Does hydration matter in dog food?

 

Yes, hydration is one of the key components of a dog’s diet, according to AAFCO, or Association of American Feed Control Officials, a non-profit, voluntary organisation whose standards are usually followed to make pet food across the world. Dogs need about 40–60 ml of water per kilogram of body weight daily. This may come from a fresh dog food diet, liquid toppers like bone broths, and from drinking water.

Why does this matter?

  • Hydrated food is easier for the stomach to break down, facilitating smoother digestion and better nutrient absorption, reducing risks like constipation or bloating. 

  • Hydration is vital for kidney function and urinary tract health, and adding toppers like bone broths to their food is an additional source of hydration.

What do vets generally agree on?

A dog’s body is also made of a large amount of water, just like humans. In fact, it forms roughly 60% to 70% of their body volume. Therefore, a lack of hydration in their diet may cause a disbalance of water in the body. While dogs do drink water quite willingly (unlike many cats who have a low thirst drive), food is an additional source of hydration that cannot be ignored. A good addition to a dog’s diet to increase hydration is to feed them bone broths, such as the Chicken Bone Broth and the Lamb Bone Broth from BLEP. Broths hydrate them and also supply essential nutrients like collagen and calcium, which helps keep bones and joints healthy. 

When to be careful?

Continuous feeding of extremely moisture-less food, such as many ultra-processed food may sometimes cause chronic, mild dehydration. However, there’s the other side of the spectrum. While it doesn’t have much to do with the hydration from dog food, make sure that your dog doesn’t drink an excessive amount of water or drink their water too quickly. This can upset their stomach and cause vomiting and diarrhea. In fact, at its worst, excess water may dilute sodium concentration in the blood, causing hyponatremia, which triggers cells to swell. So, monitoring their water intake for both dehydration and over hydration is necessary. 


Sources: