Dry Food.... To Soak Or Not To Soak

[Saltmoon 2,208]

 

Always thought boiling water was a no no over dry food

Yer I was told by a friend who's a vet it's a big no no as kills what ever nutrients are left in the dry food. Dogs will lose condition and gloss to there coat within weeks if keep boilin kibble.

I've never done it feed after feed I've done it when they have gone off there food just to give them a change but it's not regular. If I have to do it again I'll just leave to soak for a few hours instead

[bunnyboiler 1,054]

 

Always thought boiling water was a no no over dry food

Yer I was told by a friend who's a vet it's a big no no as kills what ever nutrients are left in the dry food. Dogs will lose condition and gloss to there coat within weeks if keep boilin kibble.

They say if cooking vegetables start to cook with cold water because if you put boiling water straight on it destroys the nutrients but I never knew that about the dry ?

[skycat 6,174]

No vegetables should be cooked in water: most of the nutrients are leached out in the process. It is much better for taste as well as nutritionally to steam them. That said, our modern veg and fruit are so much less nutritious than they were a hundred years ago you'd probably be just as well boiling the little life out of them and dosing up on vitamin pills.

[PJCaswell 114]

Dry dog food has been cooked and pasteurised. Adding boiling water to it might reduce some of the vitamin content as some vitamins change their chemical composition when heated but nothing major. Unlike boiling vegetables nothing will be leached. If you are worried just add hot water.

However, the key thing to remember is any dog food is not designed for greyhounds. So any lurcher with a lot of greyhound in it needs a slightly different diet with a higher fat and calcium content. Using dry as a base is fine but adding extra fat and calcium is important. This is more than just getting an extra 5% out of your dog, the wrong diet can cause both muscle and bone problems.

A raw diet is problematic for greyhounds. They need carbohydrates.

[The one 8,514]

I will soak a cupful of dry for the old dogs 14. 13 and some times feed it warm if its cold the younger dogs are fed totally on meat and turn there noses up at dry

[sandymere 8,263]

No vegetables should be cooked in water: most of the nutrients are leached out in the process. It is much better for taste as well as nutritionally to steam them. That said, our modern veg and fruit are so much less nutritious than they were a hundred years ago you'd probably be just as well boiling the little life out of them and dosing up on vitamin pills.

I'd avoids the vitamin pills likely more harm than good

 

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20161208-why-vitamin-supplements-could-kill-you

 

and the effects of cooking veggies is a mixed picture, some positive some not so.

 

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/raw-veggies-are-healthier/

 

life is rarely black and white.

Edited September 20, 2017 by sandymere

[troyboy17 632]

When going to the midland I was talking to the woman on the skinners store and she asked what I feed my dogs on I said australian with meat she said they are not like greyhounds they need more carbs has they are doing a lot more running than a greyhound

[bird 10,007]

How old is dog bud if a pup fair enough if adult i would feed dry help clean its teeth etc. Atb

spot on , to soggy with put tarter on the teeth, i feed dry with mince chicken , just leave plenty of water down for them to drink .

[Phil Lloyd 10,738]

Not sure of the scientific benefits of even feeding dry foodstuffs to lurchers...

But when I did, I always poured some lukewarm gravy/broth over the mess,..it just made me feel better...

 

AS regards feeding regimes, "You do, what you do"....it's a free country,..etc, etc,..but personally,...I don't think you can beat, a bit of raw meat...

 

Obviously, a totally meat fed diet is wrong,..no cur in the wild, be he a hunter, or a scavenger, would be fortunate enough to make a kill every day...

Back in the day,...I fed a team of hard-working lamping dogs.( I used to run them, two weeks on, two weeks off, following the moon phases)...on a meager diet that consisted mostly of Vitalin! They survived,..indeed, we thrived, but on reflection,...I feel they would have done even better,.. if they had grubbed a bit better.

 

Nowadays I give the dogs whatever comes my way

 

Possibly its ok for dogs being prepared for an event, (a weekly race or a match), or even a laboratory full of smoking Beagles might benefit from existing on a repetitive and controlled style of feeding,...

 

However, for roustabout hunting curs,... I do believe that variety,.. is the spice of life...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 22, 2017 by Phil Lloyd

[troyboy17 632]

Is that meat per dog per day phil lol

[sandymere 8,263]

as with Phil I used Vitalin back n the day, admittedly used to add fish scraps to it, and ran lurchers hard along with training and racing greyhounds. They all did well which goes to show just how adaptable dogs are rather than it was a good diet. I would agree variety is a good place to start a diet.

 

surprised no one has mentioned tinned tomatoes yet , the super food for all lurchers, or so they say

[Robert hasselhoff 137]

Who remembers going down the school pig bins with a washing up bowl under your arm, ran like champion's on that they did lol

[Rabbit Hunter 6,613]

For those in the know. Would adding lard or something similar to the dog's diet be good for them? It seems from reading this that it's the fatty stuff that's good for them?

[Guest vin]

I used to think I was posh feeding Vitalin gold. add a tin of Chappie and dogs looked well on it.

[mushroom 13,310]

I have to feed biscuits when I go to the mountains, I always add a tin of oily fish to it with the juices to moisten them.

 

I do notice a huge difference in his water intake however his energy levels seem to remain unchanged.

 

In the house I mainly feed raw and table scraps mixed with rice, couscous or quinoa