Question for raw diet or homemade dog food owners.... (how much, allergy, terrier)
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Due to a chronic case of canine dermatitis, I pulled my bull terrier off of kibble and have been making stew for him for the past 2 months (dermatitis has cleared up!!!). The one big thing that has changed is that he hardly ever drinks water. Should I be worried? He's a peeing machine on walks and his poop isn't hard or dry. I was putting milk in his water, but he seems to be sensative to dairy too, (skin breaks out) so now I sweeten it with sugar or honey - which is probably bad for his teeth. Any input?
this is 100% normal an very natural, dogs should get most of thier water from the food they eat, being that kibble is dried, extruded of water contenct ect dogs have to drink a deacent additional ammount of water to make up for whats lacking in the food.
since your feeding a home made "wet" food (im assuming with stew theres the moisture in the meat and then gravy and such) hes now getting his water in a much more natural way.
keep an eye on his urine output as long as hes peeing normally and its not dark or overly yellow (dehydration) i wouldnt worry at all
Thanks! I figured the meat/veggies must be enough since he's peeing....but when you think your dog is diabetic from how much water they drink when they are on a kibble diet, you want to make sure. Also, I've never eaten kibble so I don't know how much salt is in it. I put in a teaspoon of salt into a batch of dog food (lasts about a week), so he is on a low sodium diet.
I was concerned about his liquid intake. He literally stopped drinking water. He likes milk and it was liquid so I diluted it with water and gave it to him to increase his liquids. All dairy - yoghurt/milk/cottage cheese etc. has affected his dermatitis - so he's off dairy.
Don't be concerned. I was very concerned that our dog never drinks water, except when running around outside in the heat. She's on a raw diet, and gets plenty of water from that.
I'm more concerned that your homemade diet might not be meeting your dog's nutritional needs. If you intend to make his food on a long-term basis, you really need to either consult with an animal nutritionist or use a prepared mix with known nutritional value. Even though it's a little pricey, I highly recommended food made by The Honest Kitchen. They make several blends for allergy-prone dogs. Because the food's dehydrated, not cooked and extruded like kibble, it retains its nutritional value, and you can buy either one that includes meat or one to which you may add varied types of meat. My dog doesn't drink much water, either, but because I know it's on his food, I'm not worried! Good luck with your boy.
No need to be concerned about not meeting his nutritional needs - my boy eats better than most people! I will never go back to packaged dog food, since it took me 2 months to figure out what he's sensative to, and I don't want him to break out in those nasty red sores ever again. I consulted our vet and I monitor his weight. I make a combo of meat/veg/starch, suppliment him with safflower and flax oil, and a multivitamin.
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