Does wetting dry dog food make it easier to digest? A Step-by-Step Guide

Option of Freeze-dried Food For Added Nutrition

A little-known advantage of adding water to dry dog food offsets a drawback of dry kibble. Dog food can be freeze-dried which preserves as many nutrients as possible.

This can have a dehydrating effect. A diet consisting only of dry food can affect dogs’ kidneys. Using water to rehydrate freeze-dried dog food helps neutralize the water burden created by dry dog food (to an extent), although some owners do not rehydrate freeze-dried.

Willow eating dry food with added warm water

To sum it up, here are the 7 reasons to add water to your dog’s dry food:

It makes the food easier to digest – your dog will digest wet kibble better.

It helps dogs with oral health problems chew their food.

It can make the food more appealing – good for picky eaters or recuperating dogs.

It can hydrate your dog – hydration is always helpful to mammals.

It can help to slow down a fast eater and prevent bloat (GDV), to which large breeds are prone.

It can help with weight loss as it helps your dog to feel fuller.

It can neutralize the diuretic effect of kibble – most dry dog food is dehydrating.

Why Add Water To Dry Dog Food

You should add water to your dog’s dry food if he finds the kibble unappealing and won’t eat it. If the food is too hard, moistening it can also help improve digestion. But make sure that you don’t add too much water as your dog will reject a sloppy kibble soup.

Advantages and disadvantages of adding water to dog food

As you have been able to see throughout the article, adding water to dog food can provide a series of benefits in certain situations. It also has a series of disadvantages and drawbacks when compared to dry food alone.

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