Can Adding Water To Dry Dog Food Cause Diarrhea? Pros & Cons

Can adding water to dry dog food cause diarrhea? Is it harmful to my dog when I do so? Those are the questions that we received a lot lately.

It is understandable to accustom your pet’s diet with specific techniques.

But it’s a wise move to research or check with a specialist before you engage in any approach, especially if your furry friend had a certain medical history in days of yore.

Now, wait for no more, but dig right into our detailed article on whether you should or shouldn’t follow the recipe for adding water to dry dog food!

Can Adding Water To Dry Dog Food Cause Diarrhea?

can adding water to dry dog food cause diarrhea

Yes, there is a chance your dog will get diarrhea when eating fresh water-added dry food.

However, it is fair to say whether this possibility can happen depends mostly on how to proceed with the method.

Why does my dog have diarrhea after eating dry food? Such a likelihood increases due to common causes, such as spoiled dry food, dirty or cold water, and contaminated bowls.

We all acknowledge that low-quality dog food infected with mold or germs is a typical cause of diarrhea in canines.

Little did you know, the bowl you use can also be the culprit behind the scene!

This is because the food bowl collects harmful bacteria from saliva, excrement, and even urine that could get in it if you keep your pet’s nest unhygienic.

Another cause that you should be aware of is contaminated water. A virus can fall down your pet’s drink and make him sick in a thousand ways.

That is why you should always use hot and clean water to prevent such an incident.

Why Adding Water To Dry Dog Food?

Is it OK to put water on dry dog food? Many may ask. There is a reason for that!

Not only is it a fantastic approach to help your dog stay hydrated and offer them the nourishment they require, but several further benefits are also waiting for you to discover.

Let’s find out!

Palatability

The first benefit of including water in the dry kibble of your pet is that it can make dry food taste better to these little canine friends due to the moisture’s enhancement of texture and flavor.

This is no different from you adding milk to your breakfast cereal.

Although the delicious sense only appears temporarily, the idea of this short-term taste and fragrance enrichment still holds.

Support Oral Health 

Another advantage of this water-putting approach is that it may aid in avoiding dental issues.

Why dry kibble is not adequately moisturized: It is brittle and harsh to chew and can also cause plaque and tartar to accumulate on your hound’s teeth.

This can eventually result in issues of dental health, including tooth decay, gum disease, and foul breath.

Prevent Gulping

Soaking the kibble with water may sound not really relevant, but it can indeed slow down your pet’s speed when eating.

This is because dried food is easier to consume without the halt of the water stream, moisturized food.

Plus, since dry dog kibble is made to swell in the sensitive stomach of these canines, ingesting it too rapidly might cause your little friend to bloat.

That is why if your dog is in danger of bloating, water-added kibble is nothing but a great adjustment to conduct.

Aid Digestion

Being hard to digest is one of the disadvantages of dry dog food.

If your puppy is one of those gluttons out there, putting water in his high-quality food will help his digestive system operate better, considering his hasty eating habits.

This is because with the dog gobbling their kibble so quickly, there will be left unchewed chunks in the upset stomach.

At that point, extra moisture is essential for these solid foods to be digested well.

Help Hydration

Just like humans, animals like dogs also need a decent amount of water daily to function properly. But unlike humans, they cannot be aware of this themselves.

That is why, as owners and the closest individuals beside them, our mission is to ensure they are hydrated adequately.

The thing is that we cannot follow them 24/7 to know whether or not they drink enough water. This is when such an approach comes into use.

Dehydrated dogs suffer from fatigue, weakness, and attention problems because their bodies cannot operate properly.

These health issues may be avoided, and your dog’s general health can be maintained by including water directly in their diet.

Aid Weight Loss

This technique of feeding your puppy is also beneficial in helping him drop a few pounds.

Since including water in the food can expand its volume and make it more filling without increasing the number of extra calories, it is bothersome that he will be overfed with such a diet!

Downsides Of Adding Water To Dry Dog Food

Is it OK to put water on dry dog food

Despite several gains this technique offers, it doesn’t mean that there are absolutely no downsides when applying such a method.

Worse yet, the list can even range from diarrhea in dogs to bore your pet to eat entirely.

Diarrhea

Does mixing water with dog food cause diarrhea? As we already shared, even a little carelessness in proceeding with this water-added method can leave consequences.

One of them is the development of diarrhea, which can be easily caused by parasites or viruses invading dirty or unclean water.

Food Waste

The biggest risk when feeding your picky eaters food with added water is that they may find it unappetizing and less inspired to eat.

How long to soak kibble in water? Let’s say you water their regular diet too much or put the water to the food too early before letting them have it served. 

Your furry friend will get nothing but a dish as paste as water. This may trigger the bad habit of your pet loathing the food or even disliking eating.

Like it or not, the entire dish you have thoughtfully prepared will have no further place to go other than the garbage bin in the corner of your kitchen.

Harmful To Kidneys

The amount of water is another thing you have to take into consideration. Adding excess water will make the dish over-moisten, leading to the dog being over-hydrated.

This happening is extremely adverse to its kidneys since they cannot process such extra amounts of water via urine.

In this case, you will also have the answer to the question: Is kibble worse than wet food? No, it isn’t.

Kibble is a much better choice to go with, especially if you are fond of mixing your pet’s food with water.

Hard To Balance The Proportion Level

Again, the quantity of water required to put in the food intake is always a questioning problem for any pet owner.

Whether you add the water too little or too much is also among the digestive issues to be concerned about.

If you put too much, not only can you harm your dog’s kidney, as mentioned above, but you can also get the food spoiled. Things go the same with adding too little water.

How To Safely Add Water to Dry Dog Food?

What if my dog has diarrhea but is acting fine

Use Clean And Filtered Water

Your pet will appreciate it more if the water added to their meal is of higher quality. That does not imply that he must take in bottled water only.

Instead, merely the right filtering is required.

Use Less Water At The Beginning

If you wish to introduce water to your pup’s high-quality dry food, a gentle kick-off will be a great start for the buddy’s journey of changing the dry diet.

You can commence by adding a little water content to the kibble and then gradually expand the amount within a few days.

This enables the digestive tract of your dog to adapt accordingly to the eating portion adjustment.

Add Warm Water

Take heated purified water or water that has been cooked in a teapot or pan, provided that it has significantly chilled to a tolerable temperature.

The dry meal becomes tender more quickly, depending on how warm the water intake is.

Add Canned Food To Dried Pet Food

Last but not least, you may combine wet kibble with canned dog food or fresh meat. This is an excellent method to use up your supply of kibble while transitioning to wet dog food.

Conclusion

Can adding water to dry dog food cause diarrhea? Now, you know the answer. Again, yes, it can!

But try to assess your pet’s condition before introducing any changes. For dogs with specific medical issues, tread with more caution.

Hopefully, my article can help you decide if this is the best way to proceed with your canine buddy’s eating habits. See then!

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Hi I am Mitchell. Dog Growth is a blog about dog caring and training where I share my experiences to my community. Hope you enjoy it!

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