How to soak dry puppy food?

Converting dogs to dry food has advantages for both owners and pets. No need to spend time cooking, you can quickly feed your pet, while he receives all the vitamins and minerals necessary for his body. But it should be noted that the transfer to dry food should be gradual, and if we are talking about puppies, then this issue needs to be approached more scrupulously. The first time for kids is to soak the feed. It is important for dog owners to know how to do this.

From birth, puppies feed on breast milk, but as they grow older they become interested in other foods. First of all, they get acquainted with what their mother eats, and even taste the food. But if she eats specialized dry dog ​​food, then puppies are unlikely to be able to bite such a treat, because the teeth of the babies are still not strong enough.

Complementary feeding begins at the second month of puppies' life. Some breeders prefer to feed their pets with natural food, so they use meat broth, boiled minced meat, dairy products and milk as complementary foods.

Industrial feed is divided into several classes:

• holistic;
• economy;
• Premium
• super premium.

The latter option would be a good choice for pets. Its rich composition replaces a full-fledged diet, so eating such food, animals grow and develop in accordance with the norms.As a rule, for puppies, feeds are available in the form of pastes, pastes and canned food, consisting of small pieces of soft treats with sauce or jelly.

There is also dry food for babies, but it is recommended to give them only after 4 months. The appearance of such food differs from treats for adult dogs in the size and density of granules. Also, the food has a shiny surface due to its high fat and calorie content.

Despite the recommendations of the manufacturers, the breeders argue that it is necessary to soak dry food for puppies, and there are several reasons for this:

• hard granules can damage the baby’s tender gums;
• milk teeth are not strong enough to gnaw at so solid food;
• in the stomach of a small pet there are no necessary enzymes for the digestion of dry granules, which can cause disruption of the digestive tract;
• the consumption of dry food during teething can lead to curvature.

There is an opinion among dog owners that gnawing dry food helps strengthen and cleanse teeth, but this is a fallacy. To remove plaque, it is necessary to resort to ordinary brushing with a brush, and for strengthening it is recommended to give the puppy special toys. It should also be borne in mind that as a result of damage to the gums by hard granules, the baby will experience discomfort at every meal, because of which he will not be able to eat the prescribed portion or will refuse to eat at all.

Soaked food can be given to puppies whose age exceeds 1 month. This can be either a separate dish, or an addition to soup, porridge and other foods. It is recommended to feed the dogs with soaked granules until their milk teeth change. For each breed, this period lasts differently, as a rule, amounting to no more than six months. Hence, at the 7th month of life, you can add dry granules to your pet’s food, but their number should not exceed 25% of the portion.

There are several ways to soak the feed using different fluids. The main condition is that the liquid must be warm or at least room temperature. Quite often, boiled water with a temperature of 40-50 degrees is used, which allows you to quickly steam the feed. At the same time, its smell intensifies, becoming more attractive to the puppy.

To soak the feed, it is recommended to use a metal bowl, because the temperature is better held in it. The granules filled with warm liquid are covered with a lid or a plate, and left for about 20-30 minutes. After the feed increases in volume and becomes soft, you need to drain the excess liquid and knead with a fork, turning it into slurry. But you can also feed the baby a softened feed without additional chopping.

In this case, you can not remove the remaining liquid after softening the granules, the puppy will enjoy it with pleasure. It is important to remember that the broth should be non-greasy, since the crumb’s stomach will not be able to absorb it, which will cause indigestion. To soften dry dog ​​food, milk is often used, but it is important to note that it should not be cow's. Breeders recommend the following options:

• milk powder - especially if the puppy has a poor appetite;
• industrial substitute for baked milk, the composition of which is as close as possible to natural;
• diluted goat milk in a ratio of 1: 1.

It will take longer to soften the dry granules in milk. The prepared amount of food should be enough for one meal, since it is impossible to store milk-soaked food, each time you need to cook a new portion. In rare cases, kefir is used to soak the food, because it is not suitable for all dogs. Choosing this option, it is important to consider some of the features of cooking for the baby:

• you can use only natural kefir with a low percentage of fat content;
• the temperature of kefir should not exceed 38 degrees, so it is better to heat it in a water bath;
• to completely soften the granules, it will take at least 20 minutes;
• the cooked treat is not to be stored.

Soaking dry food in kefir is well suited for babies with dysbiosis. As a rule, this digestive disorder is observed in puppies who lived on the street or in rural areas. But it should be remembered that dysbiosis can begin as a result of stress associated with a change of residence.

In order not to harm the puppy's growing body, it is necessary to adhere to several recommendations.

1. Starting to introduce dog food into the diet, the first time to soak is to use only water. After 1-2 months, you can try to soften the food in low-fat broth and milk, but if the baby has indigestion, then this idea is better to refuse.
2. You can use exclusively warm water, the temperature of which does not exceed 40 degrees. When dry granules are boiled in boiling water, some useful substances are simply destroyed, therefore, the feed will be less useful and nutritious.
3. After feeding the puppy, the leftover food needs to be cleaned in the refrigerator, but they can be stored for no more than 12 hours. Before the next feeding, you need to warm up the food a little. It should be noted that such manipulations can only be carried out with food soaked in water, and in other cases, the remains must be discarded.
4. For steaming food, it is absolutely necessary to use purified water, and it is also important not to forget to wash the bowl before cooking and after that.

Dog owners must remember that water should always be freely available to the pet, because due to a lack of fluid, the digestive process of a pet can be disturbed.

On how to properly soak the feed, see below.