As a child, I remember my Mom preparing our dog’s dry food, or kibble, for meals.
She added in plenty of things to make it more nutritious and attractive, including water.
This was before the web so she should have learned it from a book, magazine, or it was passed along from knowledgeable dog owners.
A couple of years ago I assumed I heard some “latest information” about this practice that said that what she had been doing was improper – that it’s a extremely bad idea so as to add water to dry kibble.
But I’ve done it myself over time for various reasons and, logically, it didn’t make sense that it was harmful.
So I made a decision to do a little analysis to resolve the difficulty – to verify that either adding water to kibble was useful or proof that it was not a superb practice.
Should You Add Water to Dry Dog Food?
I’m unsure where I got the impression that adding water to dry kibble was harmful because my research revealed more advantages than negatives.
The negatives are usually not insignificant, but they’re more of a caution, or things to concentrate on, than outright dangers.
Advantages of adding water to your dog’s kibble:
1) Increased hydration
Water is required for all cellular, organ, and tissue functions of the body.
Generally, dogs should devour one ounce per pound of body weight on daily basis to make sure that they’re hydrated. (source)
When you dog doesn’t drink enough water, they might be come dehydrated. This, in turn, may lead to health issues.
Adding water to your dog’s food might help increase their overall fluid intake.
Do not forget that decreased thirst might be an indication of an underlying medical problem so in the event you dog’s drinking habits suddenly and significantly modified, discuss with your veterinarian.
2) Slows down aggressive eaters
In case your dog has a bent to gulp, gobble, or eat their food very fast, gulpers, adding water to your dog’s dry food could cause them decelerate.
In case your dog eats their food too fast, it may possibly cause bloat, choking, gagging, and vomiting.
I’ve found that the water method to slow eating is simplest once you add enough water that the kibble barely floats (think bobbing for applies) and I don’t let it soak in.
3) Urinary tract health
A dog’s urinary system is what processes and removes waste from the body and this method is dependent upon water to maneuver waste through the system.
Adding extra water to your dog’s dry kibble can increase water intake.
4) More easily digested
Moistening dry pet food might help break down the food, making it easier in your dog to digest and absorb the nutrients.
5) Weight reduction
In case your dog must drop some pounds, you’ll be able to replace a part of their normal portion with an identical volume of calorie-free water.
Doing this can help your dog feel full and satisfied despite the fact that they’re eating less kibble.
6) Entice picky eaters
While many dogs are food obsessed, some dogs are picky eaters.
Adding water to melt your dog’s kibble could make it more enticing since it smells and tastes higher, resulting in increased appetite and pleasure of mealtime.
7) Easier to chew
In case your dog has dental issues, missing teeth, or has difficulty chewing, moistening the food could make it easier for them to eat and digest.
8) Cost savings
All pet food has some moisture in it, even dry kibble (you’ll be able to see this in dietary evaluation breakdown on the back of the package).
But, obviously, dry pet food has less moisture than canned or raw food.
Canned and kibble are typically costlier than kibble, which implies a part of what you might be paying for is water.
9) Consistency preference
Some dogs may prefer a softer, moister texture of their food, and adding water to dog kibble will help achieve this.
10) Bloat prevention
A dog fed a moist weight loss plan – raw, canned, or moistened dry food – is far less prone to develop bloat, also generally known as gastric dilatation and volvulus, which is a potentially life-threatening condition in dogs.
Explanation why you may not wish to add water to your dog’s dry food:
There are some drawbacks to adding extra water to your dog’s food.
These include:
1) No teeth cleansing motion
I’m mentioning this one since it’s a standard claim that arduous, dry kibble will help your dog’s teeth stay clean on account of the chewing motion.
Nonetheless, this has not been my experience.
First, a dog must actually chew their food for this to be effective, and plenty of just swallow it.
Second, my dogs have eaten different diets over time and I saw no difference within the cleanliness of their teeth regardless of which sort – raw, canned, or dry kibble – they were eating.
However it is feasible that chewing hard kibble might help keep some dog’s teeth clean so sofening with water would negate that profit.
Personally, I don’t depend on my dog’s weight loss plan to assist maintain dental health. As an alternative , I exploit this at-home teeth cleansing technique (it’s not brushing).
2) Increased meal prep time
You’ll see below that it’s best to add the water at supper time after which wait 1-5 minutes for the dry food to melt, thus adding significant time to meal prep.
When you’re in a rush, or prefer to keep the method and quick and straightforward as possible, then soaking your dog’s dry kibble in water is probably not for you.
