Can adding water to dry dog food cause Diarrhea?

Can adding water to dry dog food cause Diarrhea

Dry foods popularly known as kibble have always been the best choice for dogs due to their low cost, and small size making them easy to digest and having a long shelf life.

Kibbles have little or no moisture making it impossible for bacteria to grow on them, they are usually loaded with tons of nutritional values also. However, you notice something that made you feel the need to start adding water to your dog’s dry food.

Should you go ahead to do it or not? Well, whether you should add water to your dog’s dry food or not will be revealed in this article.

All you just have to do is to read carefully and get the useful information that will be shared in this piece.

Without further ado, let’s dive into the main topic “can adding water to dry dog food cause Diarrhea?

Can Adding Water to Dry Dog Food Cause Diarrhea?

a dog eating dry kibbles from a bowl

The answer to this question is NO. A lot of pet owners add water to their dry dog food and their dog doesn’t have diarrhea.

Though, if you are just changing from dry food to wet food, wet food might develop stomach upset initially with time he will surely get used to it.

Diarrhea is not caused by adding water to dry dog food, it is mostly caused by dietary issues, infections, and other underlying factors.

Let’s take a deep look into this topic “causes of diarrhea in dogs”

What Are the Causes of Diarrhea in Dogs?

Diarrhea can be caused by several things. However, adding water to your dog’s dry food is not among the causative agents.

Some of the things that cause Diarrhea in Dogs include:

Gastrointestinal Infection

Diarrhea can arise in dogs as a result of bacterial, viral, or parasitic infections.

Drastic Change in Dog’s Diet

A sudden change in a dog’s diet will also lead to Diarrhea in dogs. Feeding your dogs foods such as onion, garlic, and milk can also cause Diarrhea in dogs.

You should also ensure that you aren’t feeding your dog spoiled foods, table scraps, and foods that trigger allergies in your dog.

Taking Unclean Water

Dirty or contaminated water is bad for your dog’s general well-being. This water harbors germs and parasites such as roundworms and hookworms.

Therefore, if you are to add water to your dry dog food, ensure the water is filtered and 100% purified.

Bacteria

Wet food will create a cool environment that is conducive to bacteria. If you are to add water to your dog’s dry food, ensure you add clean water and also make sure the food doesn’t stay longer than expected before your dog finally eats it.

Leaving the wet food for a long will make bacteria grow on it and this might pose threat to your dog.

Medications

Certain medications, such as antibiotics, can disrupt the balance of bacteria in the gut, leading to diarrhea.

Taking a deep look at these causes, you will see that adding water to your dog’s dry kibble is not there.

So, if you are willing to add water to your dry dog food, you can go ahead to do it because it won’t expose your dog to diarrhea.

However, while wetting your dog’s kibble has a lot of benefits, it also has some demerits. Let’s take a look at the Pros and Cons of Adding water to your dry dog food.

What are the Pros of Adding water to dry dog food?

a pug eating wet food

There are a lot of benefits attached to this practice. Some of these benefits are:

It aids Digestion

Adding water to kibble will make it softer and very easy to digest. It will also prevent choking in fast eaters.

It Increases the Food Volume

Adding water to your dog’s food increases the volume of food, and this will allow you to stretch your food budget further and make it last longer.

It helps to keep dogs Hydrated

Some dogs do not drink water after feeding. Adding water directly to their dry kibble might be a nice choice to keep them hydrated.

It assists dogs with dental problems

Dry kibbles might be sometimes hard to crush for dogs with dental problems. Adding water to their dry kibble will make the food easy to chew and digest.

It helps to prevent overheating

Some dogs are aggressive eaters and they tend to eat food faster than usual. Doing this often will make them prone to health issues such as bloat.

Adding water to their dry kibble will help to prevent this because the dog won’t be able to feed on wet food like the way it feeds on dry kibble.

What are the Cons of Adding water to dry dog food?

As they say “There is nothing with Advantages that doesn’t have disadvantages” There are certain disadvantages to adding water to dry dog food. Though, these cons are negligible and can easily be curbed.

Some of the cons of adding water to dry dog food are:

The food will become mushy and unappetizing

Some dogs are picky eaters; they might not eat wet food initially due to its unusual texture.

However, you can follow some guidelines on how to incorporate wet food into your dog’s daily diet.

To successfully introduce wet food into a dog’s diet, follow these steps:

  • To begin, add a little bit of wet food to the dog’s dry meal. Over the next few days, gradually reduce the amount of dry food while you are gradually increasing the amount of wet food.
  • Check to see how your dog responds to the new food; if they show little interest or are not eating it, try a different wet food brand or taste.
  • To avoid stomach distress or weight gain, be careful of the frequency and size of your portions and make any required adjustments.
  • You can find out whether your dog has any allergies or sensitivity to certain ingredients by introducing one new wet food at a time.
  • Give your dog some time to adjust; the switch to wet food might take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.

If you notice that your dog is not reacting positively to the wet food, you can inform your veterinarian for more advice.

Other cons of adding water to your dry dog food are:

It creates an environment for bacteria growth

Wet food creates a conducive environment for bacteria. This means bacteria might tend to grow on your wet food and this will render the food poisonous for dogs.

It makes the food lose its nutritional values

After adding water to your dry dog food. The nutritional dense food might lose its nutritional value because water is capable of degrading the vitamin and mineral content of dog food.

Final Thought

The accurate answer to the query “Can Add Water to Dry Dog Food Cause Diarrhea?” is NO.

Wet dog food doesn’t cause diarrhea in dogs. However, adding dirty or contaminated water to the dry kibble might lead to diarrhea.

If you notice any symptoms of diarrhea in your dog after incorporating wet food into its diet, though, diarrhea is not life-threatening, I will still advise you to inform your veterinarian for proper treatment.

 

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