5 Pros and cons of putting water in Kibble (Explained)
Everyone would love the idea of their dog being healthy, happy and generally being their best. After all, our canine friends have become part of the family!
Adding water to your dog’s kibble is a simple and inexpensive way to get them to try out a healthy way of eating their favorite dog food.
When you add a little water to dry dog food, like kibbles, there are several exciting things that happen.
We all know how important it is to stay hydrated all day, and our dogs are no different. Putting water in our pets’ food is a simple and almost free way to make sure they stay healthy
In this blog post, we discuss the Pros and Cons of putting water in your dog’s Kibble:
– Should you put water in your dog’s kibble? Well, most dog owners believe that adding a little water to their dog’s kibble makes mealtime more interesting and fun for their canine friends.
They also believe that adding water to their dog’s kibble will not only help it last longer but will also keep it fresher.
Nonetheless, there are also a lot of pet owners who don’t like the idea of putting water in their dog’s kibble.
Let’s explore more about the pros and cons of this practice in the next section of this blog post;
Pros of Putting Water in Your Dog’s Food
Adding water to dry kibble food for your dog can help them drink more water and improve their overall health, as further discussed below:
1. Adding water to your dog’s kibble helps your cat or dog drink more water
Dogs most of the time tend to lose too much water. In fact, most pets don’t drink enough to make up for the dry food they eat, so they end up with chronic, mild dehydration.
Hydration is the key to all the other benefits in this section because it’s the first step in making sure your furry friend can digest its food, keep a healthy weight and metabolism, and avoid the health risks that come with being dehydrated.
It’s important to keep your pet from getting dehydrated, especially if they don’t drink much water. By soaking their food in clean water, they are more likely to get enough water in their daily diet.
However, keep in mind that there are other foods that have more water in them from the start.
When rehydrated, kibbles have a lot of water because you add water to them when you make them. As the name suggests, wet foods also tend to have a lot of water.
2. Adding water to your dog’s kibble can help your pet reach its weight-loss goals
When you add water to your dog’s food, it will help its stomach to feel “full.” The water fills up the stomach, which makes people less likely to eat too much and eat fewer calories overall.
This can be especially helpful if you are trying to help your dog lose weight. Your dog may also be bloated because of what they eat. When dry dog food comes into contact with water, it gets bigger.
If this happens in the digestive tract, it can increase the risk of bloat or gastric torsion, which can cause dangerous swelling and bloating.
This risk is lower if you let the kibble soak before your dog eats it. This also helps your pet stay at a healthy weight. The extra water also makes your pet go to the bathroom more often, which can help with constipation or water retention.
3. Adding water to your dog’s kibble can keep your dog from getting stones in their urinary tracts
Adding water to dry food or switching to diets with more moisture helps prevent chronic dehydration. This is good for pets that are prone to urinary tract infections, blockages, and kidney problems because it keeps the urinary system flushed.
Dry food can put more stress on the kidneys, which is especially true for cats. It can also make the urine more concentrated, which can make infections more likely.
4. Adding water to your dog’s kibble makes food taste better (Especially With Warm Water)
Adding water to your pet’s food is also a good idea if you want to make it taste better. Seriously. Dogs that are picky eaters might not eat dry food, but adding warm water brings out the food’s taste and smell, making it more appealing to them.
Most mammals can taste and enjoy what they eat or drink more when the temperature of the food or drink is close to their own body temperature.
5. Adding water to your dog’s kibble can help to suffer from arthritis
Because the additional moisture in their diet helps reduce pain and stiffness in their joints, adding water to your dog’s kibble can also help dogs with arthritis or other joint problems.
This is especially true in cases where the dog has been prescribed a joint supplement by its veterinarians, such as glucosamine or chondroitin sulfate.
The cons of adding water to your dog’s kibble
1. Adding water to your dog’s kibble can result to symptoms of bloating and diarrhea
Some dogs, particularly those canines that are sensitive to or allergic to specific components of their diet, may have bloating and diarrhea as a result of adding an excessive amount of water to their food (like certain vitamins).
2. Adding water to your dog’s kibble helps can cause chewing discomfort or difficulty
Adding water to the kibble that your dog eats might make it more difficult for your dog to chew and digest the food. Kibble that has been exposed to water may become soggy, which can make it more difficult for your dog to chew and ultimately digest the food.
3. Adding water to your dog’s kibble can cause digestive difficulties
The addition of water to the kibble that you feed your dog might create digestive issues in certain dogs, particularly if the dog is sensitive to or allergic to specific components of the food that they eat (like certain vitamins).
4. Adding water to your dog’s kibble can make it drop in quantity
If you add an excessive amount of water, you could find that you wind up with a lower amount of kibble than you typically would if you only added water by itself.
5. Adding water to your dog’s kibble makes kibbles less nutritious
If you add an excessive amount of water, the kibble will get watered down and less nutritious as a result.
When Adding Water to Dog Kibble, There Are Several Factors to Consider.
When moistening dry dog food with water, the following are some crucial considerations to keep in mind:
The climate
The higher heat of summer will make it necessary for your four-legged companion to consume a greater quantity of water.
This indicates that during this season, it will be helpful to provide your pet with regular feedings of water mixed with their kibble. You should only do this four or five times a day with the dog kibble, ideally adding just a very tiny quantity each time.
The quantity of dog kibble that was served
It is important to pay close attention because the amount of water should be slightly lower than that of the kibble that your dog will eat. For instance, you may combine one cup of kibble for your dog with a half cup of water.
Keep in mind that the objective is to moisten the meal rather than to completely submerge it in water.
The preferences of your dog.
Every dog is different in terms of the shape of the food that they find most appetizing. Some people really like it when their meal is mushy, while others would rather have it be just wet.
To determine which amount of water they like, begin by adding the minimum required amount and gradually increase it over the course of several days.
The temperature of the water
Use lukewarm water because it will soften the dog’s food faster than cold water. After you have poured the water into the kibble, you should not wait an excessive amount of time before giving it to your dog to eat.
5 Pros and cons of putting water in Kibble Conclusion
One thing you need to remember about adding water to your dog’s kibble!
Food that gets wet can’t be left out all day. If you leave your dog’s food out for most of the day so they can back to it, you’ll need to make a few changes to this habit.
Water makes it easier for bacteria to grow, so that bowl of food could go bad in just a few hours, and you’ll have to throw it away.
If you don’t, you risk giving your dog bacteria that can make them sick.
Keep in mind that if you’re going to add water to your dog’s kibble ensure that they eat it within an hour or two.
This protects the quality and taste of the kibble, so your dog will enjoy eating it again and again. It also makes it less likely that your dog will get sick from eating food that has gone bad.
Lastly, remember that putting water in dry dog food is supposed to make their health better, not make them more likely to get sick.