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Vet says never add water to your dog’s dry kibble for two key health reasons
If you have a fussy dog, it’s tempting to add water to their dry kibble to make the food more enticing, but a vet has warned against it.
While softening the dog food can make it easier to digest and enhance the flavor, there are also some downsides to consider.
Never add water to your dog’s dry kibble
“In my experience no, you should not be hydrating your dog’s food with water,” Dr. Amir Anwary said on TikTok.
The first reason is that dry food has a “natural polishing effect” on your dog’s teeth, so softening those dry pellets with water takes that benefit away. If you are not actively cleaning your pet’s teeth, this could result in tooth decay.
“The dental disease is going to progress a lot faster in a dog that is being fed a soften dry food as opposed to one that is being fed just dry food,” he explained.
Dental issues are one of the most common reasons that dogs have to visit the vet and over 80% of dogs over the age of three have active dental disease, VCA Animal Hospital reveals.
Next up, feeding your dog hydrated kibble could also result in increased pathogenic bacteria, which leads to health issues.
The vet referenced a study which compared dry food to softened dry food. It found that the dogs who ate the softened food had higher bacteria counts in their gut, resulting in increased inflammatory mediators and higher cortisol levels.
“Dogs have a very strong stomach acid and that breaks down protein and also kills bad bacteria. When you add moisture to your dog’s food, you are essentially diluting that very strong stomach acid, making it less effective,” Anwary said.
This means that more bacteria can get through the stomach into the gut, potentially making your dog unwell.
How to make dry dog food more appealing
If your dog has stopped eating their dry food, there are lots of things you can do to make it more appealing without adding water.
Dog food brand Pooch & Mutt recommends making sure the kibble is fresh. As soon as the seal is broken, dog food begins to spoil, making it taste stale. If the bag was opened a long time ago, that could be why your pet isn’t eating it.
You could also try mixing the food with other ingredients such as gravy, yogurt, broth, eggs, vegetables or salmon oil. Combining the dry kibble with some wet dog food or a topper usually does the trick for many dogs.
If none of that works, you may need to switch to a new dog food. Choosing one with a high meat content will make it more appealing and have bigger nutritional benefits.
Dr. Amir Anwary is a qualified veterinarian from South Africa who currently works in Tampa, Florida.
