VITAMINS

[Pam and Ginger Snap]

Do dogs need vitamins in addition to their food?  Ginger gets apples, carrots, cheese, bananas, green beans and sweet potatoes

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

Their poop may smell a bit more as each time they eliminate, the poop will be pressing on the anal glands and expressing them a little, compared to before when their anal glands needed expressing manually (im guessing from your comment)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Kaytlin, that's an excellent point and one I never thought of before!

[Gail+Kathleen,(Sydney+Olivia:)]

I'm sure Sydney and Olivia are much happier too, by expressing their glands naturally rather than having somesone put their finger up their butts.  Sydney and Olivia want me to give a big hug, lick/kiss to Karen since they are feeling so much better!!!!!!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Nicest gift anyone could give me, lol!

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

You've got the answers you need - no need for vitamins. I add fish oil, Tums, and liquid B-12 to Tack's food but that's only because I homecook.

[Gail and Bailey]

Someone mentioned adding liquid to dry kibble....seems to me I read somewhere that if this is done, it alters the nutritional value of the kibble. I think it was something about a probiotic that is sprayed on the dry food...and adding water somehow ruins it.  Anyone hear of this??

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Adding water, broth, or other liquids to kibble does not in any way alter the nutritional value of the kibble. I am not familiar with a probiotic that is sprayed on, but it's hard to understand how water could ruin it. The saliva and digestive liquids are a lot more powerful than water, so how would the probiotic survive those if it's ruined by water?

[Gail+Kathleen,(Sydney+Olivia:)]

I would be curious to hear about this since our Sydney Doodle cannot eat dry kibble due to her esaphagus problems and our vet always suggested giving her wet food.  We add a tablespoon of wet food but then add some warm water to make the kibble like stew.  Both of our doodles never turn up their noses to the stew or as my little nephew calls it "Stoup"!

Karen, any thoughts on this? 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It doesn't make any sense. In what way could a little water change the nutritional content of food? When you cook foods in water, you do lose a little of the nutritional value, but when you add water to kibble, the dog eats everything in the bowl, so any nutritents that might leech into the water would be consumed anyway. And I'm assuming the water is put on the food immediately prior to eating, so there wouldn't even be enough time for a loss of nutrients anyway.

All of the dehydrated raw foods are mixed with tons of water, with no loss of nutrients.

[Gail and Bailey]

Thanks Karen....it made no sense to me either.  I wish I could remember where I read it!!  I will continue to soak my Bailey's kibble as she has an easier time eating it when it is soft.  When she eats it dry she swallows it whole and she looks like she has a hard time swallowing it.....like it hurts her throat.  Sometimes if she doesn't finish her bowl of "soft kibble" it sits for a few hours till she gets back to it...would that be a problem with loss of nutrients?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Not unless you're throwing away the water it soaks in, lol. Usually, the dog consumes all of it, so no problem.

[Gail and Bailey]

We call it her "swollen food"!  It soaks up all the water!!