The Importance of Adding Water to your Pet's Food
Everything You Should Know About Adding Water To Dry Dog Food
It is no secret that we want our dogs to feel their absolute best – after all, they are family! Adding water to dry dog food is one of the easiest and affordable ways to incorporate more healthy habits into their daily lives! There are many great benefits associated with adding a bit of water to dry dog food like kibbles.
We all know how vital it is to drink enough water throughout the day, and our pets are no exception. Adding water to our pets' food is a simple, almost cost-free way to guarantee that they remain healthy. The advantages of adding a little water to their bowl are too significant to overlook. First, here are a few do’s and don’ts when adding water to your dog’s dry food.
What To Do When Adding Water To Dry Dog Food
While mixing some water into your dog’s food may seem pretty straightforward, there are certainly a few questions that are sure to arise when you first get started. These are a few things that you should do when starting to mix your dog’s water with their dry food.
Mixing Canned And Dry Pet Food Can Be Great
Adding canned food to dry food is a great option to consider as you begin to add moisture and taste to your dog's meal. This also allows you to buy a variety of foods that are much kinder to your budget. As always, you should consult with your veterinarian about supplementing your dry dog food with a portion of canned food. This is to ensure that the mixed food meets his or her nutritional requirements, as well as making sure that the proper dry to wet food ratio is met for each meal.
If You're Using Dry Kibble, Consider Adding Some Water
Dry kibble is a favorite food of many dogs and other pets. However, if your pet has lost interest in the meal, it may be time to add some "gravy," aka water. It's also really simple and costs almost nothing! To moisten and enhance the flavor of the pet food, simply pour about a quarter cup of filtered water over the top of the bowl of kibble. This is particularly helpful for dogs that don't meet their recommended water intake throughout the day, as they are prone to dehydration. Consult your veterinarian to see if adding water to your pet's diet might be beneficial.
If Your Dog Is A Picky Eater, Then Mix It Up!
Shape, texture, and aroma are three of the most significant aspects of pet food that tempt your dog to dig in! Offer your pet a variety of foods with varied forms, textures, and/or scents to mix things up a little. You might just be astonished to learn how much your dog enjoys the adventure of eating something that is a little more surprising to their palette!
What You Should Avoid When Adding Water To Dry Dog Food
Even though adding water to your pup’s dry food is usually harmless and doesn’t induce any unwanted side effects, there are still a few things that you should keep in mind or avoid when taking on this new routine.
Don’t Start Mixing With Talking To Your Dog’s Vet
Many pet foods are designed to cater to a specific life stage, lifestyle, and, in some cases, specific health conditions. Mixing foods at random without taking this into account might have the potential to lead to undesirable or harmful outcomes. A few of these include creating unwanted weight gain, overexposure to particular vitamins and minerals, as well as some other health effects. Instead of guessing, consult an expert - your veterinarian. This helps to ensure that you are doing what is truly best for your beloved dog.
Hold Off On Mixing Therapeutic An Specialty Foods – Consult Your Vet
Therapeutic diets provide major advantages for our dogs, but it is important to remember that the science behind pet meals continues to advance and change. Therapeutic diets are designed to prevent or delay the onset of a variety of illnesses. However, you should never add anything to a therapeutic diet regime without first consulting your veterinarian. It may have the unintended consequence of diluting the specific composition and, as a result, counteracting the benefits intended for your furry friend.
Why You Should Add Water To Your Dog’s Dry Pet Food
After you have determined, with the help of your dog’s healthcare provider, whether it is acceptable to add water to their dry food, it is important to understand all of the many health benefits that are provided by this practice. Aside from helping to encourage your dog to eat the proper amount of his or her food, adding water to dry dog food can aid in health factors such as digestion, water intake, and much more! Here is what you need to know.
Increases Water Consumption
This is especially important for dogs that don't drink enough water throughout the day or may be more prone to certain conditions, such as weather, that can affect their hydration. It's just as crucial for our pets' health as it is for ours to stay hydrated. Adding a small amount of filtered water to their food bowl is a simple approach to encourage your dog to drink more water and keep themselves hydrated.
Are you already including wet food in your pet's diet? That's fantastic! However, if it's a pate or ground raw food, you should still consider adding water. It will assist them in keeping even more water in their bodies and staying as hydrated as possible.
Enhances Appetite
Adding water to your dog's food can assist in stimulating their appetite if they are fussy or have a lesser food drive. The kibble swells and emits its aroma when water is added, which may pique your pet's curiosity and encourage them to further engage with their food during meal times. Some pets prefer wet food to dry food.
So, soaking kibble in water can help if your dog prefers wet food but needs to incorporate some dry options into their diet. Additionally, because moistened kibble is simpler to chew, your pet will have a more delightful feeding experience, which may increase his appetite.
It Makes Them Eat Slower
Is your dog gulping down his food? For a quick fix, all you need to do is add water. Dry kibble is readily gulped down in large mouthfuls, but adding water prevents your pet from "vacuuming" up all of the food in a short period of time. Speed feeding has been linked to health issues such as bloat, which is especially problematic in larger dogs. Adding water to your pet's food will help them eat more slowly and avoid potentially dangerous stomach problems.
Aids In Digestion
Let's face it: kibble is difficult. It's dry and brittle, and most dogs will swallow whole chunks rather than chewing them up, causing their digestive system to work harder to break down the bits. Because our dogs' GI tracts are much shorter compared to ours, food is digested in a fraction of the time. When we add water to our pet's kibble, it softens and becomes simpler to digest, reducing the likelihood of GI distress. For pups and senior dogs, moistened kibble might make chewing simpler, encouraging them to be excited for feeding and better enjoy their experience.
It Makes Preventing Health Issues Easier
Do you know what can happen if your dog doesn't consume enough water and experiences dehydration? Their bodies begin to experience a variety of health issues. Dehydration can result in an electrolyte imbalance, which can harm nearly every organ in the body. Circulation is also affected, and the risk of urinary tract infections rises.
Unfortunately, urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common health concerns in pets, and they are virtually always caused by a lack of water intake. Adding water to dry dog food is one of the most effective and simplest ways to ensure they are getting enough water throughout the day.
One Thing You Need To Remember!
Wet food cannot be left out all day. If you leave your dog's food out for the majority of the day while they pick on it, then this practice will require a bit of an adjustment. Moisture encourages bacteria development, so that bowl of food could spoil in a matter of hours, and you'll have to toss it out. Otherwise, you run the risk of exposing your dog to bacteria that can cause illness.
As a result, ensure sure any wet food you feed your pet is eaten within an hour or two. This not only protects the integrity and taste of the food - which will make for a much better eating experience for your dog, but it also better protects them from suffering an illness resulting from spoiled food. Remember, adding water to dry dog food is meant to improve their health, not put them at a greater risk of developing a harmful sickness.