Our Pets Most Important Nutrient – Water The most important nutrient we
provide for our pets is not the food we buy at the store or make from fresh ingredients. It is water. Water is also the most essential nutrient for people as well. Water is a vital ingredient that fuels our bodies and keeps us alive. Without water, the cells in our body could not grow and reproduce. Water removes toxic wastes from our bodies via urine and helps lubricate our joints. Our body temperature is regulated by water and our brain uses water to produce hormones and neurotransmitters vital to our survival. The saliva we produce is an integral part of the digestive process. Is it any wonder that the human body is 60% water? According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, "The percentage of water in fat-free wet weight for most mature animals is estimated at 73.2%, although the mean values in the literature range from 63% for the beagle to 80% for the mouse, with the mean for the majority of species between 70 and 76%." 1 Nature designed the dog and cat to get the bulk of the water they need from their food. While they may drink water we provide in a dish, cats less so than dogs; their body expects most of the water to be ingested with the food they consume. Let's look closer at the mouse, which is 80% water and also happens to be a common food source for feral canines and felines, either wild or domestic. The mouse is 80% water, and the rest is protein and fat – an optimal source of fresh nutrients for a dog or cat. I am not advocating we all start feeding our pets mice. However, we can use the mouse to compare the food we
WORDS, WOOFS & MEOWS by Don Hanson
ACCBC, BFRAP, CDBC, CPDT-KA
photo credit: debra bell
typically provide our pets. So, how much water is in our pet's food? That depends on what we feed them. Wet food, packaged in cans or pouches, is usually 70 to 75% moisture. Frozen raw food or lightly-cooked frozen food is about 60 to 70% moisture. So both wet and frozen foods are very close to meeting our pet's water needs. However, before you immediately switch to these foods, understand that you need to look at the other ingredients. I feed my pets and recommend food with high moisture content and mostly meat (protein and fat) with minimal carbohydrates. Remember,
neither the cat nor dog needs any carbohydrates in their diet. So basically, I want my pet's food to mimic the composition of a mouse. Dry pet food: kibble, or freezedried and dehydrated foods contain 10 to 12% moisture. Manufacturers work very hard to keep that number low to prevent the food from spoiling. Yet, dry foods contain much less water than our pets' bodies need. Kibble is also the most popular form of pet food due to its convenience and price compared to other options. Most freezedried and dehydrated food brands recommend you rehydrate the food before feeding it to your pet. If they didn't, I would add water anyway. However, most kibble brands do not discuss the need to add water, which concerns me. Our pet's digestive system is designed to work best when digesting food that is 60% or more water. Digesting food with a low moisture content requires your pet to draw on the water reserves held in their cells. That can cause chronic dehydration. When I feed my dog Muppy, I always add water, no matter what type of food I am providing [ FMI - What I Feed My Dog and Why I Feed What I Do https://bit.ly/WhatIFeedAndWhy ] Boomer, my cat, is only fed wet food or frozen raw food with high moisture content. Cats are especially susceptible to dehydration as they are desert creatures who evolved to get almost all their water from food. Feeding a cat food with a minimal moisture content can cause a lifethreatening medical condition called Urethral Obstruction. That is why I recommend that all cats be fed primarily with wet food. There are other benefits of adding water to your pet's dry food. Water makes the food easier to
In terms of survivability, water is the single most important nutrient for the body. Although animals can live after losing almost all their body fat and more than half of their protein, a loss of only 10% of body water results in death. Canine and Feline Nutrition - E Book (p.9). Elsevier Health Sciences
chew and digest. If warm, the water creates a gravy, making the food more aromatic and palatable. Be aware there is a myth that dry pet food will keep your pets' teeth clean, but unless it is one of the special dental formulas, that, like all myths, is just not true. There are also much better ways to keep your pets' teeth clean. If you don't want to add water to your pet's kibble, consider bone broth, goat milk, fresh veggies (broccoli, kale, zucchini), fresh fruit like Maine blueberries, or a raw egg or some sardines. There are also many food supplements loaded with moisture and other vital micronutrients to consider. Please, remember how important water is to your pet's health. You will be glad you did.
Don Hanson is the co-owner of the Green Acres Kennel Shop (greenacreskennel.com) in Bangor where he has been helping people with their pets since 1995. He also produces and co- hosts The Woof Meow Show heard on AM620 -WZON every Saturday at 9 AM. Podcasts of the show are available at www.woofmeowshow.com. Don also writes about pets at his blog: www.words-woofs-meows.com. He is committed to pet care and pet training that is free of pain, force, and fear. The opinions in this column are those of Don Hanson.
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