I feed Timberwolf Organics w/THK, but I never feed kibble and raw in the same meal due to paranoia about the different digestion rates causing intestinal problems. I have read from several sources (though anecdotal) that b/c raw and kibble digest at such different rates, feeding kibble and raw together MAY force kibble to go through the system at a rate faster than it can be properly digested, thus POSSIBLY causing blockages, bloat etc. We don't really seem to know for sure what exactly causes bloat, so I try to err WAAAAY on the side of caution. While we're on this subject, does anyone have any FACTUAL data on kibble/raw together, or is the anecdotal data all that's out there?
I would think that if one were feeding raw chicken and kibble, for example, this would be more likely to apply than a somewhat broken down food like THK. Any thoughts?

Raw meat and kibble shouldn't be fed together because the dog's digestive system is naturally very fast. This gives the dog his well-known resistance to e.Coli, salmonella, etc. The food has a very short trip from the front end to the back, and no lingering contact with the intestines, limiting colonizing and reproducing of any potentially harmful microbes in a healthy dog. (Humans have a MUCH longer digestive process, with loads of opportunity for microbes to settle right in and reproduce.)

That sounds oversimplified, but that's it, in a nutshell.

Kibble takes so long to process that it forces any raw meat fed with it into the same loooong (three-plus times longer than natural) contact with the intestines, thus losing much of the canine resistance to pathogens in raw meat.

THK is not kibble; it's dehydrated (NOT baked and extruded) raw....... no reason for inclusion in the kibble-and-raw problem discussion.

Connie, when you mention "no reason to include it in the kibble and raw discussion", you're saying that kibble and raw shouldn't be fed together, but THK and kibble is ok or that THK and raw is ok? I'm presuming the latter...

I meant that I am hesitant to feed kibble and THK in the same meal b/c THK is raw-not that you shouldn't feed THK and raw. Sorry I mis-worded my post. I should've clarified that by saying "I feed Timberwolf Orgaincs and THK" that I meant I feed both-not that I feed them at the same time, and that "raw" included THK.

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......you're saying that kibble and raw shouldn't be fed together, but THK and kibble is ok or that THK and raw is ok? I'm presuming the latter...

Yes. The latter.

THK and RMBs make a fine combo.

Kibble and raw together -- no.

Connie,Kibble and raw together is a no no .What about while switching over?

So many new raw feeders read this that I wanted to be super-clear about this point.

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Connie,Kibble and raw together is a no no .What about while switching over?

Still no no. It's not less of an issue because it's during a switchover.

Kibble slows down the normally speedy trip raw takes from front of dog to back of dog. It allows possible pathogens to colonize. This is not something a normal healthy dog has as an issue -- it's the slow-digesting kibble that presents the potential problem.

It's not a mystical explanation! <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

It's 100% true that many many people mix hamburger with kibble, sometimes regularly and sometimes as a switching mechanism. It usually works out.

IF the meat happens to be loaded with e.Coli or salmonella, etc., then mixing it with kibble forces it into prolonged (potentially bad) contact with the dog's system.

They are scavengers and eat much worse, I understand.

But I look at it this way: In their funnest scavenging, they are not likely to happen across baked and extruded grains in the same meal with road-kill. I'd rather avoid that unnatural and potentially harmful combo.

ok just to clarify(and I know I'm being redundant)but how do I make the switch?

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ok just to clarify(and I know I'm being redundant)but how do I make the switch?

No, you're not! <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

From kibble to THK-with-RMBs, right? (An excellent switch, IMHO.)

QUOTE from THK:
All of the all natural ingredients in our diets are guaranteed human edible. Raw food is never "cooked" and the meats are dehydrated at a low enough temperature to maintain many of the nutrients, but the process takes place at a high enough temperature to kill any pathogenic bacteria that may be present in raw meats.

Our meats are the exact same ingredients used in dehydrated and frozen human foods. ..... All the other ingredients are dehydrated at very low temperatures (below 104 degrees) and are therefore still considered raw. END

IOW, THK is safe for mixing with raw, and also safe for mixing with kibble for the transition.

A member of our training club did the switch (which was very fast) by rehydrating the THK kind of thin and pouring it over the old food.

I would not add in the RMBs, etc., until the switch was complete and no kibble was included.