Would this help prevent bloat?
 

I have heard and read that if you mix canned and dry food that will help your dog digest his food and help to prevent bloat. I feed Eko about 2 1/2 - 3 cups of pedigree complete nutrition dry kibble with 1/3 of a cup of pedigree canned food 2x a day with just a little bit of warm water in it and his coat is very soft and shiny, he is 91 lbs and the vet says he is in great shape. He does burp sometimes after a meal but it is almost always just once and a small one. He does have gas from the other end on occasion (gross!) and I do worry a bit about that but he is extremely picky, this is the only combo of food I have been able to get him to eat and not have soft poops on so far. He eats with his bowl on the floor and I don't let him play much for a while after his meal. I give him water with his food but he usually doesnt drink it when he eats and for a while after that. Is there anything else I should be doing? Something I am doing wrong? Does canned food really help?

There are a lot of claims about what helps or causes bloat. But as far as feeding, the only thing I'm currently familiar of that hasn't been claimed to both prevent and cause bloat is from a Purdue study. That adding water to food with citric acid increases chances of bloat.

Re: Would this help prevent bloat?
 

Oh it does? I thought it would help since the food expands on his stomach that if I added water and it expanded a bit before he ate it that it would help. But I will look that up that was just my thinking but I am probably wrong.

Its adding water to food with citric acid that specifically increases the chances of bloat.

Adding water to food period has been said to both increase and decrease the chance of bloat. Raising the food dish has been said to both increase and decrease the chance of bloat... Things like that we really don't know for sure since studies have come out on both sides of the spectrum.

Re: Would this help prevent bloat?
 

I looked up the study and the ingredients in pedigree's complete nutrition formula and it does have citric acid. It also has fat in the first 4 ingredients. His canned food looks ok. So I think I will stop putting water in it. I hate to go back to searching for a dog food that agrees with him and he will eat but I may have to rethink his dry food. I already spend about 40 dollars a month in food I cannot spend much more than that but I will try and find something similar in price that is a better quality.

If your dog is a fast eater, I've had success with a Brake-fast bowl. It significantly slowed down Rudy's eating.
I have the medical grade plastic one.

Re: Would this help prevent bloat?
 

He will eat fast if he has skipped a meal, sometimes he just turns his nose up at his food and will not eat no matter what I do so he is very hungry the next time he is fed. Usually he eats fairly slowly. I thought maybe I was feeding him too much so I have cut back a bit and even though I feed him the same amount whether he has eaten his last meal or not sometimes he just won't. It's gotten better, he's only refused food maybe two or three times in the last few months. So that is another reason I am afraid to try and switch foods again he will starve himself if he doesn't like it.

The only sure fire way to prevent bloat is to have his stomach tacked in place by a surgical vet. Its a preventative surgery. Its keeps the stomach from twisting if it's sewn in place.

Lin, did you know that they have a new study. 2008 I guess that isn't very new.

http://www.crittersitextra.com/petti...loat_Study.pdf

I have always kept my dogs inactive for at least one hour after eating. LOL, with Tony that is really hard because he just loves to play after eating. I make him lay on the floor on his back and then we play that game of, rub my tummy and play with a towel on his back. Goof ball he is...