# Breeder recommended watering kibble



## WhimsicalRain (Feb 13, 2015)

Henry is 10 weeks old. His breeder suggested soaking his kibble in warm water for a few minutes before serving to allow the kibble to expand. She suggested it might help prevent bloat. She also mixes with wet food. Apparently she does this for her adults as well. 

Henry is currently on Fromm Gold for puppies and the canned food samples the breeder gave us. 

What are your opinions on soaking the kibble? Also, I've never given a dog wet food as a regular part of their meal. Do you?


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

I thought I heard once by watering down kibble...it allows it to expand before it expands in the dog's stomach.....who knows...could be a bunch of baloney but it certainly does expand if you put water in it.


SuperG


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## Galathiel (Nov 30, 2012)

I've always put water in my pup's food since I brought him home. I still do at 22 months old. I add enough water to to make it like stew. Just think of it as rehydrating a dehydrated food . Another reason I do it (and I add a dollop of canned to the mix) is because I add supplements to it and it makes it easier to mix and harder for the dog to avoid it.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

I did this when I fed my dog kibble. This allowed me to get more water into my dog, as well as better mix the yogurt and other supplements I was throwing in.


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## Palydyn (Aug 28, 2014)

Rommel's breeder recommended the same thing. Moisten food before feeding. Also add a tablespoon or so or turkey baby food, cottage cheese or ground hamburger (90-93% fat free). And Galathiel is right, it is much easier to mix in supplements.


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## scarfish (Apr 9, 2013)

we wet the kibble with chicken broth 'cause we have a picky eater and she won't eat dry kibble.


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## Lykoz (Dec 6, 2014)

I used to do this.

Dont think its necessary.. Its a bit of a headache..

Also if they don't eat all their food, you have to throw it away. There is no next day eating.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Here's an interesting thread for you. Look for Robin's posts
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/diet-nutrition/149388-wetting-dry-food.html


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## Lykoz (Dec 6, 2014)

Jax08 said:


> Here's an interesting thread for you. Look for Robin's posts
> http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/diet-nutrition/149388-wetting-dry-food.html


Based on Robyn's posts...

Place mentos in a coke bottle and seal... It explodes...
Eat mentos and then drink a litre of coke.. 
Nothing happens... (Many youtube videos)...
(Different more sinister reactions taking place with mentos and coke anyways.)

The fact is we have saliva.. so do dogs..

Im not against making the food more moist. But I also don't think feeding dry is going to hurt them... 

Its not like they eat the whole bowl in one gulp... And then it suddenly expands... As they eat and it enters the stomache it will naturally 'increase' in size... So each additional mouthful has already expanded.. 

Also you need to consider that the expansion in size is also because of the water... The actual contents of the 'dry food' is not becoming larger.. The food is absorbing the water... and the water is disapearing... So it seems like there is 'more'.

They have water with their food anyways..

Is watering down dry kibble bad? No..
Could it be better if watered? 
Possibly.

For me its not necessary tho.


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## WhimsicalRain (Feb 13, 2015)

*Interesting read*



Jax08 said:


> Here's an interesting thread for you. Look for Robin's posts
> http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/diet-nutrition/149388-wetting-dry-food.html


Very informative. Thank you for sharing.


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## Galathiel (Nov 30, 2012)

I don't think anyone has said feeding dry is bad for them. We just gave reasons why WE (our opinion..equally valid) moistened their food. 

With a puppy, it's a good way to get them to slow down if they eat too fast. and Fact: dogs do eat faster than we do. They may not eat it in one gulp, but taking less than a minute to eat their bowl of food (which mine does), pretty much equates to eating it all at once.


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## Lykoz (Dec 6, 2014)

Galathiel said:


> I don't think anyone has said feeding dry is bad for them. We just gave reasons why WE (our opinion..equally valid) moistened their food.
> 
> With a puppy, it's a good way to get them to slow down if they eat too fast. and Fact: dogs do eat faster than we do. They may not eat it in one gulp, but taking less than a minute to eat their bowl of food (which mine does), pretty much equates to eating it all at once.


Put in my place  good points.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

WhimsicalRain said:


> Very informative. Thank you for sharing.


I found it interesting. Do a bit more research into it.


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## Palydyn (Aug 28, 2014)

Wow. Jax08 thanks for the link - very informative. This site is awesome. First thing I did was go check the Fromms to see if it contained Citric Acid (it didn't). FYI, my Vet, a large breed specialist, also recommended moistening food before feeding. For picky eaters she recommends using reduced sodium fat free chicken broth diluted with a little water. 

