Hi. I am posting again because my lat post did not get the answer I was looking for. I read about bloat and it says not to have excessive amount of water with your dogs meal. Mine eats dry kibbles. I cannot find anything that states what is excessive amount of water. I used to always have 4 cups of water in her bowl, now I have reduced to 2 cups of water in her bowl. When I see it is low, I measure how much she drank than empty the bowl and add 2 more cups. What is the answer to water consumption and eating food (dry kibbles)? I am king of anxious, I do not want her to drink too much right after she eats. Thank you for responding to my question about WATER.
My understanding is that dogs should always have unlimited access to water. Feeding kibble is a risk factor for bloat, have you considered feeding wet or raw food or feeding smaller meals?
One of mine used to be water obsessed when he was fed on kibble. He'd drink a full bowl and throw up. Since being on raw, they drink very little, but yes, they should always have free access to water. Could you soak the kibble for half an hour beofre feeding?
Hi. Thank you for your response, I would have to speak to my vet about raw food. She is on dry kibbles gastro for puppies, she had steady diarrhea for weeks every time she would finish her meds, it would start again. With gastro kibbles she is now fine.
I always add water to the kibble,it moistens it and kibble expands when moistened so you want that expansion prior to ingestion ,think about it ,it goes in dry then your lab drinks water ,when will the expansion occur?Inside your puppy,I think that would contribute to bloat more so,I have had labs for 30years and lost my 1st chocolate Zach to bloat at the age of 14 ,what you have to watch for is activity after a meal,wait 30-45 minutes to let them run around
The correlation between *anything* and bloat is very spurious - we still don't know exactly what causes it. There is a genetic connection because some breeds are more predisposed than others. (Incidentally, these tend to be the very deep-chested breeds like Weims, GSPs, Great Danes - and not Labs so much.) For a while people said that raised food bowls reduced the risk of bloat and suddenly raised food bowls were all the rage - and then suddenly they were said to INCREASE the risk, so they fell out of fashion again. Then there's this stuff about not exercising for X amount of time after eating and the water thing you mention. But frankly, if a dog is going to bloat, they are going to bloat - and like many health conditions, we simply don't know enough about it to prevent it. Rather than tying yourself up in anxiety about preventing it, just keep an eye on your dog and go to the vet if you have any concerns. A dog should be able to drink however much water she wants and shouldn't have consumption limited. I have never added water to kibble (when I fed it), though - I would feed kibble dry (well, would train with it) and provide water separately in a bowl so the dog can decide for herself how much she wants. My Weim and Slovakian Rough Haired Pointer are much more deep-chested breeds than Labs and we've never had a bloat incident. There are way more things to be worrying about than bloat constantly. Forget about it and keep an eye on your dog.
I agree with Jo’s comments above, there is too little about it known to be overly worried about it. Years ago I had Newfoundland’s is was advised to feed them raised, then panic...it was all dismissed and back to the floor the food went. The only dog I have even known have bloat was my brothers Weimaraner, he was a huge dog...small pony size. He was old and had other health issues going on too which may have contributed. Now my dogs eat what I give them and unlimited access to water.
