One of the most persistent myths in the dog nutrition world is the idea that you should never mix raw food with kibble. This belief can be frustrating because it creates an unnecessary all-or-nothing mentality, making pet owners feel like they have to choose between feeding exclusively raw or sticking to kibble.

In reality, there are plenty of valid reasons why someone might choose a hybrid diet—feeding both raw and kibble together. Whether it’s due to multiple dogs, large or high-energy breeds, budget constraints, or ingredient availability, a fully raw diet isn’t always practical for every pet owner.

So why do people claim that mixing raw and kibble is dangerous? There are two common myths behind this idea. Let’s take a closer look and uncover the truth.

Claim: Raw-fed dogs have a more acidic stomach pH, which helps them digest raw meat and bones safely, while kibble-fed dogs have a higher stomach pH, making them unable to properly process raw food.

Truth: The stomach’s pH is constantly changing during digestion, regardless of diet.

To understand why this claim doesn’t hold up, let’s break down how digestion works.

How Digestion Affects Stomach pH

1. Chewing (Mechanical Digestion): Digestion begins in the mouth as food is broken down.
2. Stomach Entry: The food moves down the esophagus into the stomach.
3. Gastric Juices: The stomach stretches, triggering the release of gastric juices like hydrochloric acid (HCl), which lowers the pH.
4. Chyme Formation: The food mixes with gastric juices, creating a semi-liquid substance called chyme.
5. Small Intestine Processing: The chyme moves to the small intestine, where the pancreas releases bicarbonate to neutralize acidity, allowing for proper enzyme function.

So what does this mean in terms of stomach pH?

• The resting stomach pH of a dog is typically around 4 or 5.

• Once food enters, gastric juices lower the pH to around 2, creating an acidic environment for digestion.

• This process happens regardless of whether a dog eats raw food or kibble.

📌 There are no scientific studies comparing the stomach pH of raw-fed vs. kibble-fed dogs. However, there are multiple studies examining stomach acidity in kibble-fed dogs, all of which confirm that pH levels naturally fluctuate throughout digestion.

⚠️ A stomach pH lower than 2 would actually be dangerous, increasing the risk of ulcers. If raw-fed dogs truly had a much lower stomach pH than kibble-fed dogs, they would be at higher risk for stomach damage—not safer.

Bottom Line: Stomach pH is not static—it changes as part of normal digestion. The idea that kibble-fed dogs have an inherently high stomach pH that prevents raw digestion is not supported by science.

Claim: Raw food digests much faster than kibble, leading to a “traffic jam” in the stomach that prevents raw meat and bones from being properly digested, increasing the risk of blockages or bacterial overgrowth.

Truth: Different foods digest at different rates, but that doesn’t mean they interfere with each other.

Have you ever heard someone say you shouldn’t eat sushi because cooked rice and raw fish digest at different rates? Probably not. That’s because digestion doesn’t work that way—different components of food break down at different speeds, and the body processes them accordingly.

The same applies to dogs.

What Science Says About Digestion Rates

• There are few studies on stomach emptying times in raw-fed dogs, but extensive research has been done on kibble-fed dogs.

• Researchers have found that multiple factors affect stomach emptying, including:
  ✔️ Size of food particles
  ✔️ Meal size
  ✔️ Fat and fiber content
  ✔️ Moisture levels
  ✔️ Dog size and metabolism

📌 A higher moisture content (as seen in raw food) may speed up digestion slightly, but this does not mean that kibble and raw together will cause a digestive backup.

In fact, there was one informal experiment where X-rays and barium contrast were used to track digestion in the same dog eating both raw and kibble. The results showed that raw actually took longer to digest than kibble—which is the opposite of what many people assume.

NOTE: This experiment was done by Plear Littlefield and was published on The Raw Feeding Community but the website has since disappeared.

Bottom Line: While raw and kibble may digest at slightly different speeds, there is no evidence that this causes a problem. The body is designed to handle a variety of food textures and nutrient compositions simultaneously.

The myths surrounding raw and kibble feeding have no scientific backing and are often based on misunderstandings of digestion. If you want to incorporate raw into your dog’s diet but can’t commit fully, rest assured that mixing the two is completely safe when done correctly.

At the end of the day, the best diet is the one that keeps your dog healthy, happy, and thriving—whether that’s raw, kibble, or a combination of both.

📌 Have questions about transitioning your dog to a raw or mixed diet? I’d be happy to help! Feel free to reach out for guidance on formulating a balanced and safe diet for your pup.

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