So I am thinking if my breeder with 40 years experience and a Vet who specializes in large breed dogs both recommend it there must be something to it. And if I have to throw a little out now and then its a small price to pay for preventing bloat.


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## Debanneball (Aug 28, 2014)

scarfish said:


> we wet the kibble with chicken broth 'cause we have a picky eater and she won't eat dry kibble.


Thats exactly what I was told..chicken broth!


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

I started adding water because Delgado was eating the kibble too fast, worked like a charm and after looking into it I started doing the same to my poodle's kibble. I agree it doesn't hurt and it does make adding suppliments easier

I use Tripett as a topper rather than regular canned food, I figure why not add something good for them rather then just more food. 

As for chicken broth, I would make sure to use low sodium that's for sure.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

A dry kibble extracts a great deal moisture from the intestinal track to be able to move the food thru the gut and out the back end.
Years of this stress on the gut can cause issues in some dogs. 
With 75% of disease beginning in the gut, I personally would not want to take that chance!

Moms


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

I have always added water to dry kibble. I live in South Texas. I use every opportunity to introduce additional water into my dog's diet.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Lykoz said:


> I used to do this.
> 
> Dont think its necessary.. Its a bit of a headache..
> 
> Also if they don't eat all their food, you have to throw it away. There is no next day eating.


AHa, but you can.
Just add more water the second day, it becomes mushy and gross.
Sometimes I'll refrigerate, sometimes I won't. I figure if she can bury a bone and dig it out 2 months later to chew, she can take overnight kibble and water.


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## Lykoz (Dec 6, 2014)

marshies said:


> AHa, but you can.
> Just add more water the second day, it becomes mushy and gross.
> Sometimes I'll refrigerate, sometimes I won't. I figure if she can bury a bone and dig it out 2 months later to chew, she can take overnight kibble and water.


Thats all I need... Half eaten dog food with my food in the fridge...

Maybe if I had a separate fridge unit just for my dog.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

In 30 years of owning GSDs all of my dogs have inhaled their kibble soaked or not....i currently soak


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Conserve water: feed raw


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## Lykoz (Dec 6, 2014)

Jax08 said:


> Conserve water: feed raw


Im too lazy, and I find it a bit expensive... 

But yes I think feeding Raw, or at least fesh is the best way to go...

No processed food will ever be able to replace a fresh well considered diet.


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## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

I add about 1/3 cup of active plain yogurt to my dogs dry food each morning. Before I add it, I pour in about 1/3 cup water and stir just the top to blend. She than has a 2/3 cup yogurt liquid over the top of her food, she loves this topping.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Lilie said:


> I have always added water to dry kibble. I live in South Texas. I use every opportunity to introduce additional water into my dog's diet.


In the winter, when it's cold, I add warm water. When I serve them their meal I am sure to tell them I 'cooked' for them. I only feed kibble at night. I feed RAW in the morning.


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## nezzz (Jan 20, 2013)

There is some truth to the watering kibble discussion. First of all I must say I am a believer in soaking kibble if necessary. I've had a dog die on me from bloat precisely because of this.

But you have to look at the kibble itself. First break up the kibble and look at the texture inside it, is the pellet rock solid, or is it filled with holes? Those rock solid pellet kibbles won't really benefit from water much, to begin with there isn't much air inside it, so adding water in it won't release much air, and bloat chance is lesser.

If your kibble has lots of air pockets, I do recommend soaking it to release the air. You can try filling a cup halfway with kibble then filling up the rest with water, you will actually see bubbles rise like an aerator in a fish tank. You can also see the kibble expand quite a bit, that is how much air is in the pellet.

So if your intention is bloat prevention, take a look at your kibble first and see. Of course adding some water to kibble can make it more palatable for the dog too, the nutrients that leech out become some kind of "gravy" or "soup" which makes it more tasty so it can help a little if your dog is a picky eater.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

I always soak kibble


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## Smithie86 (Jan 9, 2001)

If we feed kibble, we always soak it in hot water (slight covered kibble). We instruct both puppy/dog people on this.

It also depends on the quality and denseness of the kibble.


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## Ruger Monster (Jan 29, 2015)

I've been soaking Ruger's kibble recently, to make it easier to mix the wet food with the kibble. I think I'm going to look into making the yogurt topping for him next time I go to the grocery store.


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