Most dogs are fed a diet based on dry food. However, it is common for caregivers to wonder if they should moisten their pets' food. Although it should not be the norm, there are certain situations in which adding water to the feed may be recommended, or even necessary, to prevent or improve some pathologies.
If you're wondering if Can you add water to dog food?, join us in the next article on our site at that we explain in what cases and how you can do it.
Is it good to put water in dog food?
Most groomers are aware that their dogs usually have a preference for wet food than for dry food. In fact, most animals tend to prefer food with 60-70% water. However, we must bear in mind that dry feed has a number of advantages over wet feed:
- Prevents the onset of periodontal disease: the mechanical effect of chewing dry feed allows dental plaque to be removed and thus delays the appearance of tartar. In addition, dry feed helps strengthen the periodontal ligament, which prevents the loss of teeth at advanced ages.
- Contributes to a feeling of fullness: chewing not only facilitates the digestion of food, but also promotes a feeling of fullness. Dry feed requires longer and more laborious chewing than wet feed, which makes the animals feel full sooner and consume fewer calories. This fact is especially relevant to prevent overweight in very voracious dogs. If you want to know how to choose a feed for overweight dogs? You can do it by consulting this post that we suggest.
- Lower cost: As a general rule, dry feeds tend to be cheaper than wet feeds.
- Better preservation: having a lower water content, dry feed is more stable and is preserved for longer periods.
For these reasons, in most cases it is preferable to offer a diet based on dry feed, always supplemented with fresh and clean water freely available. However, there are certain situations that we will explain later, in which it may be convenient to provide a wet feed or a moistened dry feed, instead of a dry feed.
How to mix water with dog food?
When you decide to mix the feed with water or other liquids, you must do it at the time you are going to offer the ration to your dog. Depending on your preferences, there are a number of considerations to take into account:
- You can mix the feed with room temperature or hot water.
- You must check the texture so that it is to your liking and add the appropriate amount of water depending on it.
- Food Too liquid is usually not pleasant for most dogs: therefore, we recommend that you initially make a thicker paste very thick, and then adjust the texture based on your dog's preferences.
On the other hand, you should remember that, even if you moisten your dog's food, you should always offer him a complementary bowl with fresh, clean water. Even if you add water to your dog's food, it is probably not enough to maintain its proper hydration levels, so it is essential that it always has access to freely available water.
What can dog food be mixed with?
When you decide to moisten your dog's food, you can choose one of the following alternatives depending on the needs and preferences of your pet:
- Water: This is the easiest and cheapest option. You can mix the feed with water at room temperature or, if your dog prefers, with warm water.
- Broth: in adult dogs you can also consider the option of mixing the feed with broth, either chicken, meat or Made of veggies. In this way, you will not only improve the palatability of the feed but also increase the nutritional value of the ration. In any case, it is important that it does not contain s alt to avoid raising sodium levels in the diet. Like water, you can mix the feed with the broth at room temperature, or if your dog prefers, with warm broth.
- Formula milk: in the specific case of weaning puppies, it is preferable to mix the dry feed withspecific formula milk for dogs , which you can find available at any veterinary clinic or pet store. At the beginning of weaning, it is preferable that you mix the feed with warm milk, since puppies are used to consuming food at body temperature (about 38ºC). As weaning progresses, you can reduce the temperature of the milk, until you provide it at room temperature. It is important to clarify that you should never mix the feed with milk from another animal species, such as cow's milk, since it could cause diarrhea with fatal consequences for the puppies. When are puppy dogs weaned? Discover the answer in this article on our site that we recommend.
In what cases can water and dog food be mixed?
As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, dry food has a number of advantages over wet food, which makes it the first choice of food for most dogs.
However, there are certain conditions, both physiological and pathological, in which moistening dry feed with water may be recommended or even necessary. In this section, we collect the main cases in which water can be added to dog food.
Puppies
Dogs, like other mammals, should be fed exclusively with breast milk during the first stage of their lives. As a general rule, puppies should have a lactation period of a month or a month and a half. After this time and once the first teeth begin to come out, the puppies must be weaned. To allow the animal's digestive system to adapt to the transition from a liquid diet, such as milk, to a solid and dry diet, it is important to carry out the weaning progressively
To achieve gradual weaning, a puppy dry food moistened with water or formula milk should be offered. The objective is to create a porridge that is less and less liquid, until the puppies are able to eat the completely dry feed. In this way, not only will we avoid gastrointestinal problems, but we will facilitate the weaning of the litter by resembling the taste of the feed to that of the milk to which they were accustomed.
You may be interested in this post about what to feed a puppy of 1 month or less?
Oral problems
Dogs with problems in the oral cavity (such as gingivitis, periodontal disease, mouth ulcers, etc.) may have some difficulty grasping and chewingof hard foods. For this reason, in these cases it is advisable to offer moistened food, in order to avoid chewing being painful or dry feed aggravating the lesions of the oral cavity.
Check this article on our site to learn about some Oral Wounds in Dogs and have more information on the subject.
Gastrointestinal disorders
Dogs that are going through any digestive process with vomiting, diarrhea or abdominal pain, can benefit from the contribution of a wet food, due to its greater digestibility. The addition of water to the feed helps reduce the effort required to process the feed. In addition, provides extra hydration to these animals that, as a result of vomiting and diarrhoea, may be somewhat dehydrated.
If you want to know other digestive problems in dogs: causes, symptoms and treatments, don't hesitate to have a look at this article that we recommend.
Convalescent dogs
Convalescent dogs that have just gone through a disease process or have undergone surgery, often lose their appetite and reduce their intake of food. In these cases, it is advisable to moisten the feed to enhance its flavor and stimulate appetite.
Dogs that refuse to drink water
Although it is a behavior more typical of cats, we can also find some dogs that refuse to drink water. In the case of animals in a state of dehydration, it will be necessary to establish a fluid therapy plan to correct this situation. However, in mild situations or as maintenance, you can choose to moisten the feed with water to increase the degree of hydration of the animal.
Why doesn't my dog drink water? Discover the answer to this question in the following article that we recommend.
Advantages and disadvantages of adding water to dog food
As you may have guessed throughout the article, adding water to dog food can provide a series of benefits in certain situations, but it also has a series of disadvantages compared to dry food. drawbacks.
Advantages of adding water to dog food
The main advantages of adding water to dog food are:
- Palatabilidad: moistening the feed enhances its flavor and smell, thus making the food more palatable and appetizing for dogs.
- Digestibility: Compared to dry feed, wet feed is more easily digested and requires less effort from the digestive system for processing.
- Hydration: Wet food helps increase hydration levels, which is especially important for dogs that refuse to drink water.
Disadvantages of adding water to dog food
The main drawbacks of adding water to dog food are:
- Less practicality: when we decide to moisten the feed with water or any other liquid, it is important to do it at the moment in which we are going to offer the rationof food. If we prepare it too far in advance, it is likely that a paste will form that your dog does not like. In addition, being a wet food, it is very likely to attract insects and other pests. Therefore, you must prepare the mixture at the moment and remove it within 20-30 minutes if your dog does not consume it.
- Risk of periodontal disease: unlike dry feed, wet feed favors the proliferation of bacterial plaque and the deposit of tartar. If you want to know more about periodontal disease in dogs: causes, treatment and consequences, don't hesitate to read this post on our site that we suggest.
As you have been able to verify, both the supply of dry and moistened feed has a series of benefits and drawbacks. Deciding the best option for your dog will depend on his needs and the assessment made by your veterinarian in each case. As a general rule, the supply of dry feed should be prioritized, but when necessary, you can opt for wet feeding for as long as you consider appropriate.