3) Unappetizing texture
While some dogs prefer to eat soft, moist food, some don’t.
Adding water to your dog’s kibble may make the feel unappetizing and fewer enjoyable.
4) Wasted food
Moistening your dog’s dry pet food can reduce the shelf life.
Since it’s best to place any uneaten soft kibble within the refrigerator, there may be potential for it to dry out and not taste good to your dog.
Also, any moistened kibble must be thrown out after 24 hours if not eaten to scale back the risks of spoilage.
Which means that it’s possible you’ll end of throwing out among the pet food that you just purchase.
5) Water intoxication
Consider it or not, it is feasible to over-hydrate your dog. It’s called water intoxication, or hyponatremia in medical terms.
When you add an excessive amount of water to your dog’s food, it’s possible to overhydrate them, which will be harmful to your dog’s health.
When a comparatively great amount of water is consumed in a brief time period, the balance of electrolytes within the dog’s body is disrupted, which may cause a disturbance in brain function.
Symptoms of water intoxication include staggering, lack of coordination, lethargy, nausea, vomiting, dilated pupils, light gum color, and excessive salivation.
While water intoxication is comparatively rare, and dogs that swim, drink excessive water after exercise, or “catch” pressurized water from the hose are at the best risk, it is feasible it could occur from putting way an excessive amount of water in your dog’s food.
Make Your Own Determination
It’s vital to make your personal determination when deciding so as to add water to your dog’s dry food or not.
Consider the professionals and cons above and choose in the event you think it could help your personal dog.
Then give it a try to see if it really works for you and your dog likes it.
If you’ve got concerns or notice any negative changes in your dog’s health after adding water to their food, it’s best to stop and seek the advice of along with your veterinarian.
When you do determine to place water in your dog’s food at mealtime, follow the directions below.
Tips on how to Add Water to Your Dog’s Food
Adding water to your dog’s dry food seems pretty straightforward but there are some nuances to enduring it’s effective and secure.
So as to add water to dry pet food, follow these steps:
- Measure out the proper portion of dry food based in your dog’s size, age, and activity level.
- Place the dry food in a bowl.
- Pour 1 Tbsp. to 1/4 c lukewarm water (not hot or boiling, water over the food to stop any risk of them burning their mouth), deepening on the quantity of food and the scale of your dog, over the kibble.
- Gently mix it with a spoon to assist moisten all the pieces.
- Let the food soak for 1-5 minutes until it reaches the specified consistency (typically, partially softened but not mush).
- Stir the food again to evenly distribute the water and softened kibble pieces.
- Serve the moistened food to your dog immediately.
Put any moistened food your dog didn’t eat within the refrigerator to supply at the subsequent meal.
In case your dog doesn’t eat it after 24 hours, throw it out to scale back the danger of it spoiling or becoming contaminated with bacteria.
Alternatives to Water
Adding water to your dog’s kibble is the best solution to gain the advantages of moistened kibble.
However it’s not the one way.
There are other liquids that you could use that may nutritionally enhance your dog’s meal.
Bone Broth
There are numerous advantages of bone broth in your dog, including promoting a healthy gut, supporting the immune system, and tempting picky dogs.
Bone broth can be a natural source of glucosamine to assist support healthy joints and cartilage.
You’ll be able to buy pre-made bone broth at most pet stores or use this easy bone broth recipe to make your personal.
Goat’s milk
While your dog mustn’t drink cow’s milk, goat’s milk raw goat’s milk incorporates far less lactose than cow’s milk and is usually secure.
Goat’s milk is a source of probiotics, that are good for digestive health, and might help generally support dog’s with health issues.
Dog hydration/electrolytes drink
In case your dog is dehydrated, vomiting, or has diarrhea, they might need electrolytes along with extra water.
Electrolytes help to take care of normal fluid balance within the blood and tissues.
You’ll be able to add electrolytes to your dog’s meal by utilizing something like Nulo Hydrate or Vet Classics Pet-A-Lyte (affiliate links) instead of plain water.
Final Thoughts
There are numerous advantages to adding water to your dog’s dry food like helping to stop dehydration, increased digestibility, making it easier to chew, and helping with weight reduction.
You can too swap out all or a part of the plain water with other liquids, like goat’s milk, bone broth, or oral electrolyte solutions, for added advantages.
If you’ve got concerns or notice any negative changes in your dog’s health after adding water to their food, it’s best to stop and seek the advice of along with your veterinarian.