# Must a chi have kibble in their diet?



## charchi (Apr 17, 2012)

Hi, does a chi have to have kibble in their diet for their teeth especially ? i use to alway,s give kibble to my big dogs and they never had teeth problems. I have noticed that some of you say you are not keen on giving kibble, so i was just wondering why this is?So if you dont give them kibble say in the morning what else could be given, wet food? thanks.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Brody doesn't eat kibble. He eats raw foods. 80% meat, 10% bone, 5% liver, 5% kidney. He is 5 1/2 years old and has never had a teeth cleaning... his teeth have no tartar and are pearly white. He is also muscular, fit, very low shedding, shiny coat, small poops, and no doggy odor.  Just some of the benefits of a raw diet.

Oh, and its a myth that kibble cleans teeth. It's high carb which sticks to teeth, and certainly doesn't clean them. Think about taking a mouthful of crackers and chewing them up in order to brush your teeth. :coolwink: Obviously that doesn't work. Fresh raw meats work excellent to keep teeth clean.


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

I have never fed kibble to any of my dogs, the two puppies have never eaten a single kibble in their lives! 
Kibble is a modern invention, designed to make feeding a dog easy and convenient. It is definitely not essential, it isn't even the best way to feed a dog, it is just the most convenient; scoop and serve, and trust that the company that produces the kibble is making a product that is going to keep your dog alive.
There a so many options these days. Raw diets, (home prepared or complete and frozen), home cooked, cans, pouches, freeze dried, air dried, dehydrated.

Kibble being good for a dogs teeth is a myth perpetuated by the dog food manufacturers. What actually keeps dogs teeth healthy is feeding a diet that is high in meat content and low in carbohydrates (kibble is typically higher in carbs than any other type of dog food) regular brushing and healthy chews such as raw meaty bones and bully sticks.
So don't be put off feeding a quality soft food, a quality diet is a quality diet whatever form it takes. Look for a high meat content from named sources, grain free, low carb, no artificial additives and you will be feeding a good diet. 
Wet foods are closer to a dogs natural diet because of the higher water content and lack of processing and preservatives. Kibble is the canine equivalent of fast food or a ready meal. This doesn't mean that all canned foods for example are good choices, there are some truly dreadful ones out there, but a quality canned food is less processed than a quality kibble.


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## doginthedesert (Oct 10, 2011)

We agree with Brodysmom! We also feed raw meat, bones and organ to all of our dogs. My 6 year old boy has been raw fed for 5 years, never had a teeth cleaning and no tatar on his teeth at all. My 2 year old chihuahua has been raw fed since puppyhood and has never had a piece of kibble, since she was 12 weeks and her teeth are the same. My older rescue chi came with not amazing teeth but they are getting better all the time with a diet full of raw meat covered bones like chicken wings, feet, goat necks and a bunch of other stuff. Another advantage is that with a moist diet like this my dogs are more hydrated, unlike many kibble fed dogs that live in a state of chronic dehydration if they don't have a high drive to drink water (many dogs don't). As was said above there are a lot of other benefits of raw food, but teeth and water intake are two of the big ones! Kibble does nothing to clean teeth, that is just a total myth.

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## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

Brody's Mom and Stella are exactly right with everything they're saying. Kibble is so highly processed that all and any possible nutrients that was there are no longer. And there's a lot of preservatives and things you don't want to know about added for flavoring, plus sugar so the dogs act like they like it. Yuk!! Disgusting. Dogs know what's best for them. You can set a bowl of sugar kibble down and put some raw next to it--see which one a dog will choose first. Good question.


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## charchi (Apr 17, 2012)

Wow, all these years i thought kibble was better than wet food, only because my vet told me years ago that wet food, contains a lot of water and thats what you are paying for, i was told it was no good.I often wondered about kibble because they woulden,t get kibble in the wild would they?lol.I,m really glad i asked this it,s blown me away, also i have been looking at some wet foods on line but you get better brand food for dogs in the U.S, i dont want to go raw but could anyone suggest a good wet food that i can get here in Australia, a few i have found here in Australia are, Holistic select,Canidae, Wellness, iwipeak Earthborn, i think. Only problem with buying these foods here is are they treated before they leave the USA? or is this only the kibble? Thanks everyone sorry it,s long.


