[Dailydrool] Bloat/Wetting Food

[Marilyn Bickell]

Years ago, when I was feeding only canned and kibble, I had always wet the
kibble then added the canned. But that was before I had heard anything about
Bloat, and I've always fed kibble with citric acid as one of the
preservatives and still soak it. I know when it comes to dog food
preservatives, I'd rather see citric acid, Vitamin E, Rosemary on the label,
than the chemical preservatives BHT, BHA, and/or Ethoxyquin. Granted, the
natural preservatives aren't as stable as the chemical ones, but I buy
smaller bags so there's no chance of the food going bad. 

Now, I feed mostly raw, but some kibble and canned, and I still wet the
kibble on kibble days. In fact I don't just wet Rosey's kibble, I float it,
because she's prone to crystals, so I like to keep her bladder flushed as
much as possible, so she gets a lot of water in her kibble.

I've had Bassets and large-chested breeds for 18-20 years, and thankfully
they've never had a problem with Bloat. OTOH, I have known Bassets and other
breeds, not just large-chested, who bloat if you look at them wrong, so
there doesn't seem to be a definite cause for Bloat. If there was, I'm sure
all of us would avoid it.

Marilyn, Miko (Chasing lizards in Heaven), Bess, RoseyMae, and Beaver
Cleaver, 
Fort Bragg, CA

"You have gone ahead and nothing is the same, leaving paw prints on my heart
that will always remain."- Tibetan Proverb from Prayers on the Wind.