problems can cause vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, or the inability to stool. Wet food is easier to digest than dry food, so it can help move things along in the gut.
The extra water in the food can also help a dog that is dehydrated, which can happen when they are both throwing up and having diarrhea at the same time.
Is mixing raw and dry food safe?
In the end, it comes down to taking care of your dog’s health and body. If you mix dry food with raw food and your dog starts getting sick, you should stop and consult with your vet doctor.
Raw food starts to be broken down in a dog’s mouth. When your dog chews, the food starts to break down into pieces that can be digested. Digestive enzymes in the mouth and gut help bring nutrients to the surface so that the body can break them down and use them.
Then, the juices in your dog’s stomach help break down the food even more.
Note: A protein-based diet is easy to digest, which means that the same amount of food has a higher nutrient value. Raw pet food is also very tasty.
More so, frozen raw dog food is a healthier way to feed our fluffy friend. Raw recipes that are based on what dogs would have eaten in the wild include meat, organ meats, bones, and sometimes even vegetables.
Their digestive systems don’t have any trouble with this type of food.
Plus, our raw recipes are made with healthy ingredients and no extra processing. This makes your dog’s digestive system feel better and gives you less poop to pick up. You only need to worry about finding recipes that your pet likes.
How do dogs digest raw food and dry food?
A long time ago, most people thought that raw food was easier for dogs to digest than dry food. Some studies have shown that it takes longer to digest raw food, especially when it has bones in it.
This isn’t always a bad thing, since the longer it takes for food to be digested, the more nutrients are taken in.
The pH level in your dog’s stomach doesn’t change whether you feed them kibble or raw food.
Even though their pH levels are low, which makes it easy for them to digest raw meat, their digestive system can change to break down different foods.
Overall, giving your dog raw food will help it do well because of all the health benefits that come with it.
As the study in BMC Veterinary Research says, raw food is digested the same way, but it can make dogs healthier. Raw dog food has benefits like giving your pet a shinier coat, better skin, and cleaner teeth.
Can you mix raw and dry dog food? Yes. However, should you?
As much as you can make your dog’s feeding times easy, and if you have to switch from raw food to dry food some days, just feed at different times.
How long will it take my dog to adjust to a new brand of food?
As a general rule, you should switch your dog to new food over the course of five to seven days.
For dogs with stomachs that are especially sensitive, making the change over a bit longer may help reduce the chance of stomach problems.
Mix your dog’s new food with some of its old food. Start by giving your dog a small amount of the new food instead of the old food. Then, slowly increase the amount of the new food and decrease the amount of the old food.
Dry Dog Food Mixing Tips
Don’t attempt to make abrupt changes to the diet of your dog. Dogs can have trouble with their stomachs when they eat new or different foods, so make the change slowly.
If they’ve only been eating one particular type of dry food, try adding just a little bit of another brand at first to make things more interesting. Keep adding a little more each day, and after a week or two they should be ready to go.
It’s fine if you don’t want to put the two different dry food in the same bowl. Even better, you don’t have to serve them at the same time.
It’s a good idea to eat the first brand of dry food in the morning and the second dry dog food in the evening.
You can also leave dry food out all day so they can snack on it whenever they want. It won’t go bad, and you can control how much they eat.
Can you mix two dry dog foods: Conclusion
Most people think it’s not a good idea to mix two dry dog food together due to some side effects it has on their dogs.
Nonetheless, mixing dry dog food shouldn’t be rocket science but in practice, you should carry your vet along with you because it’s not a good idea to mix dry dog foods together if your breed of dog reacts easily to foods and this could throw off the dog’s nutrition.
The best way to feed your dog is to do what it says on the package of the food you are using. If you are worried about the health of your pet, you should talk to a vet.
