Does kibble size matter?

Have been feeding Eden Dog Food all year & have been pleased with it. However, the kibble size (ie medium which is the "largest" available) received on my most recent order has reduced in size. It is now smaller than a 5p piece & as a result it is being swallowed whole. No crunching. So, does size matter? What about oral health if there is no crunch? I would be reluctant to change the food as the quality is so good but I now I have concerns that the kibble is simply too small.

Have you queried with either the manufacturer or the supplier whether perhaps they put the incorrect size of kibble into the packaging? Or whether they have, in fact, changed the size of the kibble.

I wouldn't want my dogs simply swallowing it. I feed Arden Grange and they do recommend soaking it for around 25 minutes before feeding it - perhaps you could do that instead?

Yes, because I thought the obvious answer would be that it was a packaging issue. I sent photo evidence & then a sample. They were quick to respond but only to confirm I had indeed been sent the medium kibble. So, my query with the manufacturer remains un-answered ie why has everything I have had so far been bigger than what is supplied now.

Precisely - it doesn't seem right to just swallow. It's not a speed thing as they do not bolt their food down. I could try soaking which will probably make it swell but then a softer food won't help with the crunch/teeth hygiene.

This happened to me once with my Fish4Dogs food. Although the bag was the correct bag, they were like tiny little round balls in there (for my gsd!) instead of the large oval shaped ones. I rang them, they couldn't understand what had gone wrong and said they would change it.

this went on for no less than FOUR further deliveries, and it turned out there had been a mistake in the manufacturing process in that the small kibble had been put into the wrong bags (of which I had got 4 of).

My dog loved the smaller kibble, probably cos she could just woof it down, but when you have a large dog, and you look for dog food, the whole reason you go for the "large breed variety" is because of the kibble size.

I got paranoid about it and every bag of food I buy now, I always have a good feel of the kibble through the bag before I buy it.

I suspect something similar might have happened here, so unless you actually get confirmation that they have in fact CHANGED the size of their kibble don't believe a word they say!

Interesting, thank-you. I have been sent a photo of their small kibble up against the sample of my medium kibble. The small kibble is even smaller than the sample I queried which to my eyes makes it similar to bird seed!

To be honest, I'm not convinced that kibble is hard enough to do any good as regards teeth/gum hygiene. It would be like saying we eat biscuits rather than cake for that reason!

I think the same on that score and to be honest if they're not bolting it down I wouldn't worry

I think that theory is outdated . Our dogs kibble is always soaked & every year we get complimented on their teeth/ oral hygiene. Our older dog is fed canned perscription food & same re her mouth

The best thing you can give your dog for a healthy mouth is a raw knuckle/shinbone a couple of times a month, or more often. Thats what ours get.