[golfbum]

Who here wets there dogs food? Why do you do it and what are the benefits?

I am wondering as I have been wetting my dogs food as of late and they seem to like the food more and they dont visit the water bowl near as much. I also noticed our female's stool has improved? She has fought loose stool for the past year and once we started wetting it, it has been almost perfect? We have been mixing in just a spoonful of wellness 95 percent canned meat.
I was scared she would not eat if it was not wet or have something added so last night I fed her just her food dry (TOTW) and she ate great, however I noticed this morning she had a loose stool last night and another this morning? Maybe its just coincidence, but do any of you think it could be from the dry food? I dont know of one loose stool since wetting and adding in a little canned meat. Crazy i know!

 

[Good_Karma]

I may be mistaken, but I am under the impression that wetting the dry kibble may help reduce the chance of bloat, which is why I do it for my dogs. I just use a sprinkle of water, rather than canned food. But it sounds like it is working well for you, so that's wonderful!

 

[robinhuerta]

We wet all our kibble food...always have....we also allow it to sit for a few minutes before feeding.

 

[Myamom]

It has been said that adding water to the kibbles that expand (and all don't) helps prevent bloat...because it's better to expand in the bowl than in their stomach.


I add water to my foster Cheyenne's kibble because her teeth are horrible and she can't chew dry kibble.
(just want to add...we feed TOTW and I haven't really noticed any real notable expansion with adding the water)

 

[Lucy Dog]

Wouldn't adding water to kibble eliminate the "toothbrush effect" of dry kibble?

I'd think that keeping kibble the way it is would be better for cleaning tarter than making it soft and mushy. This was the reason I never added water to Lucy's dry kibble.

 

[sable123]

Wouldn't adding water to kibble eliminate the "toothbrush effect" of dry kibble?

I'd think that keeping kibble the way it is would be better for cleaning tarter than making it soft and mushy. This was the reason I never added water to Lucy's dry kibble.

I don't add water. Wetting kibble encourages the dog to eat fast and actually increases bloat risk.

It also spoils them and makes them picky.

Puppies I do for a few weeks.

 

[Good_Karma]

I fear bloat way more than I fear tartar. I add the water to kibble and brush my dog's teeth.

 

[Lucy Dog]

No scientific evidence behind this (i'm going to google it after I post this), but I actually heard that adding water increases the possibility of bloat.

Sable, since you just posted what you posted, can you find something to back that statement up? I'll check around as well.

 

[Myamom]

Well...don't know about that. Ava gets her's dry...and she couldn't possibly inhale any faster...lol. Gotta address that issue with a special bowl...on my list of things to do!

Anyway...so many theories out there....one says that dogs aren't really big chewers of their food per sae anyway...so the kibble toothbrush affect is kinda a moot point...and that the real benefits are going to come with brushing and what they are given to gnaw on....and that kibble actually removes enamel from small dog's teeth.

Who knows.....

 

[sable123]

Well...don't know about that. Ava gets her's dry...and she couldn't possibly inhale any faster...lol. Gotta address that issue with a special bowl...on my list of things to do!

Anyway...so many theories out there....one says that dogs aren't really big chewers of their food per sae anyway...so the kibble toothbrush affect is kinda a moot point...and that the real benefits are going to come with brushing and what they are given to gnaw on....and that kibble actually removes enamel from small dog's teeth.

Who knows.....

Use a muffin pan to slow the dog down. I always use it for puppies whether they eat fast or not.

 

[robinhuerta]

I believe that the ingredient "citric acid" is the component that when adding water, can cause the problem with bloat. (I could be wrong, but I' pretty sure of it).
We give raw knuckle & femur bones for the dogs to chew on...so they can remove tarter buildup (if any).
I've only had 1 dog "bloat" (knock on wood) and she ate her last meal (without water added)....what were the odds on that?

 

[Myamom]

YES...You are right!! Found this if it helps............
from dogfoodaware
Soaking Kibble: It is best to soak any kibble in warm water or broth (watch out for too much sodium), to help with digestion. Soaking dry food in heated water for 10-15 minutes starts breaking down the binders in the kibble, releasing some of its tasty fat and flavoring and cutting down the time it takes the stomach to break it down for its trip through the small intestine. Note that once dry food has been soaked in water, it cannot be left out or it will go bad, so this can only be done with food the dog eats right away. Also, the Purdue Bloat Study showed a link between soaking kibble that contains citric acid and bloat, something to be aware of if your dog is deep chested or from a breed prone to bloat. Contrary to popular belief, hard kibble does NOT help clean teeth.

