# Should I supplement kibble with "real" food?



## Chandra Carter (Jul 18, 2018)

I was feeding my 6-yr old Golden "Authority Grain Free (chicken & rice)". But, after all the controversy surrounding Grain-Free diets I decided to start really thinking about my dog's diet & I want to be more informed about what is good for him. I'm currently transitioning him to "Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach (salmon & rice)" since it seems to be a popular choice for people on this forum. I've heard people recommend adding other foods to their dog's diet in addition to feeding them kibble. I'm just wondering if I should do that? What is good to add to a dog's diet? Do you reduce the amount of kibble to account for this?
A few sources have said that the best thing you can do for your dog is add a can of sardines to every meal. I just can't imagine doing that because #1 - yuck!, #2 - not sure my picky dog would eat that, #3 - afraid it would give him bad gas!
Any advice would be appreciated!


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## Jessie'sGirl (Aug 30, 2010)

Your dog will love sardines, but a can a day seems way to much. I give one can a week. Get the ones packed in water.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

I feed my boy PPP SSS, I do give fresh fruits or veggies as special treats, but otherwise I do not add any extra type of food. I've never tried sardines, several members have said they give them to their dogs though.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

If you feed a complete and balanced kibble, such as Pro Plan SSS, there's absolutely no reason to add anything.
However, if you choose to add a can (per week!) of sardines, be sure to get the sodium free ones, packed in water.


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## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

I feed Gypsy "people food" but it's normally like fruits, veggies, etc. Maybe a lick of a plate. I don't really consider it "supplemental" though.


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## Gleepers (Apr 20, 2016)

Here is a blog post from the Canine nutritionist that I follow. Might find it interesting
https://www.thepossiblecanine.com/enhancing-a-kibble-diet


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

The person who writes the blog is NOT a canine nutritionist and is NOT a member of the American College of Veterinary Nutritionists. 
I just wanted to point that out for anyone reading the article. 
I have no doubt she is knowledgeable, but she is not a board certified nutritionist.
BTW, it's probably why she refers to herself as a Canine Nutrition CONSULTANT. She is being honest and not misrepresenting herself, which is great!


QUOTE=Gleepers;7645402]Here is a blog post from the Canine nutritionist that I follow. Might find it interesting
https://www.thepossiblecanine.com/enhancing-a-kibble-diet[/QUOTE]


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## T&T (Feb 28, 2008)

Absolutely. They need & crave for real food = live nutrients versus processed dead food with added synthetic vitamins.


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

Feeding real food can be a really great thing and many people do it. They have even started a "boxed" doggie dinner delivered for you to prepare. Way out of my budget! However to get the balance your dogs needs takes more time and dedication than I'm willing to put into it. It also means learning which foods are bad for your dog as there are a host of foods that people can eat that dogs find toxic. 

Let's face it, people in general eat lots of junk... pizza, burgers, fries and shakes. Maybe not all the time but you will certainly need to study what your dog needs to have a balanced diet. Not too sure how many people actually prepare balanced meals for themselves every night. 

If you feed a good kibble (not grain free) then there is no reason to supplement.


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

Chandra Carter said:


> I was feeding my 6-yr old Golden "Authority Grain Free (chicken & rice)". But, after all the controversy surrounding Grain-Free diets I decided to start really thinking about my dog's diet & I want to be more informed about what is good for him. I'm currently transitioning him to "Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach (salmon & rice)" since it seems to be a popular choice for people on this forum. I've heard people recommend adding other foods to their dog's diet in addition to feeding them kibble. I'm just wondering if I should do that? What is good to add to a dog's diet? Do you reduce the amount of kibble to account for this?
> A few sources have said that the best thing you can do for your dog is add a can of sardines to every meal. I just can't imagine doing that because #1 - yuck!, #2 - not sure my picky dog would eat that, #3 - afraid it would give him bad gas!
> Any advice would be appreciated!



I'm not judging or anything like that but the question I have is why still feed a food you are concerned about that is potentially inadequate nutritionally? If you're that concerned, knwo that there is talk in this study about just having the peas/legumes in the diet may impede the absorption of taurine in the food. I mean feeding a good quality kibble will have what the dog needs and over supplementing can be toxic like vitamin A. Too much is toxic but with raw carrots a dogs body creates vitamin A from the beta carotene and expels the rest so not to have excess of vitamin A. 



