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Re-Hydrating dog kibble.

AxelRose

Well-Known Member
Hi Everyone.

Im hoping someone can help me with this. I know I posted in other thread, but I don't thing many read it.

When I re-hydrate Axl's kibble (TOTW) - 2 cups dry equals 3-3.5 wet.

How much should I feed him? It seems like a lot of food especially twice a day. Even for my little poodle.

I've tried giving just the 2 cups hydrated, but they both seem hungry still. And when I feed them most of it...he seems to not make it to the next meal without throwing up bile. Well not every time but a few times so far....

He is doing soooooooooo much better since I started doing this, I don't want to stop it.

At dinner he gets a cup of semi-raw meat mixed in...I don;t want to overfeed., but I don#t want to starve them either.:blush:

Hope u can help.

Thx Rose
 
How old are your dogs? Why do you soak the kibble? Does the dry make him sick?

I know with raw feeding, the amount fed per day depends on the dogs weight and activity level. (Which most kibbles have a chart on the bag. I've never used the charts on the bag, as each dog's intake requirements are different.)
Some growing, developing, active puppies can require upwards of 10% of their body weight in food per day.
Otherwise, I believe it's 2-6% of their body weight. Keep in mind, this is for a raw diet.
 
I'm not really a fan of hydrating dry kibble, but really the amount you feed dry or hydrated would be the same. It either swells up on the outside with the water added, or it swells up inside their tummy after it's ingested, but a cup of food is a cup of food regardless of where it hydrates. :)
 
I'm not really a fan of hydrating dry kibble, but really the amount you feed dry or hydrated would be the same. It either swells up on the outside with the water added, or it swells up inside their tummy after it's ingested, but a cup of food is a cup of food regardless of where it hydrates. :)

So u are saying if the 2 dry cups rehydrate to 3 1/2 cups, give him the 3 1/2 ?:scratch:
 
How old are your dogs? Why do you soak the kibble? Does the dry make him sick?

I know with raw feeding, the amount fed per day depends on the dogs weight and activity level. (Which most kibbles have a chart on the bag. I've never used the charts on the bag, as each dog's intake requirements are different.)
Some growing, developing, active puppies can require upwards of 10% of their body weight in food per day.
Otherwise, I believe it's 2-6% of their body weight. Keep in mind, this is for a raw diet.

Axl is 1 years old with major stomach /digestive issues....grain intolerant..etc...About an hour after eating he'll drink (guzzle) a bowl of water, sometimes he's thirsty right after he eats...thats when I know his stomach is not right...So I thought Id help him with his digestion...not make the gut work so hard in breaking down the dry food.
It's working awesome...He doesn't guzzle water anymore, he takes a normal drink here and there. And now there is NEVER any gas at all. But I was curious about the quantity due to such a big change after rehydrating...seemed like a lot of food. That works out to like 7 cups a day. He's happier anyway.
 
I'm not really a fan of hydrating dry kibble, but really the amount you feed dry or hydrated would be the same. It either swells up on the outside with the water added, or it swells up inside their tummy after it's ingested, but a cup of food is a cup of food regardless of where it hydrates. :)

This has been know to also cause some dogs to bloat given the right circumstances. Just hearsay from my vet, I have not actually seen this so *shrug*

eating the kibble before it has completely swelled up, will swell up in the stomach as Jan said. Eat too much, too fast, the expanding gas and kibble in the stomach can cause it to twist and cause bloat.
 
This has been know to also cause some dogs to bloat given the right circumstances. Just hearsay from my vet, I have not actually seen this so *shrug*

eating the kibble before it has completely swelled up, will swell up in the stomach as Jan said. Eat too much, too fast, the expanding gas and kibble in the stomach can cause it to twist and cause bloat.

So you are talking about it being rehydrated, when u talk about what the vet said?
He is going to the vet this afternoon, and I will ask him.
Axl is doing so much better with it this way. Of coarse last night i worked late and totally forgot to rehydrate, so they ate the kibble just with water added this morning....it will be interesting to see what happens with him...if he drinks more water, has gas, etc.
 
Have you tried a brand for a sensitive stomach?

