First of all, why are we concerned about water consumption? Water is necessary for life. Absolutely. 
And if you have been feeding kibble, you know that crunchy stuff, there’s no moisture in it. In fact, the manufactures put in a substantial amount of salt in the food in order to get pets to guzzle water – so that they can try to turn that really dry piece of crunch into something digestible. This is why pet owners get so accustomed to cats and dogs drinking a certain amount of water when they eat kibble. It’s honestly a lot of water! 
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But everything changes when you  talk about fresh food. I want you to go to your freezer. Get the package and read the guaranteed analysis. What does it say? Moisture level. It says anywhere from 65 to 75%! 
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What does that mean? It means what you’re holding in your hand is 65 to 75% water! Now I’ll have you move your eyes up on the package a little bit. I want you to go to that ingredient list. Do you see anywhere in that ingredient list the word water? You don’t. Do you know why? Because water occurs naturally in the food! 
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Now, those of you who still have canned food in your cabinet, go get that. Read the moisture level. It probably says 60 to 70%. Now read the ingredients. The very first ingredient is either water or broth! This is because the manufacturer had to add water back in in order to turn the powdered ingredients into the wet food! Is that the weirdest thing you’ve ever heard?
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OK, so that’s a little bit of basics. Food fundamentals. 
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So, when we switch from feeding our dogs and cats conventional food that is designed to force them to drink extra water, we find our pets stop drinking water. Honestly, it’s kind of freaky. 
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I can’t tell you how many people tell me they “have to add water to their pets food because they don’t drink anymore”. I’m talking about otherwise, healthy, nothing else is going on, switched to real food, pets. I’m not talking about animals with kidney disease or other health conditions. We will discuss that more down below.
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For a healthy cat or dog, EATING FRESH FOOD,  they won’t drink as much water. Owners freak out! Owners add water. Some owners a lot of water! 
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Imagine this: Take out your meatloaf that you have for dinner tonight and plop it in a bowl of water! Am I crazy? Absolutely! Because you do not need to add water!
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How do you know if your pet is getting enough water?
  • Look at the urine. Are they still making plenty? Good. Is it light colored? Excellent. If so, they’re getting plenty of hydration. 
  • For the most part, poop is probably formed and yet still a little bit mushy. Which means there’s enough liquid. Unless they’re eating a diet high in bone. That’s different – that will be dry. 
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Next let’s talk about adding water to freeze dried food. I’ve got a GIANT myth for you! I have heard some pet stores tell people that the freeze fried food absolutely must be reconstituted. Otherwise, pets might get pancreatitis. You know when you say something really weird and your dog thinks you’re strange, and he tilts his head sideways? That’s what I’m doing right now. It’s 100% illogical that a freeze dried version of real food is going to be more likely to cause pancreatitis than a moist version.
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That’s not how pancreatitis happens! That story came about because that person’s animal was sick. And they didn’t understand. Or more likely, their vet told them some kind of BS because they, in fact, didn’t understand!
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No, I’m not gonna discuss pancreatitis here. I’ve written another post on it.
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How can freeze dried food cause pancreatitis when the exact same food in wet form doesn’t? It’s a trick question. Because nobody says you have to reconstitute  dry kibble. And it’s ironic because kibble does cause pancreatitis due to the high carbs. But If you want to feed freeze dried food in it’s dry form, it’s fine. You don’t need to add water. But, because it’s dry, your pet is very likely going to drink a little bit of extra water as compared to cats or dogs, eating fresh, wet food. Because they have to try to reconstitute the food in their belly.
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Still seeing patients in Tampa, Clearwater, and virtually.