Feeding - Page 1

Hi everyone, I wanted to start a new discussion about feeding. We soak our dog food (some dogs are on Iams, some are on Royal Canine, one on Eukanuba) in cold water for about half an hour before feeding. We used to just sprinkle the hard kibble with a bit of water and feed immediately. Then, we had a German couple over a few years ago, and they said that it would not be good for the stomachs since the kibble would expand too much. So, we started soaking it, but I wonder sometimes if too many nutrients get lost that way. Also, their teeth have a lot more plaque on it than before. I would like to hear what other people have to say about that? Any input? Chris

There are nutrients in kibble? Who knew......

a raw bone once a week would help with the plaque I think.

Hi Diore, yes, there are nutrients in kibble. Even dogs need a little more than just air and love (an old German saying, Luft und Liebe). And yes, I know that you can give dogs raw bones (which we never do, but that is a different subject) and also nyla bones, or denta bones, whatever they are called. I started that post because I want to hear opinions about nutrition, bloat, etc. Chris

I moisten slightly the Royal Canin I feed. I also do give bones from cows femur when I can afford them and indeed, when I can even find them here. They are getting harder and harder to come by in the grocery stores as all the meat in some stores is now processed and packed somewhere else and then trucked in. Some dogs, like some humans, have bacterial flora in their mouth that is more likely to contribute to dental decay problems. Others can eat exactly the same food, even soft food with no bones, and never have a problem. It has to do with the teeth themselves and the bacteria, as well as the diet. Whenever I give bones, the bones are taken away and thrown out as soon as the dog begins to chip or break the bone. Many kibbles today have excellent nutrition and to ignore this is sticking ones' head in the sand. Most excellent kibbles do not wildly expand, but all expand a little. For my part, I always limit exercise after feeding for several hours, and I also feed smaller amounts twice a day to help prevent any problems. Except for one study I am aware of by Purdue Vet School, no one really knows the real reason some dogs bloat and others do not. There are contributing factors and there are dog breeds who have a higher incidence, the GSD being one. Their study suggested twice a day feeding, and not elevating food bowls as possible ways to help prevent bloat.

Thnaks Hodie, so, you moisten the food? Do you soak it or do you immediately feed it? I firmly believe that bloat is hereditary. It runs in families. So far, I never had a case of bloat, knock on wood. Chris

I also believe there are genetic connections to bloat as well as maintenance..... I float the food and usually feed right away... I also believe in quiet before and after eating..... everyone stays crated for these times, I also feed twice a day and have never elevated bowls..

I don't think soaking the food makes a difference; it's the quality of the food you feed what does make a difference. why do you soak the food in the first place? i would just have clean plenty of water available when the dogs feed and at all times. Food mixes in the stomach with the body own secretions and water ingested. As far as soaking the food and potential loss of nutrients, the nutrients won't get lost if the dog cleans the bowl when he/she feeds. Try to stay away from corn and soy products... dogs may develop allergies Bloating is a consequence of the anatomy of the digestive tract; shepherds and some deep chest dogs show this propensity; i don't think it has anything to do with the food or type of food ingested. the military staples a portion of the dog's stomach or duodenum to the peritoneum to avoid this problem sometimes

I feed twice a day. Sometimes I mix alittle water with the food but it is still crunchy. I have stopped giving raw bones to my dogs. I do however purchase marrow bones, cook them (use this brew for mixing in rice, oats and veggies which I mix into the food as well). As soon as the dogs start crunching on the bones, I freeze them again. Take them out again, let them chew until I hear them breaking it. Then they get thrown in the cook pot again and I mix rice, oats and veggies. It sounds like I am being cheap. But it seems that the dogs love the additional taste and the mixture in their food. If I have extra fat from chicken, whatever, it goes into this mixture. I freeze the mixture too so we have it always on hand. It is always a special treat for them. My 6 year old female has gorgeous teeth that have never had to be cleaned. So, I think it is working for us. I try however not to spoil my dogs as I sometimes have to have them cared for when I am travelling. That is why, they eat their kibble, dry, with a sprinkling of water or with the above concoction. The above concoction is only for a special treat. As far as bloat is concerned, a friend of mine had all her old dogs die eventually from bloat. They were all related. The only dogs that did not, were dogs not from this line. Sunny

Why do you think that nutrients get lost if the food is soaked? Some do dissolve in water, so what? Dogs then eat it anyway. I float the food like Dkia does. I also recommend everyone to switch to natural brands of fod if you can afford it – such as Canidae, Solid Gold, or Wellness. It will do more good for your dog than soaking or not soaking. As for bloat - it is genetic in a sense that very deep chest makes it more likely to occur. If you look at good German GSDs, you will see that their chest is no deeper than the elbow. Then take a look at American “Champion” … You will see his chest almost touching the floor! No wonder they have bloat! The stomach gets misplaces due to unnatural structure of the body. So I don’t think that there is a specific “bloat gene”. Its just dogs with chest too deep produce similar offspring => many of them get bloat.