Wet or Dry Food?

Liesje

mudpuppy

 Mix something wet into it, water if you can't get hold of anything else.

 

But not if you're feeding Nature's Variety Prairie.

Uhm.. Why??

glenmar

My dogs are all perfectly capable of getting their water from the water bowl, and given the number of times per day it has to be refilled, I'd say that they do.

Okay, but some dogs don't. Cherokee barely drinks water. Maybe once or twice a day she takes a few laps of water from the bowl or toilet. If her meals aren't full of moisture, her pee gets really concentrated and sometimes she gets develops crystals. Clearly all dogs aren't like this, but judging by the number of dogs with UTIs and kidney problems, I think a lot are. Cherokee's meals are always soupy, whether it's canned food (yep, I add water to canned food), kibble, homecooked, or whatever. Prey animals are like 70% water. That's what dogs are made to eat. So that's what I aim for in Cherokee's diet.

chelsea_b

Liesje

mudpuppy

 Mix something wet into it, water if you can't get hold of anything else.

 

But not if you're feeding Nature's Variety Prairie.

Uhm.. Why??

Citric acid.  Not sure if it's true or not, but I read it on the dog food analysis site

Note that this food uses citric acid as a preservative and should not be premoistened prior to feeding (a bloat risk factor for large breed dogs).

Caitylin

 Someone told me that I shouldn't give my dog wet food because it's full of water and a waste of money

   If you remove the moisture from wet and dry food and compare them on a dry matter basis, wet food is better;

http://www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/dm.html;

The formula for calculating the DM percentages of nutrients in pet foods is determined by... Nutrient percent divided by Reciprocal of the Moisture percent

 If you read the site I linked, it shows how to compare canned and dry food using the formula above, and canned food is much higher in protein and has fewer carbs.

I have always fed my dogs dry food because once in a while wet food can give diahreaa.

Brownie sometimes gets water in his dry food because it makes it easier for his old teeth to eat it. I give him his pills in turkey, and once in a while I mix some vegetables and cheese in it.

Cuddles gets some cheese sometimes too.

Possum just still has wet food because she's only 7 months.

If my dogs have been extra active or will be extra active then I add some wet food to their meal. Thats the only way I know they're eating enough for their activity at that time. As far as the added moisture, I have to bait their water at times also. That doesn't seem to change whether they've had wet food or not.

With every meal, my lab get warm broth added (1 to 1 ratio, 1 cup of food with 1 cup of broth with each am and pm meal, with midday snack - - usually just some pieces of fruits/cooked veggies).  I usually make soup stock (with veggies and some organ/muscle meat) or mix some 95% canned meat.

With adding equal part of liquid, I find his breath does not stink (he can breath on me and I won't smell stinky breath), cleaner teeth (I rarely find junk getting stuck to his back teeth when I brush his teeth), and no smelly or dark yellowish urine (so my grass is burned).

I'm really surprised at the number of dogs who aren't willing drinkers.  The only time I ever have an issue is with Tyler when he's working.  If I just put water down for him, he ignores it, however if I tell him to take a drink, he will.  I don't recall ever having  dog that didn't drink lik s/he should.  I guess I've just been lucky.

I feed kibble, wet food and raw. I add water to the kibble and the wet food. Raw I leave as is.

Citric acid.  Not sure if it's true or not, but I read it on the dog food analysis site

Note that this food uses citric acid as a preservative and should not be premoistened prior to feeding (a bloat risk factor for large breed dogs).

yet ANOTHER spurious finding from the deeply flawed Purdue study. Biggest risk factor for bloat: feeding dogs dry kibble. Eat a big bowl of dry lumps, go visit the water bowl, whoops your dog is dead.

 Mine don't drink a whole lot, either. The puppy, in particular, is just too busy to drink. I've been thinking about baiting their water, lately, just to encourage some away from meal time moisture. Of course, we haven't had any issues with UTIs or anything, lately, so I guess they're fine.

Given our current situation, everyone is floating around loose at night and water is always available.  At night we put the water bowl away from the main traffic area so it doesn't get spilled, but it's always down and available.  The dogs get their morning potty walk, then are fed breakfast a short time later.  No one rushes to the water bowl after eating....just doesn't happen here.  And they always have a couple of hours before their "play" walk which is usually early to mid afternoon, depending on when everyone had breakfast.

GSD's are deep chested and prone to bloat, yes, but I really don't see a need to add water to their kibble.  The kibble I feed doesn't swell with water....I've soaked it for HOURS to see....

I do wish folks who feel differently wouldn't imply that others are poor dog parents and taking unnecessary risks with their animals lives.

mudpuppy

Eat a big bowl of dry lumps, go visit the water bowl, whoops your dog is dead.

Odd, for the 1st 9 years of the sister Great Danes lives that is exactly how they would breakfast and sup.  Never dropped dead.  But this isn't the first time I have heard this.  A neighbor and I were talking over the backyard fence and yes the neighbor did whisper this to me.

 Don't forget too, that if your dog is getting any fresh food that that will decrease his or her need to visit the water bowl.  I have a gallon bucket in my bedroom, and a gallon waterer in my kitchen, and seven dogs in the house (one teeny one giant and five medium).  We fill the gallon bucket once a day and the one in the kitchen maybe once a week - and that's just a change.  I feed a homemade diet that includes pureed veggies, fruit, and fish, and boiled grains, plus raw meats and bones.

Again, in our current circumstances, at least during my waking hours, I know how much everyone drinks.  At night, I have no clue, but DH fills and moves the water bowl before he goes to bed and I refill it first thing in the morning.  There is always some left, but clearly they do help themselves during the night.

Comments like the one you quoted DPU, do nothing to enhance the exchange of ideas, but rather make those of us willing to "take a chance" to be uncaring lumps.  Not that I fault you quoting it, mind you!

Edited to correct a mistake