[Peter S]

I’d love to hear people’s opinions on whether or not to soak dog kibble prior to serving, and if so, for how long to soak ? I just started on the Farmina N&D low-grain (cod/spelt,oats) for the first time, for my 2 adult labs. I didn’t see anything on Farmina’s website or on the bag about soaking prior to serving. I sent an email to them the other day but haven’t heard back yet. I note that in the ingredient list of this kibble, many of the ingredients are ‘dehydrated’ (including the 2nd top ingredient, dehydrated cod) , and in my past experience with any type of dehydrated food (like Honest Kitchen, or freeze-dried green tripe) the instructions were always to soak in water for awhile to ‘re-hydrate’ prior to feeding …. therefore I’m thinking maybe I should be soaking my new Farmina food … ?
Thanks in advance for any advice and feedback on this !

[theBCnut]

You don’t have to soak it like you do with THK and other dehydrated foods, but I think it is healthier for the dog to be getting water with their kibble. Don’t soak for any longer than 5 or 10 minutes, less if you are adding probiotics, or add probiotics right before feeding.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Peter-
I was checking out the Farmina website and I couldn’t find calories listed anywhere. Are they printed on your bag? If yes, could you please let me know how many are in the variety you are feeding?
I always add a little water to my dogs’ meals without any issues so far. I don’t let it sit more than 5 minutes though.

[Kristin C]

I think it depends on what else you feed. If you only feed kibble then it might be a good idea to add water for the hydration. If you feed dehydrated you are (usually) already adding water. And if you feed raw there’s naturally moisture in the meat. Freeze dried can be fed dry or with water I guess but I always add water. I feed mostly raw so when I’m at home I don’t add water to the few kibble meals per week. Right now we are on vacation so I added water to the kibble meals we fed at the hotels.

[InkedMarie]

I soak got however long it takes to get my raw fed dogs food ready & add supplements. If you are on FB, message Farmina there, you’ll get a faster response.

C4C, the calories/feeding amounts are on the bag, I can’t find them on the site but I feed less.

[Peter S]

Thanx everyone for the replies.

Crazy4cat : the N&D low-grain cod/spelt dog kibble has 380 kcal/cup , and their standard cup is 100g .

BCnut and Crazy4cat : why specifically do you recommend limiting the soak-time to 10min tops ? By the way, the Farmina kibble I’m using does not have any dig. enzymes or probiotics. I serve it straight-up w/o any additions besides maybe some occasional vitC and/or AuntJeni’s fish oil.

[theBCnut]

You cannot assume kibble is bacteria free and once you add water, you have started the clock on bacteria growth. I’m not one to worry about a little bacteria, but I don’t know when a little becomes a lot.

If it had probiotics in it and any of them were still viable, which is debatable anyways, adding water and letting it sit activates the probiotics before they are anywhere near to hitting the gut.

[Dori]

Hi Peter. I received a reply to my email from Farmina as to whether Farmina was to be soaked or not. They say that Farmina is to be fed as is, no soaking. Just keep water available for drinking. Hope this reply helps.

Il 24/11/2014 8.28, INFO ha scritto: Madam Dora dried foods of Farmina be administered as such, leaving fresh water available to the animal, following the instructions on the bag. If you have a particular problem for your pet and you indicate this we can be of help. Best regards

• This reply was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by Dori.

[InkedMarie]

I soak Farmina. I can’t imagine any dog food company saying to soak or or to soak.

[Dori]

Marie, the response was to Peter who was wondering if because Farmina contains some dehydrated ingredients did that automatically mean you had to soak the food. Anyway, that was how I had posed the question to Farmina. Farmina did not mean that you could absolutely not soak Farmina but that it was not necessary.

[InkedMarie]

Oh I understand now, Dori!

[DogFoodie]

Not related to the OP, but I just started Bella on Farmina Chicken GF Small & Medium Breed Puppy the other day. This is, hands down, the tiniest kibble I’ve ever fed her. If you’ve ever taken Chinese herbs, it’s about the size of a teapill. Smaller than a pea, maybe the size of a La Sueur Very Young Small Baby Pea. One I’ll definitely mention when someone says they’re looking for tiny kibble.

[InkedMarie]

I was shocked when I hot the small bites too! I got it for Gemma (no teeth) but will try her on Gingers regular Farmina next.

[Peter S]

DogFoodie : i just got done with Nature’s Logic rabbit ml/tky ml/millet formula , and that is also a very small kibble size…fwiw

[Peter S]

i got a reply back from Farmina on this topic of pre-soaking … they specifically said NOT to do it . Sounded like the main reason was to prevent possible bacterial buildup if the food soaks for too long. So I’m gonna go with that and just start feeding it dry.

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