[Molzy]

Hi guys,

So I tried soaking one of my dog’s kibble last night. He is currently on Halo Wholesome Lamb (which I got for $35 a bag on clearance, not expired or ripped!). I let the kibble soak for more than 5 minutes (while the other dog’s Honest Kitchen soaked), and it didn’t seem to *do* anything – I finally drained the water off and fed it to him.

Did I do something wrong? Does it need to sit for longer? Or should I not soak kibble? I would have him on Honest Kitchen as well, but right now we just can’t afford it, so he gets a high quality kibble rotation instead. If I could figure out a way to soak the kibble, I might also be able to add some of it to the Honest Kitchen to bring down the costs of that a little.

Thanks,
Molly

[theBCnut]

Some kibble don’t soak up much water. Those are the ones that I have to wonder what they do sitting in the stomach. Makes me want to run them through the food processor or something.

I don’t pour the water off when I wet their kibble, even if the kibble doesn’t absorb all of it, it still has some of the nutrients in it. You could try wetting it a half hour earlier or even over night in the fridge.

[InkedMarie]

It’s been years since I had a kibble absorb the water and I think that was when we tried Nutro briefly. I add water to my dogs kibble, they just drink it up.

[Naturella]

The only time my dog’s kibble has really FULLY absorbed liquid, quickly, is when I heated it up and poured it in his bowl with kibble, then set outside for a couple of minutes to cool down (it was a cold evening). The kibble was plumped up and soft, most of the liquid was “gone” (in the kibble). But more often than not, I just use warm liquid, and the kibble doesn’t plump up, my dog just drinks up the water and eats the kibble. I’d also say, don’t drain out the water even if it’s not absorbed, because of what Patty said. 🙂

[OhBichonPlease]

I have had luck getting kibbles to absorb water by using very warm water and a metal dish. By the time the dish has cooled, most of the water is absorbed and I can usually stir up and then shake around the softened kibble without any excess liquid. I don’t use too much water with kibble though and usually don’t have to wait long.
I figure the water could wash off any nutritional coatings on the kibble, so I wouldn’t pour it off either. If excess liquid remains and your dog won’t lick it up, throw a few pieces of kibble in and put it in the fridge overnight. Those pieces should absorb whatever is left by morning and can be fed regularly.

[theBCnut]

If your dog food has probiotics in it then very warm water would not be a good idea. Neither is soaking for more than 5 minutes before feeding. Unless you add your own probiotics right before you feed.

[Krista B]

Hi, I just tried soaking several brands of kibble using 1/3 cup kibble to 1/2 cup water. I used hot water and let the kibble soak for about two hours. They all soaked up most of the water! I used a tablespoon of fruitables digestive supplement that u added to the water. The kibble soaked up more than half the water and the resulting water became like a pumpkin gravy. The brands I used were natural balance, Fromm and Acana. The natural balance actually soaked up 90% of the water, which was very impressive. The other brands soaked up about 60% of the water and then the rest of the water became like a gravy. Very nice results! I will be soaking my kibble from now on. Very happy with the results. My recommendation is letting the kibble soak for at least 45-60 minutes if not longer or even overnight. If you let in soak overnight I’m sure it will soak up almost everything.

[Mary N]

I think that you should just try soaking it in for a longer period of time and the quality of the kibble will determine how much water will it absorb.

I think that the more quality kibble will absorb less water because if the meat content is higher in the kibble it will be more dense and harder to be water down.

While if the grains are present in the kibble it will be much easier for water to be absorbed and the kibble will swoll up

[anonymous]

Unless the dog has a specific medical condition that requires him to be on a soft diet. Such as having a sensitive stomach, being endentulous, and some seniors, etc.
If the veterinarian that has examined the dog recommends a soft diet. Then by all means, soak away! Otherwise, dry food as a base with a topper and a splash of water works best, in my experience.
Healthy dogs don’t need supplements……IMO
You really should consult your vet for specific concerns pertinent to your dog.
PS: What is wrong with your dog that you are so worried?

[Linda W]

We soak kibble for a couple of my older dogs as they have lost teeth. The way we do it is to fill a jar with their kibble and then fill the jar up with water. Then put the jar in the refrigerator overnight. We always keep a jar of soaked kibble in the refrigerator.

It helped when we first started this to measure their regular portion of kibble and add water to cover it and leave it in the refrigerator overnight – that way we knew how much to measure out of the soaked dog food as it expands when it is soaked.

[Fatma B]

I read some place that you should soak kibble for puppies as they can choke on it, so i’ve been soaking TOTW LBP kibble in warm water – less than a minute and she eats it fine…
I tried to give her dry kibble too, she will eat it, but i worry abou choking as she’s only 8 weeks… Going to soak until 10 weeks i guess. I dont discard the water. She just drinks it – so it’s addtional hydration

[Susan]

Hi Fatma, your dog has more chances choking on the water that’s in with the kibble as he’s licking to get the kibble to chew, he’s also licking up water & kibbles same time… just make sure you drain any water out of the bowl….TOTW kibbles digest real easy, I feed to my boy who has IBD, if you leave the kibbles in warm water the kibbles will be soft in 30 mins, then drain any water, then push palm of your hand against the kibbles in the bowl & remove any excess water…why not just feed wet tin food & use the TOTW kibble as treats for training for now…

[Author]

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