Yes, you should consider moistening your dog's dry food, especially for puppies, seniors, picky eaters, or dogs needing more hydration, as it improves water intake, enhances flavor, makes it easier to chew/digest, and can help with dental issues or bloat, but always serve immediately to prevent spoilage. Use lukewarm water, let it soak briefly (10-15 mins), and ensure the texture isn't too mushy, serving right away.
Absolutely you should add water to dry dog food. I add enough water to soak about half the food because the dry food helps to clean teeth and the wet helps with digestion. It is pretty important for the dogs to have clean teeth. I give my dogs beef bones for them to chew on as it helps to clean their teeth.
Water can soften the kibble, making it easier for your dog to chew. This is particularly beneficial for puppies, older dogs, or dogs with dental issues. Softer food may also slow down how quickly your dog eats and can reduce the risk of choking.
Warm water: Pour just-off-boil water over the kibble, stir, let sit 5--10 minutes until softened. Warm water helps preserve aroma and is calorie-free.
Both dry and wet dog foods can be excellent. Kibble is economical, convenient, and supports dental health, while canned options offer hydration and appeal to picky eaters. As of 2025, the smartest approach blends nutritional quality with your dog's specific needs and your family's routine.
Due to the range of benefits that wet and dry diets boast, a mixed feeding approach can help your dog get the most out of mealtime. Combining both wet and dry to their diet can give them some variety, where they are exposed to different textures that they will generally be more tempted to try.
Symptoms of food allergies in pets include:
How to Make Wet Dog Food from Dry Kibble
The 90/10 rule for dogs means 90% of their daily calories should come from a complete, balanced dog food, while only 10% should come from treats, training rewards, and any extra human foods or toppers, preventing nutritional imbalances and obesity. This guideline ensures essential vitamins and minerals are met through their main diet, keeping treats as occasional indulgences rather than dietary staples.
Typically, by the age of 8-12 weeks, puppies can start transitioning to dry kibble without water. However, always monitor your puppy to ensure they're comfortable and eating properly.
There is currently no scientific evidence that soaking kibble with water directly causes or increases the risk of bloat. In fact, some theories suggest that softening kibble might reduce the time it spends expanding in the stomach, potentially reducing gas buildup.
Separate Meals:Feeding wet food at one meal (e.g., breakfast) and dry food at another (e.g., dinner) allows your dog to experience different textures and can be more convenient. Alternate Days: Offering wet food on certain days and dry food on others provides variety while maintaining routine.
The healthiest dog food depends on your dog's specific needs, but top veterinarian-recommended brands known for science-backed nutrition and meeting AAFCO standards include Hill's Science Diet, Royal Canin, and Purina Pro Plan, offering options for life stages and health conditions. For sensitive dogs or allergies, limited ingredient diets (LID) from brands like Prime100 (single protein, human-grade) or raw/air-dried diets from Eureka (high meat, organs) are excellent choices, focusing on whole, digestible ingredients for better gut and skin health, but always consult your vet first.
Methods to Soften Dog Food
1. Improved Hydration: Adding water can help keep your dog hydrated, especially if they don't drink enough water on their own. 2. Easier Digestion: Moistening kibble can make it easier to chew and digest, which is especially helpful for older dogs or those with dental issues.
Adding extra high-quality meat or egg protein reduces the overall carbohydrate content and is especially good for active dogs or dogs who have become overweight from a high-carbohydrate diet. Eggs can be raw or lightly scrambled. Topping kibble with lightly cooked foods can improve palatability.
The 3-3-3 rule is a roadmap for the first three days, three weeks, and three months after pet adoption. It emphasizes patience, consistency, and positive reinforcement to help pets acclimate to their new environment.
Dogs have a simple stomach anatomy, just like humans.
After 8 to 10 hours, an empty stomach begins to send signals to the brain that stimulate a hunger response. For this reason, at least two meals per day are best for your dog.
The hardest "commandment" (command) to teach a dog is often considered Recall ("Come"), due to powerful natural instincts to explore or play, followed by impulse control commands like "Leave It/Drop It", and complex obedience actions like the "Finish" (positioning at the handler's side) or "Heel", requiring intense focus and self-control, especially with distractions like other dogs or interesting sights/smells.
Wet kibble is hydrating: Adding water to your dog's bowl of dry kibble increases his water intake by providing just the right amount of moisture to his daily diet. This is especially beneficial for those who don't drink enough water on their own every day.
Your veterinarian may recommend wet dog food for a variety of reasons: to help make eating easier for dogs with dental disease, to help encourage a dog's appetite by mixing it in with dry food, to provide extra calories for senior dogs, and more.
It's absolutely fine to mix your wet and dry food together in the same bowl. Some pet parents use this method to get their pet to enjoy the kibble more, make it more interesting, or add some moisture to the dry. Lots of dogs love to have their wet and dry mixed in the same bowl.
The most common foods identified as triggers in dogs with food allergies are: Beef (34% of dogs with food allergies) Dairy (17% of dogs with food allergies) Chicken (15% of dogs with food allergies)
Commercial kibble, while convenient, is often packed with fillers, artificial additives, and low-quality ingredients that can trigger inflammation in dogs. Many kibbles are high in carbohydrates and low in quality protein, which can lead to obesity, another major contributor to inflammation.
Kibble Fatigue
Kibble fatigue happens when your pup loses interest in the smell, flavour, and texture of their dry food, leading to a reduced appetite and even lethargy. To keep mealtime exciting, try rotating different flavours or adding tasty toppers like fruits, veggies, or bone broth.