California Natural
Pinnacle Duck

I think I tried the California Natural earlier on when he was having major issues in the summer...Never heard of Pinnacle Duck...who makes it?

I really can't see rehydrating being a bad thing...You rehydrate for puppies, kittens...moist food is a lot better then dry hard food everyday...But I will ask the vet today.

When i was searching on the internet, a few sites showed up, and a few were right from this site of people who have always rehydrated kibble for their dobes, and they do great.

As long as it is ok, and he does well, I will continue. Whatever is right for him, it works, then great.
Im just enjoying the quiet...no poop eating, no gas, no mess outside...im tired.:sleep:
And im sure he must be feeling better not having to deal with all that as well.

When i've enjoyed this for a while I will see about a different food, but I will still rehydrate, as long as the vet says it won't hurt him.:fingersx:
 
Pinnacle Duck is made by Pinnacle Pets.

I've soaked food for puppies and 1/2 soaked food for fosters that are adjusting.

It's good that the soaked food is helpful with his stomach issues, however, it could have an adverse affect on his teeth.
Dry kibble helps maintain oral hygiene. Moist food tends to stick to teeth promoting decay. In turn, bad teeth can lead to a multitude of other health problems.
 
Pinnacle Duck is made by Pinnacle Pets.

I've soaked food for puppies and 1/2 soaked food for fosters that are adjusting.

It's good that the soaked food is helpful with his stomach issues, however, it could have an adverse affect on his teeth.
Dry kibble helps maintain oral hygiene. Moist food tends to stick to teeth promoting decay. In turn, bad teeth can lead to a multitude of other health problems.

Hi there.

Well, I agree and disagree with the teeth bit. I think a lot of it is genetic and whether your dog is a good chewer. We had a poodle years ago that just wouldnt chew anything after about a year...he got sick at a young age too...that was background, and genes, the poor guy. He lived to about 13, but took a lot of pills, and eventually had to be put down. Poodles are prone to bad teeth.
But if u can keep them chewing, and keep their teeth clean by us, don't feed them before bed, etc, I think they can do just fine. Half the time they suck back their food, and kibble has tonnes of particles that can be left behind also. Look what is at the bottom of the bag?

So, I went to the vet, and she said that rehydrating was very good for them. She wished more people did it,as it takes the dogs system so long to break down hard kibble. Also, whatever the food amount rehydrates too frm the dry volume, was ok to feed him. With just a reminder about excercise after eating. Which Axl does not go out until 2 hours after dinner, and he likes to lie down after anyway.

So Im happy with that. I forgot to rehydrate last night and was curious what would happen with him, and I was right...he farted all day..lol. Now, it was a big changes since the 10 or so days of moisture food, and he wasn't doing that all day when it was dry/with water, but he still did here and there.

Anyway his supper was right and he is sleeping now, until our run later. Take care and talk soon. :)
 
Whatever works for him and you're comfortable with it. I would recommend brushing his teeth at least once a wk.
 
soft food will mess up his teeth, i agree with Pam on that. they need to chew food, to clean their teeth, thats why my get the raw frozen bones, to keep them busy and their teeth clean. My GSD will be 7 and never had a cleaning done, never needed one and even the vet its amazed, how nice histeeth are, thats because they chew their food and they get their raw bones.
 
Are you feeding 2 times a day? You could add a third meal so he wouldn't have so much in his stomach at one time AND he wouldn't have to go so long between meals. Dogs with IBD and / or EPI eat multiple meals a day(4 is the norm) with the food(with enzymes added) soaked at least a 1/2 hour.
 
I agree with both sides on the soft food and teeth issue. However as Axel says, if they have other things to chew on, it's really not a problem. However if they never get bones, chews etc. it will become a problem. My girls really don't chew their food, so it would not make any difference whether their feed is dry or soft. I add water to their food and feed right away, more so they don't suck it down as fast than to hydrate it. Bailey can get really really rotten breath. Her teeth look fine, but her breath is a killer. That is a good indication for us that she needs to chew on a bone. This helps her breath immediately.

