Does anyone else soak their dogs food?

Question

Just curious. I have been soaking my dogs food before I give it to them to help prevent bloat from happening. Along with having them wait 15 - 30 minutes quietly in their crate before eating and the same after eating before getting to play again.

Just curious to see if I am the only one or if anyone else does this as well...

Sunflower (sorry if I got that wrong)

They are not tortured. THey are simply put in their crates for about 15 minutes or so before they eat, all the while I am in the kitchen preparing their food, and then they wait for about 15 minutes after before they come out.

Carrie O'Labrador:
I don't know that quantity has anything to do with it, haven't quite seen that, but depending on which dog it is they get varied amounts. No one gets more than two cups at one sitting.

They are fed twice a day. For example, Pearl who is a bit overweight (finally coming down) gets 2 cups in the am and 1 cup in the PM and plenty of excercise in between.

My trainer actually soaks all of her dogs dry kibble before feeding and has them wait as well. I have also read articles on it.

I'll have to look into the quantity thing.
Knock on wood, nobody has bloated yet, but I would rather err on the side of safety ;)

For anyone who is not familiar with bloat, which is a serious, deadly condition if not tended to immediately, here is a link or two to help you out...

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_bloat.html

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/bloat.html

http://www.uwex.edu/ces/forage/pubs/bloat.htm

Chalice:

The person who reccomended is my aunt and then my trainer, both have experience in this field.

To better explain the soaking here is an excerpt that explains what I want to say far better than I ever could ;) (I am horrible with explanations :)

"PREVENTION

Knowing of this problem is the first part of prevention. Feed several small meals throughout the day (at LEAST 2) instead of one big meal. Keep the dog quiet at LEAST one hour before and at LEAST 2 hours after a meal. This means no roughhousing or playing. If the dog usually gets rambuncious after a meal, crate this animal. Monitor and restrict the water intake of the dog before and especially after a meal. The dog should not drink after eating dry kibble. Therefore, it is best to thoroughly soak the kibble for at least 30 minutes before feeding this to the dog. 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 its excessive, change to another kibble which doesn't swell as much. Always keep Mylanta on hand.

These measures may prevent some cases of bloat but will not prevent all cases. Being aware might be the difference between life and death for your dog. "

Taken from :

http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/bloat.html

11.07.07

katslookup:

My dogs have "chewies" such as nylabones and kongs to help keep their teeth in good shape ;)

Although if your pups don't chew, I see what you're saying.

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I am getting some great feedback, I really appreciate it everyone :)

Answer 1

Before I met my husband, he was soaking his dog's food and doing the same thing that you are doing, by waiting before and after meal.

I didn't understand it at the time, but after reading up on bloat and things you can do to prevent it, I changed how I feed my dogs now.

My father had a dog before I was born, 35yrs ago who died of bloat. He said back then they didn't know about things like that. I'm glad I found out about it now.

Thank you for asking an intelligent and informative question.

Answer 2

Who told you that soaking food stops them getting 'bloat'? There's in no reason it would do this.

Bloat - or gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV) as it's now called is caused by excess intake of air into the stomach, causing it to swell - too much activity after eating can then cause the swollen stomach to twist.

Not exercising for a couple of hours after eating is the most ideal way to avoid GDV. Methods aimed at reducing gulping of food and water are also good, like feeding little and often and/or feeding big kibbles that have to be crunched. I don't see how adding water to food would stop gulping - if anything it would assist it. Waiting before and after eating is a good idea though.

Chalice

Answer 3

no, I pretty much have been "free" feeding my dogs lately. They nibble throughout the day, they are not food mongers....even the pup free feeds, but there is a limit of how much is out for the day, she never finishes all of it and is not heavy....
I only soaked food when they were pups, although, sometimes I will start soaking some when they are getting their adult teeth, (bet 4 and 6 months) if they seem sensitive...but after that I don't.

Answer 4

boiled chicken and rice is very good. Why are you using dry! Your dog may prefer wet food. Is your dog eating biscuits or chews in between, if yes this helps rule out her teeth or mouth. Have a look in her mouth to see if everything looks ok, from time to time a puppy can grow up without any back teeth and this would make dry food hard to eat. If all looks normal i would try a different food, a good make and maybe mix it with water. Royal cain is always good and they like it. Pets at home usually have a basket with free samples in, i suggest to try a get some, this will save you buying more and more bags of food. Bakers food dogs enjoy but it is very fatty, my vet told me never to use it. I have brought many dry food and my dogs only seem to like royal cain and arden grange. The cheaper foods dont seem to attract a dog to eat it. Is she due to go to the vet soon, if not maybe a check up would help, there is a reason why she spits them out. Maybe she has lost a few teeth or they need cleaning. Good luck Maria

Answer 5

Only time I have ever soaked food was my elderly beagle. Very interesting though about soaking. I have boxers which you may or may not know are prone to bloat also. I also make them settle before dinner and relax after dinner. Can't take any chances. Its a horrible thing.

Answer 6

I've soaked one of my dogs food in water since she was a puppy only cause she refused to eat it when it was completely hard, also she is really difficult to get to drink water. Otherwise no i dont...and I've never heard of making them wait before and after, that's torture :( poor doggie

Answer 7

We used to soak all our dog's food but their breath got really bad as they got older. We went to regular dry food and it helped immediately.

Answer 8

I do that with my dogs and cats when they're being weened. I don't do it as much now, sometimes as a treat for my dog I'll soak his food and crumble up little bits of hard treats in his bowl... and sometimes I'm evil and spoil him by giving him my own "goldfish seasoning". I put ONLY about 3 goldfish.. I'm not that bad... But I put them in a plastic bag and crumble them and voila! :P haha which is why he loves me. ;)

Answer 9

I soak the food for my geriatric chow mix. His teeth seem pretty sensitive these days, even though they aren't horribly tartared. He can't have a dental because of anesthesia risks. He had a hard time coming up from it once when he was young, so I don't want to endanger him. I scale & polish them as needed without anesthesia at home.

Answer 10

I only soaked when they were puppies. Now as adult dogs, eating dry food is better for their teeth, helps clean them.