~*To soak or not*~

[EnchantedGypsy]

I'm curious if anyone here soaks their dogs' food before putting it down for them to eat? If so, what do you soak it with and for how long?

My future Borzoi will be my first large breed dog. My friend who has 2 Borzoi does soak her dogs' food (Wellness dry/Canine Fair canned) in warm water for 15-20 minutes before letting them eat it. She has never had any cases of bloat in 20 years with the breed.

Looking forward to replies!
 

[lins_saving_grace]

funny you should ask. 
Grace is little Miss, i need gourmet, soak food or i won't eat it.  when she wants milk, i pour milk over her food.  other times broth will do.  sometimes it's gravy precious wants.  it doesn't have to soak long, just as long as dinner doesn't taste like DOG food.

[RMSChloe]

i soak my pups food, i have a Great Dane. Shes 4months old now. Right now she likes it because shes losing her baby teeth, and its easier for her to eat. But I also do it to avoid bloat. I mix her food with the same brand of canned food, not a lot of the canned, just about a spoonfull to make it more enticing. i dont think theres a specific amount of time to soak it.. i just put the dry and wet together early so that its ready when shes hungry, then when i give it to her i put in the canned food and kind of mash it all up together, and add a little more water. thats all... she seems to really like it that way. but due to her HOD she has to eat small meals every 4 hours and she has to have a certain amount of calories a day to put on weight but not speed up her bone growth and blah blah blah.. yeah its complicated. but thats what i do! really, the decision is up to you, but i favor soaking so that they dont slurp up so much water after eating and make the food expand then...

[kathryn]

I really don't soak my crew's food.  They do get a can of wet food mixed in with their dry and they also now get salmon oil and liquid glucosamine mixed in as well.  The liquid glucosamine is way better than having to try and fight pills down their throats.  With the wet food and the liquid supplements that they don't really seem to go for the water after eating.   

[People Whisperer]

I don't soak Lily's food. She is on raw mostly but some days really goes after kibble. I feed her grain free so it doesn't expand much at all. 

[GrumpyBunny]

I too am a non-soaker.  If they are getting canned food in with their kibs, I might add a tiny bit of water if the wet food is particularly dry (if that makes any sense).  But usually the canned food is wet enough that I get a good consistency when I mix it with the dry food.  As you can tell, I have spent way too much time thinking about this!   

[LuvmyMal]

I just put a little water over the food, not all the time, especially when they are teething. I have looked online reg. benefits of either one and just came to the conclusion that it would be best to just put a little water on it, not actually soak. We are on Solid Gold Wolf Cub now and it really does not expand. I think it just varies.

[RMSChloe]

I just put a little water over the food, not all the time, especially when they are teething. I have looked online reg. benefits of either one and just came to the conclusion that it would be best to just put a little water on it, not actually soak. We are on Solid Gold Wolf Cub now and it really does not expand. I think it just varies.

like i said, my pup is losing teeth right now, and refuses to eat anything hard. i actually have a few of her teeth saved, just trying to figure out what to do with them. but when shes done with that all she will go back to non-soaked (if i can get her back)

[Lyn]

I sometimes add lukewarm water to Bubba and Lola's kibble but I don't leave it to soak. It's fed immediately.

[shangrila]

I don't soak food anymore, but I did when my saint was teething as a pup

[Leah...]

Our guys are all different. Bailey earns his food a handful at a time, so it has to be dry. Sammie get's his with warm water (not soaked, he eats right after it is wet down) and an egg. Sky gets his dry. I would probably add Sky's daily egg to his food, if he didn't take so dang long to eat.

[Edwpang]

This is also the question I am going to ask.
I soak the food(Caniade all life stage) for 15-30 minutes before I feed Butter. The main reason is Butter is eating too fast without even chewing the food. Another reason is he does not like to drink water. Comparing to not soaking, it seems the poo is smaller and firmer. He eats it as eager as without soaking.

[fivestartaylor]

I soak our dogs food for 2 reasons:

1.) Hubby is convinced they need more water - so to make him happy i oblige

2.)My momma used to breed great danes and she always did that and whats good for the goose is good for the gander.

I usually soak in warm water or a homeade broth from the soups i make... but in the hot months like now i will soak in cool water and give extra water, the dogs seem to like "diving" for their food... i think it makes em feel special for some reason.

[RMSChloe]

i dont know if its just because i soak the food, but my girl doesnt really drink water. unless shes been outside in the sun or its really hot, she just isnt interested. thats one reason why i keep soaking (aside from the fact that she wont eat hard food because of losing her teeth)

[Edwpang]

Soaking food is not a good idea.  It breaks down the nutrients in the food and destroys important enzymes and probiotics. 
...

Just curious why? My understanding is only use very hot water or soaking over long period of time, ex. several hours or more can have that kind of effect. As long as the dog can eat up all the soaked food immediately, it'll be fine.

From another forum:
http://www.ourdogsonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=3&Number=95219