Mixing Wet And Dry Dog Food

[Guest carhound]

So wifey and started Cammi on wet (canned) dog food. So far we have used Avoderm and Blue Buffalo. We are currently wanting to put just a little weight on her and I think she's pretty active.

 

In the morning she zoomies out in the yard, followed by a 15-20 minute walk. Then in the evening she'll do more zoomies (she has started getting more and more into these) and will get a 30 minute walk. When I walk her I alternate between letting her sniff to her heart's content and a very brisk walk.

 

We have been feeding a barely mounded two cups of dry kibble per feeding (twice daily) with a spoon of pumpkin and yogurt mixed in. She would do pretty good with that. It would maybe take her 20-30 minutes to finish because she would chew every bite. Now that we've started mixing in a 1/2 can of canned food she is literally inhaling it in about 5 minutes, and after watching her this morning I'm not sure is really chewing.

 

I remember reading that chewing dry kibble helps clean off teeth, is this true? We are working with her to get her to enjoy brushing, after one session of it so far she's pretty tolerant of it, but starts to squirm pretty fast. I'm also wondering inhaling the food like that will make it harder for her to digest. Lastly, isn't eating that fast a contributing factor to bloat?

[XTRAWLD]

Chewing kibble helps clean the plaque off their teeth. Both my boys have always swallowed kibble whole, defeating the purpose. Ryder would WOLF down food like he has never seen it a day in his life. There is an argument out there that swallowing the kibble whole as opposed to chewed that they aren't extracting everything they can from them (but that's debateable because in your tummy is in your tummy, any way shape or form). Because Ryder was wolfing it down so quickly, to prevent bloating, we put a chain in his bowl. This would cause him to eat slower, thus not inhaling as much air with his food, reducing the chance of bloat. To help clean their teeth, they can chew on various bones/treats that they really need to gnaw at, it would likely do a better job than just chewing kibble anyway. Lots of info here to research about that.....

[Guest KennelMom]

I've never seen any kibble that would do an good "scraping" teeth clean. It's pretty much designed to crumble under pressure, which it does. Dogs don't need to chew, their digestive process starts in their stomach (unlike people who start to break down starches with enzymes in our saliva + the chewing process). I know very few greyhounds that have ever chewed kibble...as long as it fits down the pipe, down it goes.

Edited April 12, 2011 by KennelMom

[Guest sheila]

I can't imagine that chewing kibble would have much (if any) benefit for cleaning teeth. I can't say that any of my dogs really 'chew' their food. I'd estimate it takes them under 5 minutes to clear the bowl and lick it clean.

[brandimom]

I have had greys since 1996 and use the raised feeders and have never had to worry about bloat - knock on wood. I don't think the majority of dogs chew their food just inhale it. Kibble is not meant to clean their teeth and it breaks too easily. I give mind turkey necks raw for cleaning their teeth.

[Laurenbiz]

I can't imagine that chewing kibble would have much (if any) benefit for cleaning teeth. I can't say that any of my dogs really 'chew' their food. I'd estimate it takes them under 5 minutes to clear the bowl and lick it clean.

 

I've never heard of kibble being good for cleaning teeth, either.

 

Bernie wolfs down his food, too! I never immediately take him on a walk, nor do I let him outside for zoomies, after eating. I usually let him stay inside the house to simply digest for about 20-30 minutes.

 

For his teeth, I brush them almost daily, and I give him Greenies and Petrodux 'Dental Chews' occasionally.

 

If you're mixing in wet food, I would suggest cutting down on the two cups of kibble. Bernie started out with 2 cups of kibble when we first got him, but we slowly backed away from that amount once we started adding other items to his food. I now only give him 1 cup of kibble, mixed with about 1/2 cup - 1 cup of other foods: Yogurt, peas, green beans, hamburger meat and other raw meats, potatoes, carrots, bananas, etc.

 

Good luck!

[Burpdog]

I doubt chewing kibble does anything for their teeth. They do not have digestive enzymes in their mouths like humans, so there is no need to chew.