 

[Lucy Dog]

I believe that the ingredient "citric acid" is the component that when adding water, can cause the problem with bloat. (I could be wrong, but I' pretty sure of it).
We give raw knuckle & femur bones for the dogs to chew on...so they can remove tarter buildup (if any).
I've only had 1 dog "bloat" (knock on wood) and she ate her last meal (without water added)....what were the odds on that?

You're right about the citric acid.

"The risk of GDV was increased 4.2-fold (or 320%) in dogs that consumed dry foods containing citric acid that were also moistened prior to feeding by owners. Dry foods containing a rendered meat meal with bone among the first four ingredients significantly GDV risk by 53.0%."

Bloat (GDV) Study

 

[Jax08]

I don't add water. Wetting kibble encourages the dog to eat fast and actually increases bloat risk.

While I understand the theory of dogs eating quickly can cause bloat, I don't see how wetting their kibble will make them eat any faster, other than they don't have to chew as much.

Is there any proof that it causes dogs to eat faster? Having gone from kibble to ground RAW for my senior, I see no evidence of that. Nor did she eat faster when we soaked her kibble.

Dry kibble, which expands in the stomach, increases the chance of bloat. So, six of one, half a dozen of another. Dry kibble can cause bloat but wetting the food will make the dogs eat faster will make them bloat. Take your pick....

Bloat in Dogs
(Brenda Rushman, Web Author, in cooperation with Dr. Steve Van Wie, D.V.M.)

It's also generally accepted that dogs that tend to drink water in large amounts after meals are more susceptible to bloat, particularly if they also eat large amounts of dry kibble. The large amounts of water will, in turn, cause the large amounts of kibble to swell.

Try not to feed a kibble which expands greatly when wet. Do the kibble test overnight. Put a cup of kibble in a bowl. Add water and let soak over night. What you see in the morning is the amount of swelling this food will do in your dog's stomach. If it's excessive, change to another kibble which doesn't swell as much.

Myamom - a chiffon cake pan will work that same as the bloat bowls because Ava will have to chase it around the pan. And they are probably less expensive!

 

[MaggieRoseLee]

I add water to my dog's food at every meal. Help slow them down! Specially Bretta, she'll otherwise eat so fast she'll gag...

 

[Myamom]

all of this makes your head spin...LOL

Thanks Jax!!

 

[Myamom]

Ava says thank you Maggie...she loves your theory!! (because of course...she prefer's moistened)

(will be checking for citric acid!)

 

[Lucy Dog]

I do feed orijen, but I don't moisten my food, so this isn't really an issue for me, but I know a lot of people here feed Orijen and possibly moisten their food.

Looking at the orijen website, I found this:

ETHOXYQUIN: Does ORIJEN contain ethoxyquin? A: No. ORIJEN fish meats arrive FRESH; which means they are never frozen and have no preservatives what-so-ever. We work directly with our fish meal suppliers and pay them a premium to have ORIJEN fish meals preserved naturally with Vitamin E, Citric acid and Rosemary extract instead of the commonly used ethoxyquin preservative.


Orijen Pet Foods: FAQs


Does this mean that Orijen should never be moistened if bloat is a concern?

 

[ZAYDA]

I was just given a link about our dogs,kibble,and water and although I don't have access to my computer I can't bring it up at this time but it said you should always water your kibble. It was related to dogs don't know when or how much water to consume and eating kibble without water was not good for our dogs.

Water your kibble or if your dogs drink on command then just tell him to drink after he eats. =)

 

[robinhuerta]

I would be interested in finding out if EVO Red Meat has any chance of containing "citric acid"? I've read their ingredients when we first decided to feed it, and I did not see it listed. HOWEVER:...it does say "natural flavors"...does anyone know what may be the underlying ingredients in that??
Citric acid is used for a preservative...not as a "natural flavor"....but I'd still like to know "what are natural flavors"???