The other day I was at a fellow rescue volunteer's house and noticed she lets the dry food soak on water for about 10 to 15 minutes before fedding it to her dogs. I questioned her about it and she said it is to reduce the chances of Bloat. Have any of you heard of this before or even do it? She said that since the kibble enlarges by soaking on the water it reaches its maximun size before it goes into the animal's stomach instead of enlarging once inside of the stomach.

I do the same thing- for the same reasons- whether or not it is based in any type of fact is beyond me-I guess it makes more sense if you dog hoovers the food instead of chewing it.

Yes, I have heard of it and knew of people who have done it. It is a good idea if you feed an "extruded" kibble. The extrusion process incorporates a lot of air into the kibble and by pre-soaking it has a better chance of expanding in the bowl rather than in the stomach.

I feed a "baked" kibble. It is a concentrated, very dense kibble with little air incorporated into the cooking process. Even when I add stew or soup to my dog's food the kibble expands very little.

I would assume if you have a breed pre-disposed to bloat soaking your kibble would be a good idea. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Well, this are some of the responses I had in other boards:

"A recent study shows that soaking dry kibble prior to eating (if it is preserved with vit C) INCREASES your chances of bloat by 5 times."

"Don't let the water soak in, as it breaks down and destroys nutrients."

If you feed BARF you don't have to soak the food...you just may have to soak your hands afterwards to get the smell off(tripe)... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

I was wondering why everyone was staying clear of me lately . . . maybe I better wash my hands.

I've added water to my dog's food before and if anything it tends to slow them down which helps in preventing bloat. I've never heard of this causing bloat. Now I don't completely soak it. I Just add some water, stir it around for a few seconds then feed. As my dogs get older and if they don't eat as fast, I stop adding water.

Here is the information that is referred to in an above post. You can also find it at this link:
http://www.vet.purdue.edu/epi/dietrisk.htm

It is kibble with citric acid in it, not vit c where there are problems.

Dietary Risk Factors for Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus (Bloat) in 11 Large and Giant Dog Breeds: A Nested Case-Control Study
ABSTRACT
Malathi Raghavan, DVM, MS; Lawrence T. Glickman, VMD, DrPH; Nita W. Glickman, MS, MPH; Diana B. Schellenberg*, MS.

Dietary risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) in dogs were identified using a nested case-control study. Of 1991 dogs from 11 large- and giant-breeds in a previous prospective study of GDV, 106 dogs that developed GDV were selected as cases while 212 remaining dogs were randomly selected as controls. A complete profile of nutrient intake was constructed for each dog based on owner-reported information, published references and nutrient databases. Potential risk factors were examined for a significant relationship with GDV risk using unconditional logistic regression.

The study confirmed previous reports of increased risks of GDV associated with increasing age, having a first-degree relative with GDV, and having a raised food bowl. New significant findings included a 2.7-fold (or 170%) increased risk of GDV in dogs that consumed dry foods containing fat among the first four ingredients. The risk of GDV was increased 4.2-fold (or 320%) in dogs that consumed dry foods containing citric acid that were also moistened prior to feeding by owners. Dry foods containing a rendered meat meal with bone among the first four ingredients significantly decreased GDV risk by 53.0%. Approximately 30% of all cases of GDV in this study could be attributed to consumption of dry foods containing fat among their first four ingredients, while 32% could be attributed to consumption of owner-moistened dry foods that also contained citric acid. These findings can be used by owners to reduce their dogs' risk of GDV.

Note: A detailed report of this study will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed veterinary journal. Until it is published, we are prevented by journal copyright policy to release any information other than this abstract.

As you read from this article those who are feeding bones in the BARF diet do actually have less problems with bloat. In fact this study suggests it decreases by 50%.

160% increased risk with dry dog food that contains fat among first 4 ingredients

200% increased risk with dry dog food that contains citric acid

53% decreased risk with foods that contain a rendered meat meal with bone product among first 4 ingredients

It states moistening dog food does not increase the risk - UNLESS the food contains citric acid, in which case the risk increases 300%!

"These findings can be used by owners to select dry dog foods that may reduce the risk of GDV."

For interest sake, here are a few dry foods that contain citric acid, I am sure there are many more:

Kibbles n Bits
Iams
Eukanuba
Owen and Mandeville
Fromm
Eagle Pack (incl Holistic Select)

Just a couple I checked that have citric acid, in addition to having fat in top 4 ingredients

**Nutrience

**Nature's Recipe Lamb

**Natural Balance - several versions have citric acid, and their Oven Baked Dog Food and their Potato and Duck formula have citric acid and fat in top 4 ingredients

Originally posted by Shandar:
As you read from this article those who are feeding bones in the BARF diet do actually have less problems with bloat. In fact this study suggests it decreases by 50%. Can you please point me to the BARF reference in the study? Thanks.