Filtered Water

Wet foods and toppers need water to cook, blend and pour. Filtered means the plant ran its tap or well water through a treatment step first. The label does not say which kind of filter.^3,5,6

1. 01 // Source Tap or well water Public water systems must already meet EPA limits, such as 4 mg/L for chlorine and 10 mg/L for nitrate.
2. 02 // Process Filtered The bag never names the filter. CDC notes that home filters removing germs often miss chemicals, and the reverse.
3. 03 // Process Membrane, optional Reverse osmosis is one option, certified for home units under NSF 58. Labels rarely say which method a plant used.
4. 04 // Output Process water Added to cook and blend the meat, up to the 78% label moisture cap unless sold as broth or stew.

1. 01

   Makes a cookable, pourable food

   Meat and organ toppers need water to cook, blend and set. Label rules let foods sold as stew, broth or gravy go past the usual 78% moisture cap.³

2. 02

   Cheap weight that rules discount

   Water costs almost nothing, so it adds weight cheaply. AAFCO naming rules leave added water out when checking whether a named meat reaches its required share.⁴

3. 03

   Water the dog eats

   In a 10-dog trial, a 71% moisture food raised total daily water intake by 88 g over kibble, counting bowl water.¹

How much Fresh and canned dog foods tested at 71.1 and 75.1% moisture, and US label rules cap declared moisture at 78% outside broths and stews.^1,3

1. Critics say

   Water near the top means you pay for water

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   Plain arithmetic. Water has no calories, and the wet foods in one study ran 71 to 75% moisture against 6% for kibble. That is what a wet food is, not a trick, so compare price on dry matter.¹

2. Vets say

   Wet diets lower bladder stone risk

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   The ACVIM consensus recommends foods over 75% water for dogs prone to calcium oxalate stones. Short 12 to 19 day trials at 73% moisture cut oxalate supersaturation from 13 to 8, but no trial has counted fewer stones.²

3. Brands say

   Moist food keeps your dog hydrated

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   In a brand-funded 10-dog crossover, a 71% moisture food raised total water intake by 88 g a day over kibble. Kibble-fed dogs drank more and still met 102% of their need, so healthy dogs were not short.¹

4. Brands say

   Filtered water is purer and safer for dogs

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   No dog study tests it. CDC says home pitcher and fridge carbon filters mainly improve taste and smell, not safety, and public tap water must already meet EPA limits. The bag never says which filter was used.^5,6