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Water in dry dog food


~*Regina*~

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I have had a few people tell me that putting water in Willows dry dog food will help her feel fuller because it expands in the stomach, is this true? Willow is always hungry!! I was hoping adding water to her dry food would help a bit. She always gets vegetables as well threw out the day or in her food.

Thank you!

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I'm not a fan of putting water on kibble because I think that can defeat the "crunch factor" that helps keep teeth more clean. That said, when I have broth or some other liquid that I want to feed to my dogs, I do put that on the kibble but only just prior to feeding them.

 

I think the idea of adding the veggies to the kibble is a good idea if you are looking for bulking up the meal. My dogs particularly like green beans, sweet potato, and winter squash, although they like other veggies also (cooked carrots or summer squash, for instance). One dog we had especially enjoyed raw veggies - carrot slices, summer squash slices, and certain other veggies.

 

As for "always hungry" - she is a young and growing dog. Some of them can seem like bottomless pits. I have two dogs that would probably eat all day if I let them, and one who eats what he needs and he's done. How about trying some good bones for chewing (raw meaty or not meaty lamb bones, pork neck bones, beef neck bones; chicken or turkey parts, which may be frozen for longer chewing, raw, of course) to satisfy her "mouth cravings"?

 

I think she sounds at the age that some satisfying chews (like the bones) would go a long way towards keeping her busy for a while and giving her some chewing satiation.

 

I'm sure others will give more complete and better advice. Best wishes!

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To counter Sue's argument :) I have heard people liken crunchy kibble to cookies or crackers for humans with respect to how much teeth cleaning actually goes on. A kibble would have to be pretty darn hard to actually help remove tartar, IMO. I rely on raw meaty bones for teeth cleaning.

 

From my perspective, adding water to kibble is a great way to keep dogs hydrated, especially during hot months and when they are working hard. Another advantage to adding water (larger amounts) is that it can slow down a dog that bolts its food.

 

That said, I wouldn't rely on water-swollen kibble to give the dog a full feeling. Like Sue said, I'd add salt-free green beans or canned pumpkin or other veggies to add bulk or fiber to give Willow a fuller feeling.

 

J.

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When I give kibble I usually put water on it. It does swell to a greater volume if you let it sit for 15 minutes so I could see how it could make a dog feel fuller.

 

Re: teeth cleaning ability of kibble. I'm curious how many people have dogs that actually chew their kibble? Mine usually just kind of swallow it. I mean, some of it gets chewed, but I'm guessing that it's less than 20% of what they eat. I use raw bones to keep teeth clean, too.

 

I agree with Sue that some sort of raw meaty bone could be a great way to go help her feel more satisfied. Another idea would be to soak some of her kibble and freeze the mush in a kong so it would take her longer to eat it.

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I have two that inhale (and so there would be no benefit even if there was a benefit to chewing) and one that chews. I am grateful to hear the opinions about wetting kibble, so I now can have another tool in my feeding toolbox!

 

Like several others, I rely on bones for teeth-cleaning. When Dan came home from being gone for several months, he had some nasty tartar on some back teeth - a couple of bones and all was gone, teeth were clean, and breath was sweeter! I am a big fan of bones.

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we add just a bit of warm water to release more aroma. Obviously their sense of smell doesn't really need that boost, but they seem to like it. We add peas, green beans, sweet potato to add bulk. they split a scrambled egg maybe once a week in the morning and sometimes plain oatmeal. The food will expand once its in the stomach so adding water i believe really doesn't do anything for them feeling full.

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I add enough water to make the kibble float for two of my dogs (and now the foster puppy, who also inhales like she will never see another morsel of food in her life). I find that floating their food slows them down and has stopped the horrid gacking noise that would always accompany the inhalation of their meals.

 

I have been doing this for years without a problem -- So imagine my surprise when I was reading some information provided to our shelter after one of our shelter dogs suffered bloat. On the list of things to do and not to do to prevent bloat it stated to NOT feed moistened kibble. :blink: Wait, what? How can that make sense? It slows them down -- they don't get as much air in their belly, right?

 

Well, my research since then has produced many different sources and ideas. There are a lot of sites that say soaking kibble is a step taken to PREVENT bloat. But I have found sites that say that if you soak the *grain based* kibble (I feed grain free, FYI) for too long it can allow bacteria to develop/ferment, which leads to the creation of gas in the stomach (ie: bloat).

 

Because I feed grain free and because I do not let the food sit and soak for any period of time (no longer than it takes to throw their supplements in), I figure I'm safe.

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