My dog has bad teeth. Can I feed him ground kibble with water?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I’m glad to hear that Luna is eating so well despite having her teeth extracted. Depending on how long ago the procedure was, dogs can sometimes eat kibble still (typically at least three weeks after the procedure). If she does need it to be softened, equal amounts of water to food is perfectly safe for her.

Good question, although it's difficult to answer accurately without knowing Riley's history and medical issues that may have factored into previous advice. As a general rule, it is fine to serve kibble either dry or soaked in water - most dogs do fine with either option and both options have pros & cons. Softening the food helps encourage more water intake and might encourage some dogs to eat a little bit slower (for those dogs who are what I call "scarf & barfers"!). Feeding kibble dry *may* be better for teeth, although in my opinion most kibbles don't do much to help keep teeth clean since they are so easily chewed up, unless you're feeding a prescription dental food such as t/d. So, sorry if this is a non-answer....but frankly both ways of feeding are perfectly acceptable! Hope this helps.

Teething can be painful for puppies, so I would try softening his dry food with warm water, or you can add gently warmed low sodium beef or chicken broth to the dry food to make it softer for him to eat. There are also chew toys you can get for Kiba from the pet store that can be frozen in the freezer, which will help soothe his mouth.

You can soften the dry food by soaking it lightly with just plain warm water or low sodium chicken broth. Don't completely soak it, just use enough liquid to lightly soften the kibble. If you make it too mushy he probably won't eat it. Hope this helps. Best wishes!

His teeth will be fine. Kibble isn't hard enough to fracture teeth, only antlers, bones and some toys can wear down teeth over time. However, you should try softening it a bit until he is used to the kibble and a bit stronger so that he an easily eat his food. In the next few weeks to a month he should be able to eat his food better. : ) Also just keep Best wishes with your pet Vuki and his puppy food. Take care.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would still try to feed the dry food to FIffy. She ate that food when she had 16 bad teeth in her mouth and she will still be able to eat that food after they are removed. You may have to water the food down a little bit to make it soft but really dogs can eat hard food without any teeth. Good luck and kisses to FIffy!

No, it's a good way to increase fluid intake. Try not to change foods too often It can lead to gastrointestinal upset and may make him even more finicky. Stick with one diet. If he gets "bored", keep feeding it. He will eat when he gets hungry. Be firm. Consider a more strict feeding schedule since some dogs thrive on routine.