Raw - Dry Mix Enzymes needed or recommended? - Page 1

Looking for some advice.  I read on this board somewhere that when feeding GSDs a raw kibble mix that it is a good idea to add enzymes to speed up the digestive time of the kibble food.  Supposedly this is in order to ensure that the raw food does not stay in the stomach for an excessive amount of time.  I presently have 2 GSDs, one 10 month old female who gets Abady Raw for puppies mixed with Orijen Adult Dry.  I also have a 3 yr old male that gets Abady Raw maintenance and stress formula mixed with Orijen Adult dry.  Should I be adding enzymes to their food and if so, what kind?  I know nothing about these digestive enzymes.

Thanks...Dan

Falcon,i have always read that you do NOT mix raw and kibble because the digestion times are going to be VERY different.Why not split the meals?,one raw and then the next kibble.As far as enzymes,i use to distribute one that use to be good but i dont know about now.Also i had Dr.Remillard,of www.petdiets.com tell me that the dogs own pancreas makes 70 times the amount needed to digest food.It sounds to me like she is saying not to waste your money UNLESS the dog has a pancreas problem(pancreatitus)sp?I will tell you the name of one incase you decide to go that route anyway,Prozyme is one that i have tried myself.You can do a search for there website.Hope this helps

The canine system is designed to actually digest and utilize the diet it consumes at a substantially different pace regarding kibble food versus raw meat/veggies/fruits and grains. Kibble will be metabolized at one speed and the system will derive the nutrients as needed/available and the raw will take a bit longer as the system has to break it down. Feeding kibble, no matter what brand, will metabloize quicker than raw food and Orijen is still kibbled, not actual raw food. The difference between the brands of dry kibble just means the food actually utilized or digestable may be different from one brand and type of ingredients used in the food to another. The body will decide what it can use and what it will shed/not use. Feeding actual raw meat, veggie, fruits will allow the system to slow down in order to break down the food and make it available/digestable/utilizable. Feeding raw grain make take a bit longer to break down depending on whether it is in whole grain form or not. Switch-hitting the system with one type and then the other can cause problems down the road as the gut will need certain enzxymes to digest raw food and not the same ones for the kibbled food. Either way, unless the dog is suffering from digestive problems/disease, etc, the system is designed in nature to efficiently digest either. You may find however that the food may cause diarrhea due to the richness of the diet or varying the types of food stuffs. My suggestion is that if you are feeding a premium diet such as either of the ones you mentioned, you really don't need to switch hit on a regular basis/daily basis. The prepared diets you are choosing have the appropriate amount of digestable agents inclusive in the diet. Also, the bacteria in actual food is broken down by the acid in the canine system if the same (raw) diet is fed on a regular basis and the system of digestion in the canine is short enough to prevent problems in a healthy dog. Hope this helps...Debbie

Debbie, you lost me with your term "switch hit".  I mix the raw and kibble at each meal (2 meals per day).  Are you saying that's ok in your opinion?  They love the food and stools are excellent.  Thank you...

i've always heard it's best to feed raw & kibble at least 4 hrs apart.  but it you want to feed them at the same time (imo it's a bit risky) adding 3 tbsp of yogurt & 1 tbsp molasses per cup of kibble should bring the digestion & elimination of the kibble on par with the raw.

hth,

susan

Call natures farmacey and ask about dogzymes. They are very helpful and know their stuff 1-800-733-4981. I have used there stuff for five years now. Ask about what they think about your diet like i said they know what there talking about.

Enzymes should not be considered a supplement, but a vital addition to a dog's diet. The dog's digestive tract is relatively short and therefore dogs are designed to eat enzymes along with the food they are eating. In the wild, this is why they eat the offal of prey first - they are using that animal's own enzymes for digestion.

No commercial food and typically no raw diets contaimn the required enzymes. The dog therefore slows it's digestive process down to try to play "catch up". This slowing allows foor to putrify. The toxins and free radicals created by this putrifying food are absorbed and are directly responsible for many of the short and long-term ailments seen in dogs. Also this can be manifest as "allergies".

I have seen many dogs with supposed allergies completely cured after adding a nutritional formula to their food that contains enzymes; this being due to the digestive system working efficiently and the food passing through without putrifying.

The formula I wholeheartedly recommend is Vetraceuticals. This product has 14 enzymes. Importantly, these are acid stable, so they can pass through the stomach into the small intestine where they function. Vetraceuticals has a whole "shopping list" of other fantastic inredients such as antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, vitamins etc.

I would not give my dogs Dogzymes as one of the main ingredients is maltodextrin. This is a sugar used as a filler and I personally believe the use of such fillers is contributing to the huge spike in type 2 diabetes in dogs. Vetraceuticals has no fillers at all. In fact every ingredient in it is active with no zero function ingredients at all.