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Ask the Expert – Multiple Health Problems

September 30th, 2010

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Name: Barbara
Pets species and breed: Wheaton Terrier
Pets age and weight: 6 / 45 lbs
Pets health status: Good
Are they spayed or neutered? Yes
Brand of food: Switching to Go!
Animal owned for: almost 6 years

QUESTION:

My question is simple. I am slowly switching my dog to Go! Chicken and rice formula from California Natural Chicken and rice formula. The man at the pet store told my husband to mix the kibble with water, which I have never done with any of his kibble. Is there a reason I should do this? My dog likes the food, so there is no problem getting him to eat it. Thank you for your time.

ANSWER:

Hi Barbara,

Thanks for writing in. I cannot be sure why the man at the pet store made the recommendation to you…adding water to kibble is not necessary during a transition from one diet to another. One thing that IS beneficial to all dogs eating dry food is additional water intake every day. Dogs are similar to their human counterparts in that they do not drink enough water each day and many suffer from mild (sub-clinical) dehydration—just like us! Dry food has only a 10% moisture content compared to canned food (usually with around 78% moisture) so I often recommend a combination of canned and dry food every day in order to supply dogs with the additional water they may not be drinking. You can also get creative on increasing your dog’s water intake—give ice cubes for treats (no calories and great hydration), use free flowing water fountains, place numerous bowls of water around the house, use non-fat, no sodium broths to entice them. Hope that helps.

Good Luck.

Dr. Donna Spector