The Hydration Station: Canine Version

HYDRATION 💦

We just went through some sweltering temperatures while judging down in Nebraska and are getting ready to go through more here. I know other friends across the country are dealing with similar heat issues and summer is just getting started. Though you may have experience in this area, this is a great refresher every year, so please keep reading.

Hydrating your dog is something so simple but it's actually so overlooked and most people don't think about hydrating when it comes to meal times. Let's be honest. Most of us are not good at hydrating ourselves, much less anyone else. There are ways we can help fix that.

If your dog is eating a kibble diet, they are more prone to dehydration. True story. This is because the dry kibble requires moisture for digestion. When your dog is not adequately hydrated, the body pulls water from the internal organs to digest the kibble and this can lead to the state of mild dehydration. Even if they are drinking throughout the day, the digestion process pulls water from their system after eating.

One of the best and easiest thing you can do as a kibble feeder is HYDRATE YOUR DOGS FOOD! Adding water to kibble softens it for digestion and hydrates your dog's body systems. Sometimes it is referred to as "floating" their food. This means you are adding water to the food until all the food in the dish is floating. Easy enough right?

Some other great ways you can you hydrate kibble?

💧Filtered Water

💧Coconut Water

💧Bone Broth

💧Goat's Milk

💧Decaffeinated Green Tea (aids in cancer prevention)

Quick Tip - you can freeze all of the above in trays or silicone molds and then pop out a cube or two and melt with hot water at meal time! Also giving these frozen treats throughout the day not only help hydrate, but can help beat boredom. That is a win win right?

At the end of the day, the best way to make sure your dog stays hydrated is to give your dog access to fresh water at all times. What does fresh water mean? Dump out your dogs water and put new water in a couple times a day. Clean your water dish on a regular basis using soap and hot water to sanitize and keep your dog healthy. A clean bowl will be more attractive and may help entice them to drink. It will also help keep the water "fresh" longer.

Please note: Always rest your dog after eating any meal. Never exercise your dog immediately after eating due to risk of bloat Some breeds are more prone to bloat and large labs can be one of those. We prefer to feed our dogs in the evening after we have done with any training or breeding we may be doing that day.