BuzzedOne

Hello everybody,

I have a random question. This is completely my own fault but Diesel won't eat his food unless I mix it with warm water to make a "gravy" in the food. I have problem doing this for him because he loves it but now I'm a bit concerned after reading that it's not good for him somewhere. Is this true and are there any real concerns I have with doing this?

We live in the tundra of NE Ohio so After he goes outside to do his business, he anticipates the warm food and even seems like he uses the bowl to heat up his nose. It's the cutest thing

CybrSlydr

What I've read is that you're SUPPOSED to put the dry food in warm water, especially when they're young, as they can over eat and it will expand in their stomach and make them sick.

This way when it goes down, it's pre-expanded and they eat less.

Mikemontreal

My pup is 4 months and I still do this but I mix the food with room temperature water . When she was younger I would put very warm water to soften the kibble . She likes it and I don't see why it would be bad. My pup never had diarrhea and her stools are always firm


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Jazi

I mix water with Skoll's food otherwise he inhales it and then is at risk for vomiting it back up and it increases his chances to get bloat. He also stays hydrated better that way.

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Rosemary

My crew (cats and dogs both) eat plain dry kibble in the morning. Most nights, they get canned food mixed in their kibble (the dogs also get some water in theirs), but not always.

I think there was study many years ago that said that dogs that ate kibble that had been soaked to the point of falling apart soggy were less likely to bloat. Of course, we all know there have been several studies done on bloat, some of which contradict others.

If he likes water in his kibble, give him water in his kibble.

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stryker2

I think what I read is that if one the ingredients was a fat and it was preserved with Citric Acid and it was in the top 4-5 ingredients. You should not mix it with water or give them a lot of water. Because it could contribute to Bloat.

nightgrace6

I use to while my dogs were pups, to encourage them to eat but no one wants a fussy dog so do not let them get away with it all the time. I think if the biscuits are soft then you are more likely to get stains and tartar on the teeth as they are not chewing something hard, also their jaws don't do much work. Of course if you are feeding bones daily or every second day that should not be a problem. I find mine are more likely to inhale soft food than food they have to chew, I try to look for larger sized kibble when I can to prevent this.

Do you have set meal times? If your dog does not eat within 20 or so minutes take away his food and do not feed him until the next meal, he will realise he has to eat the food DRY or starve. Also, to get him used to dry, try mixing it with a tin of tuna or sardines or salmon, something else yummy to get him use to the texture of the dry. He isnt always going to be able to eat soft food, i.e. if you leave him at a lodge while you go away etc.

I wet my girls food after a long day running at the beach to give them extra hydration after a big day, other than that I wont allow it. If he is an only dog he is more likely to be fussy with his food as there is no one else to take it away from him, unless you do so.

It is totally up to you though whether you want to continue heating his food for him, I try and keep it for a nice treat though. Good luck

EmilyB

I'm not into that whole "starving the dog" until it eats the dry old kibble. If it goes down easier with water, so be it. My dogs always get something mixed in as well, usually raw, or canned, or eggs.

They don't have to worry about being spoiled because they will never live with anyone but me, and I will spoil them, if that is what you call it.

nightgrace6

Whatever works I like both approaches.

Jazi

Just to note- my comment about increasing chances for bloat was referring to the speed at which he eats his food, not water on the kibble. I honestly don't know if wet vs dry makes a difference there, but surely inhaling 2 cups of food in about 30 seconds and then gagging/vomiting it back up is not good on a stomach, thus we take it slower with water and it takes him about 5 minutes to eat the same amount and he actually keeps it down because he didn't shovel it into his face like a dummy.

Unless the dog requires an entire process like handfeeding him a single piece of kibble at a time (had to help rehab someone's bait rescue that had this problem), I don't see a problem with a little "spoiling".

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StarlightDobe

mine always get water on the food, but once in a while they get it dry and still chow it down like its their first and last meal. Very rarely do they get it dry though, and I have noticed a little more choking (or hacking, whatever) with it dry. I think it goes down better with water.

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dax0402

I have always put water on dry food. Not a lot. Just drizzle warm water over it. Never had any problems.

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Kansadobe

We mix kibble, raw meat, and hot water for all of our dogs. I let it soak for 15-30 minutes before they are fed. Expanding the kibble helps prevent bloat/torsion, not cause it. In addition, the dogs do not get hard exercise for a couple of hours after they are fed and are not fed until they calm down if they have just came in from any kind of hard workout.

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greenkouki

Same here. My dog eats way too fast if it's just dry kibble.

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lolonurse

In all my 62 years, we have always put warm water in with the kibble (and also some wet food, which used to be canned, but I make my own from all fresh ingredients and freeze it...)... It enhances the flavor, texture, keeps them interested (not all dogs are chow hounds just waiting to scarf down whatever is set in front of them), and we feel feeding dry kibble encourages them to then drink lots of water, which can create a huge bolus in their stomach. (We also feed our adults twice a day, not once)

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MIA

My two LOVE gravy, warm in the winter and cold in the summer....

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StarlightDobe

I remember waaaaay back when I was a kid, my parents fed our dogs Gravy Train dog food and put water i it, to make a nice tasty gravy and they loved it. Though todays food standards have probably made that food one of the ones to avoid, back then it was a good food lol!

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LindaH

Water in kibble is good as dogs don't really drink enough water to make up for eating a dry kibble. In a wild state eating prey, their food contains approximately 75-80% water. Kibble being about 10% water is a far cry from the perfect food.

A good quality kibble will not swell up near as much as a poor quality grocery store brand since the quality kibbles don't contain the cheap fillers grocery store foods contain. So you can add water, but you don't have to wait for it to be absorbed.

The Purdue study did find a slightly higher incidence of bloat in dogs that were fed kibble that contained citric acid when water was added.

If the fat was in the first four ingredients of a kibble, there was a higher incidence of bloat.

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