If you want to supplement, I recommend the raw diets like Bravo or any that have none or some veggies in them. Maybe I'm thinking of Nature's Logic. Anyway, this way you can add small amounts of the raw and add in your own raw veggies to keep the legumes/peas and some say potatoes now, out of the raw food. Nothing is better then raw food for a dog. The raw meat has enzymes that will attack plaque and tarter on the teeth and will also balance the gut with healthy bacteria (like probiotics do)


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## Rlmitchell72 (Apr 2, 2017)

When we first got Harvey, I sat down with my vet for about an hour and talked about many things, but what to feed was the height of the conversation. I had read so much hype about grain free and wanted to know if that was the right thing for Harvey. Her response, "be reasonable and NEVER fall for the latest fads, as they usually turn out to have problems down the road." 

Harvey is now on a combination of Merrick grain-free AND Science Diet (with grain!) as his primary foods. He eats one meal a day of human food, typically salmon, chicken, lamb, beef, etc., with veggies or fruits, and his favorites, sweet potatoes or squash! For treats, he has homemade treats (things containing peanut butter, yogurt, pumpkin), dried fish skins, mackerel.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

T&T said:


> *Absolutely. They need & crave for real food* = live nutrients versus processed dead food with added synthetic vitamins.





Kibble is real food, whether you want to believe it or not. Dogs are not humans, and have different needs that humans do. And my hunch is that there is no actual scientific evidence to back up the claim that they "crave" so-called real food (human food). My dog has never indicated she wants or needs or craves my food. I can leave a plate on the couch beside her and get up to get a glass of water and she won't touch it. Sorry, I just feel like this is another instance of anthropomorphizing dogs. People who wnt low-carb during that craze decided their dogs had to go grain-free, too, and look where that's got them.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Well.... I do think it can't hurt giving your dog "real food" in the place of a meal once or twice a week. 

My guys normally get fish once a week. Cooked cod, generally. 

Raw hamburger patties or cooked chicken patties - if given frozen, makes for a treat for happy dogs.

Frozen fish likewise is a good treat from time to time (all except salmon which needs to be cooked).

My older boy has cancer... and I've been giving him canned sardines every other day. This is in addition to supplements designed to aid digestion + health. The fish is for health reasons, but also he loves it, and I figure whatever length of time he has left - I want him to be enjoying life and being spoiled.

The other dogs, including my 9 week old pup also get sardines once a week without the extra stuff. So far it hasn't upset their guts or poops.


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## T&T (Feb 28, 2008)

Sweet Girl said:


> Kibble is real food, whether you want to believe it or not. Dogs are not humans, and have different needs that humans do. And my hunch is that there is no actual scientific evidence to back up the claim that they "crave" so-called real food (human food). My dog has never indicated she wants or needs or craves my food. I can leave a plate on the couch beside her and get up to get a glass of water and she won't touch it. Sorry, I just feel like this is another instance of anthropomorphizing dogs. People who wnt low-carb during that craze decided their dogs had to go grain-free, too, and look where that's got them.


I don't see how lifeless food with synthetic fortification can be good for any species especially if fed the whole entire life. This study looked at 552 dogs over a 5-year period, dogs fed table scraps/fresh foods vs kibble lived nearly 3 years longer http://www.ukrmb.co.uk/images/LippertSapySummary.pdf


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## T&T (Feb 28, 2008)

In this other interesting study conducted at Purdue University on Scottish Terriers, " the results showed that adding fresh vegetables to dry commercial kibble actually prevented and/or slowed down the development of transitional cell carcinoma (aka bladder cancer) 

In the study, dogs ate a diet of dry commercial pet food, while some got an assortment of vegetables added to the mix at least 3 times per week.

When the study was concluded, according to the researchers, they weren’t really shocked by the results.
Here’s what they found:

Dogs that ate any green leafy vegetables, like broccoli, had reduced the risk of developing bladder cancer by 90% and the dogs that consumed any yellow – orange vegetables like carrots reduced the risk by 70%


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

T&T said:


> I don't see how lifeless food with synthetic fortification can be good for any species especially if fed the whole entire life. This study looked at 552 dogs over a 5-year period, dogs fed table scraps/fresh foods vs kibble lived nearly 3 years longer http://www.ukrmb.co.uk/images/LippertSapySummary.pdf



I'd be interested to actually read the whole thing, not just this summary. Do you have the link to the actual peer reviewed study that was published in a journal?