In regards to how much to feed..... If he looks thin, give him more food. If he looks fat, cut back. Simple as that. :)
 
I agree with both sides on the soft food and teeth issue. However as Axel says, if they have other things to chew on, it's really not a problem. However if they never get bones, chews etc. it will become a problem. My girls really don't chew their food, so it would not make any difference whether their feed is dry or soft. I add water to their food and feed right away, more so they don't suck it down as fast than to hydrate it. Bailey can get really really rotten breath. Her teeth look fine, but her breath is a killer. That is a good indication for us that she needs to chew on a bone. This helps her breath immediately.

In regards to how much to feed..... If he looks thin, give him more food. If he looks fat, cut back. Simple as that. :)

Thanks for all the advice...Axl to me is still thin. He measures 28 inches at shoulder, and weighs 66.5 bls as of yesterday at the vet. I think that is on the very light side. Being he is only 1 years old, I hoping with the next year or so he will fill out, which he has started to build tone and muscle...but Im not used to slim dogs, so I have a hard time seeing him so narrow...lol. Vet said he looks good.
He's never been able to eat more then 2 cups dry at any given feeding, maybe 2 1/4 because of his gut, but he is handling the rehydrated better. Both my dogs are rescue and both eat like maniacs. I try to slow them down, but dry or rehydrated, they both eat pretty fast.

Ive had Giant Schnauzers the past 10 years, so its been a while I had a regular large breed dog...Will this skinny guy ever put on weight, and how long will it take? Isnt 66 lbs. really light for 28 inches at withers?
 
Are you feeding 2 times a day? You could add a third meal so he wouldn't have so much in his stomach at one time AND he wouldn't have to go so long between meals. Dogs with IBD and / or EPI eat multiple meals a day(4 is the norm) with the food(with enzymes added) soaked at least a 1/2 hour.

I do work from home, but there are days I am not here all day....Usually at lunch I feed them both a treat of the leftover kibble, but just a hand ful. He hasn't been diagnosed with IBD, I just went with trial and error and found he did best on 'gluten free' kibble and real meat, and yogart, and supplements. Just haven't found a treat biscuit he can eat yet. I tried the natural dehydrated sweet potatoe treats, but I believe it made him soft. They are very hard, so I guess he just can't digest them well. It really is a pain in the :eek:ss....Once the weather warms up more, I am going to try the raw bones again.
Someone here mentioned the knuckle bones are better then the marrow, but don't knuckle have a lot of that hard cartilege around them? Pretty sure he had one in the fall and he just cracked it apart and swallowed those pieces whole then was all over the yard with the runs.
 
Some raw distributors have a meat/bone blend that is ground and frozen. I used to use Primal (I'm sure there are other brands) for my red female. She was a very fast eater, and would make herself sick eating so fast. With kibble, I tried all the fancy bowls that are suppose to make them slow down. I tried the large bean can in her regular bowl... nothing slowed down that chow hound. She pretty much sucked down just as much air as she did food. With the Primal, she'd gobble it so fast, you'd think she hadn't eaten in 3 days. So, I started pressing it into the bowl some (instead of piling it in the middle) so she had to work a little harder. It slowed her down quite a bit, and no more "ralphs" after meals. Just something to consider.
 
Some raw distributors have a meat/bone blend that is ground and frozen. I used to use Primal (I'm sure there are other brands) for my red female. She was a very fast eater, and would make herself sick eating so fast. With kibble, I tried all the fancy bowls that are suppose to make them slow down. I tried the large bean can in her regular bowl... nothing slowed down that chow hound. She pretty much sucked down just as much air as she did food. With the Primal, she'd gobble it so fast, you'd think she hadn't eaten in 3 days. So, I started pressing it into the bowl some (instead of piling it in the middle) so she had to work a little harder. It slowed her down quite a bit, and no more "ralphs" after meals. Just something to consider.

Believe me, I've slowed him down..lol....He was worse, so I gave him a large flat stainless steel dish and put a large river stone in and he has to eat around it. But he always behaves like he hasn't eaten in a week..He salvitates badly..drool sometimes just pouring out of his jowls waiting for me to put the food down. :drama:

If u left a bag of kibble open he would eat until he got sick.
 

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