Combining dry food and Top Dog Bistro food: debunking myths

We have an idea! Try adding some of the Top Dog Bistro natural meat food to your dry food and watch your pet - perhaps the improvement in his well-being will convince you to switch to Top Dog Bistro completely!

A dog's digestive system cannot digest both dry food and meat - MYTH!

Why do dog owners avoid combining dry food and natural meat food? Many breeders rely on the myth that raw meat and dry food are digested differently. During our almost two-decade journey through the world of dog sledding, we have seen many athletes from all over the world who have been feeding their champions a combination of meat and dry food for many years and have raised completely healthy dogs several times.

How does the digestion of natural meat and dry food actually take place? Yes, these are different feeds - natural meat is high in fat, protein and moisture, low in carbohydrates, and dry food is low in moisture, but there is a wide variety of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Many believe that because of these differences, natural meat feed and dry food are digested at different speeds, or rather - supposedly dry food increases the pH of the stomach, making it difficult to digest raw meat. However, this is not the case. Your pet's digestive tract does not distinguish between raw meat that has been chewed and entered the stomach and dry food - it "recognizes" only water, proteins, fatty acids and carbohydrates, and releases acids, hormones or alkaline substances depending on the amount of each. Digestive enzymes break down all this and the dog's body receives the necessary nutrients, regardless of the origin of the feed they were obtained from.

Yes, sudden changes in diet can disrupt digestion, but not adding natural meat to dry food - a healthy dog's digestive system will definitely adapt to this. Thousands of years of evolution have created a dog's digestive system that is ready to digest and absorb different products.

However, if you are afraid that feeding dry food and raw meat at the same time may become a challenge for your dog's digestion, some experts recommend dividing it into two feedings - for example, feeding dry food in the morning, natural meat food in the evening. This is recommended when starting to combine, especially for dogs with more sensitive digestion.

Even a small amount of natural meat food provides great nutritional benefits

Many owners think that feeding natural meat food is extremely expensive. Yes, feeding a medium or large dog is a little more expensive than super premium dry food, but the difference is very small, and when combining dry food with “Top Dog Bistro” natural meat food, the difference disappears completely.

Yes, adding your own BARF food requires time, knowledge and conditions, but adding ready-made “Top Dog Bistro” food is quite simple! You will only need a little space in the freezer - much less than if you completely switched to natural meat food. A great solution to try before completely switching to “Top Dog Bistro”!

Important things to remember:
Calculate responsibly how much natural meat food to add. Experts recommend adding no more than 20% of unbalanced raw meat, but Top Dog Bistro is completely balanced, so you can safely add more. Do not forget that unlike dry food, natural meat food has a high moisture content, so when adding Top Dog Bistro to dry food, increase its amount. For example, if you give your pet 250 grams of dry food per day and want to start by replacing 20% ​​of it with Top Dog Bistro, your pet's bowl should look like this: 200 grams of dry food and 100 grams of Top Dog Bistro. Your four-legged friend will definitely thank you for such a change!

Choose the optimal ingredients with the greatest nutritional benefits. It’s no secret that certain natural products outperform others – yes, there’s even a term called “superfood” in the world of dog nutrition! Ingredients rich in lean protein, vitamins and minerals – an excellent source of amino acids. These include beef liver (included in our “Salmon and Beef”, “Beef and Rabbit”, “Beef and Duck”, “More Smell”, “Only Beef”, “More Beef” recipes), beef muscle (Beef and Rabbit, “Beef and Duck”, “More Beef” recipes). Especially important are ingredients rich in fatty acids such as Omega 3. Here, no. 1 is salmon (Salmon and Beef recipe). Let’s not forget about antioxidants, which fight free radicals in the body and help protect against disease. Here’s the answer to why we included vegetables, berries and greens – antioxidants are not found in animal products! They are abundant in blueberries, carrots, pumpkin, spinach, broccoli - you will find all of this in every Top Dog Bistro recipe. Create a weekly plan based on which you will combine dry food and Top Dog Bistro. This will not only save you time - you will be able to plan how much natural meat food you need per week, how much of each Top Dog Bistro recipe to buy, and how much space you need in the freezer. What could your pet's weekly plan look like? Let's try combining three Top Dog Bistro recipes:

Monday: dry food + Salmon and Beef (sources of amino and Omega 3 fatty acids);
Tuesday: dry food + More Chicken (amino acids obtained from chicken hearts);
Wednesday: dry food + Salmon and Beef (yes, amino and Omega 3 fatty acids are especially important);
Thursday: dry food + More Smell (enzymes contained in the unwashed ox stomach are especially important for your dog's body);
Friday: dry food + Only Beef (a day with 100% beef);
Saturday: dry food + Salmon and Beef (this recipe is rich not only in salmon, but also in beef lungs, hearts, kidneys and liver);
Sunday: dry food + More Smell (let's end the week with useful enzymes).

Your pet will receive beneficial antioxidants every day - berries, vegetables and greens are included in every recipe!
Finally - five reasons why your pet will thank you if you add a portion of Top Dog Bistro natural meat food to dry food:
- More moisture in the food, thus ensuring excellent hydration;
- Fresh proteins and high-quality amino acids;
- Full-value fatty acids, especially Omega 3;
- Natural probiotics, also known as good bacteria. The bacteria in meat food will help digest dry food, especially the large amount of indigestible starch it contains;
- Antioxidants that overcome all the ills of the body.

P.S. And the sixth reason - your pet will much prefer to eat dry food seasoned with a portion of Top Dog Bistro food!