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## murphy1 (Jun 21, 2012)

regarding the sardines.....do you give the whole can at once or break it up over a few days? The can is one my counter and I haven't opened it yet....think I'm going to be grossed out


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

murphy1 said:


> regarding the sardines.....do you give the whole can at once or break it up over a few days? The can is one my counter and I haven't opened it yet....think I'm going to be grossed out


I give the whole can to my dog with cancer.

There's usually between 2 and 4 fillets in there. 

The other dogs get a fillet each - or split fillets (I've been careful not to overdo it with the pup).

It smells pretty "strong" - but easy way to get the dogs to eat fish.


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## pawsnpaca (Nov 11, 2014)

I agree with T&T... It doesn't make sense to me that any living creature will thrive eating nothing but processed food its whole life (_survive_ maybe, but not_ thrive_). Commercially-made kibbles have only been around for about the last 100 years or so... for the 1000s of years before that dogs ate mostly whatever they were thrown from our tables or what they could catch/kill on their own. Although I know many healthy, long-lived dogs who are fed a kibble diet, it makes sense to me that the addition of small amounts of carefully-selected "real" "live" foods should be beneficial to our dogs.

The advantage of starting with an AAFCO-certified, "all life stages" kibble, is you already know it (theoretically) has the basic foundational nutrients your dog needs. However, based on information from several "holistic" dog resources I trust (including my holistic vet), one of the best ways to improve the quality of whatever diet you feed is to add fresh foods. If you feed at least three-quarters commercial food, you shouldn't need to worry too much about balancing the foods you add, though variety is always better than always feeding the same thing (which is also an argument for rotating your kibbles - each brand/variety of kibble may have some deficits but by feeding a variety you'll likely fill the gaps over time). 

It is better to add foods from animal sources (eggs, meat, dairy, etc.) rather than plant foods (grains, legumes and vegetables), since most commercial diets (and _all_ kibbles) are already high in carbohydrates, and many experts believe that carbohydrates feed cancer, cause inflammation, and aggravate arthritis. 

Here are some of the things I've seen recommended to add to a kibble diet:

1. Eggs (raw is fine, or lightly cooked)
2. Muscle meats (in fairly small quantities, otherwise you need to consider also adding calcium)
3. Organ meats (liver is great, but rich so tread lightly, also things like hearts, gizzards, etc.)
4. Canned fish with bones (sardines, jack mackerel, and pink salmon are all easy to find in the grocery store)
5. Yogurt (plain, unsweetened)
6. Cottage or ricotta cheese
7. Cooked or pureed vegetables - especially carrots, celery, all kinds of greens (kale, collard greens, mustard greens, bok choy, dandelion greens, cabbage, spinach, chard, parsley, cilantro, etc.), broccoli, Brussels sprouts, zucchini, asparagus, turnips, and parsnips
8. Canned pumpkin (in relatively small quantities - like a teaspoon to a tablespoon for a Golden. Great for tightening up soft stools.)

If you are concerned about taurine deficiencies, "real" food can be a good source. Good natural sources of taurine include fish, shellfish, beef, dark chicken meat, eggs, most dairy products, seaweed, krill and brewer's yeast. However, note that taurine is heat-sensitive so cooked meats lose a lot of the taurine benefit.


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## murphy1 (Jun 21, 2012)

I read somewhere raw eggs with deplete biotin. I feed scrambled or friend!


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## Claudia M (Aug 8, 2012)

murphy1 said:


> I read somewhere raw eggs with deplete biotin. I feed scrambled or friend!


scrambled or boiled. If your dog is deficient or insufficient in calcium you can dry the egg shells overnight and then powder them in the coffee bean machine (clean the coffee residue first) and you can give the egg shells as a powder over the food.


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## pawsnpaca (Nov 11, 2014)

murphy1 said:


> I read somewhere raw eggs with deplete biotin. I feed scrambled or friend!


Actually, it's only raw egg WHITES that can deplete biotin. However, there's tons of biotin in the yolks, so as long as you feed the whole egg it should be fine.


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