Water Is The Most Important Ingredient in a Dog's diet
Have you ever wondered how important it is that the food your dog eats contains water?
1 minute
Water is the most important substance in a dog's diet and we must ensure that our dogs have enough water during the day. Have you ever wondered how important it is that the food your dog eats contains water? Dogs have a weaker sense of thirst than humans, so it is very important that they get most of their daily need for water in their food. Let's not forget, water is the most important nutrient for the normal functioning of the body!
One of the first things dog owners notice when they start feeding their dogs BARF is that the dogs start drinking less water. This is a completely normal phenomenon because dogs no longer ingest dehydrated industrial food that stimulates the feeling of thirst. Dogs fed with BARF ingest natural raw food that does not require additional intake of water in the body.
Water is an important medium in which metabolic reactions take place.
BARF-fed dogs get sufficient amounts of water through their diet. This is extremely important because water makes up more than half of a dog's body. Blood, as a liquid tissue, is mostly water - about 83%. The blood carries nutrients, hormones and other components to the cells, and carries harmful substances to the organs that process them. Good hydration is essential for:
- regulation of body temperature
- proper functioning of the digestive system
- for digestion of nutrients
- for resorption nutrients
Optimal hydration is also important for the health of the joints, their good lubrication and the proper functioning of the organs, especially the kidneys, through which the body removes numerous waste and harmful substances formed in the body.
Kidney problems in dogs
Dogs that have problems with kidneys and urinary stones should eat fresh foods that contain water. Dehydrated food promotes dehydration of the body. Although it is common for dogs to have water available all the time, the feeling of thirst in dogs is often not adequate to the degree of dehydration (this is the minimum degree of dehydration, but for dogs with urinary tract pathology it greatly worsens the situation). Encouraging thirst in dogs by adding salt to food (a common 'trick' of industrial foods) is contraindicated in heart disease, some nephropathies, and a tendency to edema. Therefore, water must be contained in the food so that the organism is optimally hydrated with occasional drinking of water.