[fourofem]

Four of my five eat so fast there's no time for any teeth cleaning. I do a combo of dry mixed with my home cooked concoction with warm water. Lizzie is the only of mine who actually chews and that's probably because she's missing 13 of her teeth!!!!

[EllenEveBaz]

We are working with her to get her to enjoy brushing, after one session of it so far she's pretty tolerant of it, but starts to squirm pretty fast.

Three words for you: Meat-flavored toothpaste. There's also a couple of products that are sprays, which evidently some dogs tolerate better than brushes.

 

isn't eating that fast a contributing factor to bloat?

There was an brief summary in the latest CG Magazine (CG stands for Celebrating Greyhounds) of some preliminary findings from a large study about bloat. Not the most scientific study -- I think it was a questionnaire of greyhound owners -- but still, it covered thousands of dogs. Speed of eating was not listed as a risk factor. Oddly enough, the dogs that were least likely to bloat were females who exercised (e.g., ran around the yard) immediately after eating!

 

If you're mixing in wet food, I would suggest cutting down on the two cups of kibble.

Laurenbiz, I think it's hard to generalize about amounts of food. It depends on the individual dog's metabolism, amount of exercise, # of calories per cup in the food, etc. Edited April 13, 2011 by EllenEveBaz

[Guest carhound]

 

If you're mixing in wet food, I would suggest cutting down on the two cups of kibble. Bernie started out with 2 cups of kibble when we first got him, but we slowly backed away from that amount once we started adding other items to his food. I now only give him 1 cup of kibble, mixed with about 1/2 cup - 1 cup of other foods: Yogurt, peas, green beans, hamburger meat and other raw meats, potatoes, carrots, bananas, etc.

 

I forgot to mention that we have started to cut down on kibble... maybe 1.5 cups with 1/2 can of wet food. Once we start seeing her gain a little weight (no more fully visible ribcage) we'll cut back even more to a weight sustaining amount of food.

[Guest carhound]

We are working with her to get her to enjoy brushing, after one session of it so far she's pretty tolerant of it, but starts to squirm pretty fast.

Three words for you: Meat-flavored toothpaste. There's also a couple of products that are sprays, which evidently some dogs tolerate better than brushes.

 

isn't eating that fast a contributing factor to bloat?

There was an brief summary in the latest CG Magazine (CG stands for Celebrating Greyhounds) of some preliminary findings from a large study about bloat. Not the most scientific study -- I think it was a questionnaire of greyhound owners -- but still, it covered thousands of dogs. Speed of eating was not listed as a risk factor. Oddly enough, the dogs that were least likely to bloat were females who exercised (e.g., ran around the yard) immediately after eating!

 

we have some chicken flavored that she loves. I just got to get her used to having a brush in her mouth, her gums bleed a little. But I want to add some that she will chew on or something like Plaque Off that will be a preventative measure

 

Tonight I put a small upside down pyrex food prep dish in her bowl tonight... it seems to slow her down a little. I think I'm happy with that. I still can't believe how much she loves the canned food though!

[Guest manawatugal]

ha ha I've never heard of anyone actually brushing a dog's teeth, that sounds so far out and unnecessary to me. Surely raw bones, gnawing and chewing is the best way to go. My new boy age 5 doesn't have brilliant teeth and I am experimenting feeding him mostly raw with bones every day. I would never consider brushing his teeth. When he eats kibble he doesn't chew it so that defeats the purpose and I think it's just bollocks and advertising hype that it 'cleans' teeth!

[XTRAWLD]

Brushing has never been successful. The only time brushing works is right after a dental. You'd have to keep up with it daily or every other day to make sure there isn't any plaque buildup. Once buildup happens though, brushing is really pointless other than massaging the gums. We have used Leba II (spray) and it works really really well, as long as you don't forget to administer it (twice a day for a month for best results). We also use a gel, but that hasn't done as much as the spray has.

 

Of course chewing and gnawing on bones/treats help. Now that we are feeding raw (going on two weeks), the boys are really chewing up hard bones, but to be honest I haven't seen a change regarding the plaque on their teeth yet. We might still have to do a dental, which we have been avoiding for years.....