Overhydration + enough sodium?

[MyokyoMc]

A complicated story but two issues relate to each other, I believe.

Listen, 3-year-old spayed Alaskan Malamute, in excellent health.

I made two changes in the last ten days. I started giving Listen the Teef for dogs mouth biome supplement in her water bowl (which I now wash every day) and I stopped feeding her the small portion, ~3/4c. - of my food which included added salt, spices, a bit of onion and garlic, thereby reducing the carb intake except for baked winter squash and a bit of rice, whole oats and quinoa. She eats raw meats and organs, raw ocean and freshwater fish, vegetable sludge (no sweet or white potato) - mostly leafy greens, green beans, carrots, red pepper, cauliflower, broccoli, egg, sometimes tofu - supplemented with high-potency Omega 3 (lots of DHA) fish oil, ground eggshell, ground flax and chia seed.

Morning meal is ground or chunk meat/organs or fish or turkey wings (bone). Evening is the veg sludge with some more small amounts of organ or fish.

Because I am adding the Teef to her water bowl, I am paying more attention to how much she is drinking and that she consumes all the Teef water. The quantity of water/day is about 2 litres, a good amount for her (about 80 lbs), but what I do to make sure she is consuming the Teef water is to add it to her evening meal, which makes it soup rather than sludge , and add what might be left in her bowl the next morning to her morning meal. Is this too nerdy? And may the combo of not having added sodium (except for what is in the Te.ef product) be putting her sodium/blood/cellular health out of whack?

She is thrilled with all that I give her. She laps up every last bit of the soup but am I encouraging overhydration?

Thank you if you have made it through to the end of this post...

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hey Myokyo!

what might be left in her bowl the next morning to her morning meal. Is this too nerdy?

Not at all!

And may the combo of not having added sodium (except for what is in the Te.ef product) be putting her sodium/blood/cellular health out of whack?

Not usually, no. You can judge if her kidneys are being overwhelmed by the amount and frequency of her urination. If that has not changed, no worries (IMHO).

She is thrilled with all that I give her. She laps up every last bit of the soup but am I encouraging overhydration?

No! And her joy in eating and drinking everything you give her is the most important factor of all (again, IMHO).

 

[GinnyW]

I asked the Teef! folks about the quantity/dosage issue some time ago, and I was told that even a tiny bit, or the briefest exposure, would be enough to have the desireable change - it's not about nutrition, but only contact. So, were I you, I would not agonize over quantity of water, Teef!, or both Sounds as if you have it nailed

 

[MyokyoMc]

I asked the Teef! folks about the quantity/dosage issue some time ago, and I was told that even a tiny bit, or the briefest exposure, would be enough to have the desireable change - it's not about nutrition, but only contact. So, were I you, I would not agonize over quantity of water, Teef!, or both Sounds as if you have it nailed

Ginny, thanks! The most important thing that I learned from a talk by Emily Stein, the developer of the TEEF products, was to wash the water bowl with hot soapy water each day.

Listen has had more than her fair share of tartar/plaque, especially on one side of her mouth. So, together with TEEF, I will be doing a 3-week course in September on cooperative care of the mouth/teeth with Deb Jones, through Fenzi Dog Training Academy...