Why does my dog eat but not drink water?
In some cases, illnesses such as diabetes and kidney disease may cause a dog’s appetite for water to diminish completely. Bladder infection or urinary tract infection can also cause a decrease in thirst. So if you think your dog won’t drink water because of a disease, you should contact your vet immediately.
The percentages of nutrients shown in the guaranteed analysis section on a pet food label (protein, fat, fiber, moisture) are expressed “as fed” – meaning, as the food is delivered in its package. Some percentage of the food is comprised of moisture (water), which of course contains no protein, fat, fiber, or any other nutrient. Kibble generally contains about 10% moisture; canned foods usually contain about 78% moisture.
So, when a canned food label says that a food contains (for example) 9% fat, in order to reallyunderstand how much fat you are thinking about feeding to your dog, you have to remove the moisture from the equation; you want to know how much fat (in this example) is in the food part of the food – the “dry matter.” Any serious discussion of nutrition, or comparison of dry and wet diets, requires the conversion of the nutrient values from “as fed” to “dry matter.”
To calculate the nutrient levels in a food as dry matter (DM) percentages, first determine the amount of dry matter in the product. You do this by subtracting the percentage of moisture from 100. Then, divide the “as fed” percentage of the nutrient you are curious about by the amount of dry matter; that will give you the dry matter percentage.
For example, if a canned food has 78% moisture and 9% fat as fed (as seen on the guaranteed analysis):
Moisture content in dog food: what kind of food should you choose?
As a general rule, dry kibble normally has around 10% moisture, while wet dog food can be around 80%. However, these percentages can vary depending on the manufacturer.
In any case, when choosing kibble for your pet, go for high quality. Dry dog food must pass rigorous testing and controls. It’s the most beneficial for dogs’ health.
Soaking Puppy Kibble with Water: Questions Answered!
You can find a wealth of information on food labels. However, understanding that information isn’t always easy, and it’s good to have basic knowledge to be able to interpret it. What about dog food? Well, the exact same thing applies. One of the most common questions asked is in regard to the moisture content of dog food.
Although it’s not obligatory according to Federal Law in the United States (some States may differ), leading dog food brands generally opt to include information on the label about the percentage of moisture the food contains.
It’s important to know what to look for on these labels, as well as choosing the right kind of dog food for your dog. You’ll want to make sure your pet is getting everything it needs in its diet.