Hydrating Your Pet: Tips & Why it's Important!
When dry kibble is what makes up the diet of our pets, dehydration is almost inevitable. Here's some tips on how to make sure your pet is getting all the moisture they need!
You know how, as humans, a lot of us try our best to drink as much water as we think we're supposed to have, and somehow it's still not enough? Now think of your dog or cat, who can only use their tongues to lap up little bits of water at a time, and most likely eat exclusively a dry-food diet. Are our pets getting enough water?
Hydration is one of the keys to the health and lifespan of our pets! Ideally, our pets should be drinking 1oz of water per pound of body weight, per day! For reference, my own 77lb dog should, in theory, be drinking over half a gallon of water a day! I don't know about you, but I certainly can't make him drink that much!
Mammals can't efficiently process the water that's consumed because most of the water we drink is actually used to process that liquid in order to hydrate us. Cats are particularly inefficient at this process, using about 3/4 of the water drank just to digest the liquid.
So what can we do? If you've ever walked into our Loveland store you've seen the slogan on the back wall: "Let food be thy medicine." So of course we incorporate the solution into our pets' meals!
Giving your pet a hydrated meal is absolutely the best and easiest way to make sure your pet doesn't become dehydrated, especially during these extra warm summer months. Let's go over a few ways to fit meals with moisture into your and your pet's lifestyle!
First- wet food. Exactly as it sounds. Canned food is going to be the most convenient way to feed a moist meal, because, well, it's already hydrated! Plus you have the added benefit of getting whole meats and veggies, depending on the quality and brand. For cats, we often recommend Farmina N&D canned food because of the variety of proteins, plus the addition of a urinary formula, and for dogs, Fromm has a large variety of flavors (and a few different textures!).
Next, and probably our favorite- raw food! We know raw can scare people away- Is it safe? Expensive? Time consuming? Don't worry, we got you! By feeding a full raw diet you're ensuring that moisture is being consumed through natural and unprocessed foods. By meal prepping, pre-portioning out your pet's meals and letting them thaw in the fridge over a few days, you're making meal time super easy! Brands like OC Raw make raw sliders that thaw more quickly than bigger blocks of meat. Even easier- raw toppers are a great convenient way to add raw into the diet. Dogs and cats can benefit from toppers like Primal's Butcher Blend, which consists of only a single protein. Adding a little moisture to a meal is a great first step!
Another convenient way is by feeding freeze-dried raw or dehydrated food. Both of these methods require liquid to rehydrate the food, and by pre-portioning out the dry food and hydrating it right before meal time, you're making feeding your pet that much easier! Vital Essentials makes great freeze dried recipes for both dogs and cats, and brands like Sojo's and Honest Kitchen both make great dehydrated food.
Now the easiest, most bare minimum way to hydrate your pets, aside from providing them a water bowl: hydrated kibble! Adding a liquid to your pet's kibble can make it easier to digest, provide moisture, slow them down, and help your pet feel more full. "Can I just add water?" Yes! That'll be the easiest and most cost-effective way to go. However, 2 of our favorite alternatives are bone broth and goat milk! Bone broth has loads of collagen to help the joints, can help detox the liver, and are packed with vitamins! Just make sure you use a pet-safe broth, free of added salt and onions. Primal and Green Juju both make a great bone broth, and Honest Kitchen makes a powdered bone broth for added convenience! Goat milk (truly one of our faves) can aid as a probiotic, natural antihistamine, and are a vessel for all kinds of vitamins. Some of our favorite raw goat milks are these by Primal and Answers, plus an easy to use powdered goat milk from Honest Kitchen.
Happy Hydrating!
Comments
Be the first to comment...