Is the water bowl enough?š¦
Is the Water Bowl Enough? ā š¦
With the majority of today's pets on a Dry Kibble Diet, we face an epidemic of disease and conditions caused by Chronic Dehydration. ā š„µ
As Carnivores- Dogs Facultative/Opportunistic, and Cats Obligate/Strict- our pets are built to thrive on a Prey Model, Raw Meat Diet! š„© Prey animals like Mice consist of 60-75% water, while Kibble is only 6-10% moisture. So how do they get the rest of that water? ā
Water, Behind Oxygen, is the most important molecule for humans and animals! It is involved in almost every process and function, and without it we will die. Dehydration can cause many illnesses, but chronic dehydration will usually lead to:ā
ā¢Chronic Kidney Diseaseā
ā¢UTIs, Stones, Crystals, and Blockagesā
ā¢Diabetes & Hypothyroidismā
ā¢Inability to Regulate Body Tempā
ā¢Digestive Issues, IBDā
ā¢Malabsorption & Malnutritionā
ā¢Arthritis & Neurological Issuesā
and much more..ā
But just offering a bowl of water next to kibble doesn't help much! They must get water WITH the food to help the digestive system break down the food & absorb the nutrients. Without dietary moisture, Many nutrients pass through unused. ā
Cats also don't have the "Thirst" Signal that tells them to drink water, and they aren't designed for it! While people may think their cats drink a lot, they are actually VERY inefficient drinkers. A Kibble Fed cat needs to drink about 1-1.5 cups of water a day to stay hydrated, but this will take them THOUSANDS of licks to achieve, and most fall drastically short. Dogs may be more efficient, but most still don't drink enough to meet needs. ā
If Raw & Wet Diets are Not an option, Try soaking the kibble! This will not solve everything, but is Free and easy. For those feeding any kind of food, these are my favorite ways to boost nutritional moisture:ā
-Bone Broth (Crude Carnivore is my fave!) ā
-Fresh Meats, or Raw Petfoodsā
-Fresh Veggies (Shredded/pureed) or foods like Greenā Juju
-Raw Goat Milk, also a great source of probiotics! ā