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## doginthedesert (Oct 10, 2011)

Ziwipeak is a great food- I use it as a backup, and it is made closer to you than the made in the USA stuff for sure! When I feed I use the dried ZP and I put a little water in it. I would buy the canned if I could get a hold of it, the only place that sells it is very far across town. It is expensive though. My neighbor actually feeds earthborn to their mastiff, wet in the morning and kibble in the evening. I don't know a whole lot about that brand but my neighbors dog was having a lot of trouble and is now doing well on it. You would need to look up the ingredients and I don't know if they are a good company or not.

There are a few aussies on here too, maybe they might know what other brands of freeze dried are available to you. Would you consider frozen pre-made raw food, or freeze dried that you re-hydrate to the consistency of canned food? There are a lot of options for that, and it can be easier because you don't ever have half open cans sitting around.


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## charchi (Apr 17, 2012)

Hi Annie, yes i would consider the pre made raw food, if i wanted to give them something in the morning could i give wet food am and pm? i used to give Charchi chicken tips raw, but he alway,s used to throw them back up, same with chicken necks, so i stopped giving them to him.They both love cooked chicken but if i dont give a good kibble they wont get everything they need from just cooked chicken.


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## doginthedesert (Oct 10, 2011)

I don't know if they have it in your neck of the woods- but what about something like The Honest Kitchen Preference. It is a dehydrated mix you mix with water and add a certain amount (it tells you on the package) of whatever cooked meat you want. You could feed them that along with cooked chicken, beef, egg, whatever you wanted.

The chicken you were buying, are you sure it was not enhamned with a salt solution or anything like that? It is unusual for a dog to throw up wings regularly. A lot of supermarket chicken os enhanced, you have to really watch out.

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## charchi (Apr 17, 2012)

I dont know about the chicken,i hope it was ok, i will have a good look at what is available here, i wish we had as much choice here as you do over there, thankyou for your help everyone, I,m still getting my head around the kibble thing, well you learn something new all the time. thanks again.


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## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

A premade is a great food because it's considered a complete meal with all the nutrition your pup needs. My chi doesn't get bones on a regular basis so I brush her teeth. There are a lot of great premade, freeze-dried and frozen foods on the market now and more coming out every day as more and more are steering away from kibble and all the fillers that are in it. Every one that has changed their pups to raw have noticed immediate improvements in coat shine, health and energy.


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

Have a look on dogfoodadvisor.com it is an American site that rates all types of dog foods. Look up 5 star wet foods and see if any of them sound familiar to you, I am sure some must be available in Australia. Even if not, it is a great place to start learning about what to look for in a dog food and what to avoid, so you can start reading the labels on the foods that are available to you in an informed way.
I was going to suggest Ziwi Peak too, both the air dried and canned are great products, far superior to kibble IMO.
Kibble is a multi million dollar industry, for 60 years they have put a lot of money and effort into convincing us that kibble is the best way to feed our dogs so we will buy their products. In theory it would be possible to make a human kibble containing every nutrient we need in a crunchy nugget, but we wouldn't choose to eat it would we? We wouldn't see it as a viable replacement for real food, and it is exactly the same for dogs.


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## shamrockmommy (May 11, 2012)

Cookie gets ½ and ½ (dry/canned) but there have been periods of time where I did only canned for her and she did great. She gets a carrot "toothbrush" after she eats and along with brushing with petzlife tooth gel, her teeth are staying clean and white. 
(I've had several very bad experiences with raw, so not going to go that route.)


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## Onyx (Nov 28, 2011)

I also feed 1/2 kibble 1/2 canned. Best of both worlds. Onyx is 6.5 years old with perfect teeth. This is because I take care of her teeth. I use Petzlife gel after her morning and evening meals. Keep in mind genetics plays a big role in the condition of your dog's teeth too.

No raw for us either. I've had nothing but several bad experiences there. So she gets The Honest Kitchen Beams twice a week to chew on. I like them since they're simply dehydrated fish skins, low fat, and fully edible. Plus Onyx goes nuts for them.


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