Cats hydration

[Antonio65]

A few days ago I was talking about cats with a person that I know, and she said that her vet advised her on using a Purina product called Hydra Care, to increase the water intake of her cats. I looked into this product and found out it is just a gel to be added as a supplement to the normal feeding.
I really don't understand the use of it.
I told this person that I normally add fresh water to every wet meal for my cats, to a total of about 20-25 ml a day per cat, in addition to the normal moisture already present in the wet food (average 80%). Moreover, my cats drink a good amount of water on their own.

This person told me that her vet explained that fresh water, both drunk from the bowl and added to the wet food, does not contribute to the daily water intake because a cat wouldn't absorb it, and this is absolutely nonsense to me.

So, why should anyone spend $1 per 3 oz of this gel when water is free and healthier?

 

[Dakera]

You’re so right! Especially when a majority of vets have little knowledge about the nutrition requirements of different species of pets! I smell some conflict of interest from the part of the vet…they just try to sell what the companies advertise to them as being “scientifically” proved…

 

[Furballsmom]

looked into this product and found out it is just a gel to be added as a supplement to the normal feeding.

Hi

It's more than just a gel. It's formulated to help support cats with Flutd. It's not necessarily the best to give to a cat who doesn't have that issue, or has CKD.

 

[Antonio65]

Hi

It's more than just a gel. It's formulated to help support cats with Flutd. It's not necessarily the best to give to a cat who doesn't have that issue, or has CKD.

Alright, thanks.

What I find weird, if not unbelievable, is that this person's vet told her that cats do not absorb water from the dish unless it comes naturally as moisture from a wet food. That's why, according to this vet, this gel comes in handy, rather than just adding water to the canned food.

 

[RTR]

I have three cats14,12,12. I use a filtered water fountain, and also leave a dog bowl of water which one seems to dip his paws in and lick them. They all drink more water from the fountain then they did with just the bowl. I also split a can of wet food in the Am ,but they free feed dry food all day. They are not fat and last blood test kidneys were in good shape.

 

[NekoM]

Alright, thanks.

What I find weird, if not unbelievable, is that this person's vet told her that cats do not absorb water from the dish unless it comes naturally as moisture from a wet food. That's why, according to this vet, this gel comes in handy, rather than just adding water to the canned food.

Was it for sale at the Vets? Its surprising how much commission they make with product sales.

 

[Antonio65]

Was it for sale at the Vets? Its surprising how much commission they make with product sales.

I do think it wasn't for sale at the vets' office.
Over here in Italy, vets do not sell anything. They only do their job.
What is usually called prescription food, and meds, are respectively sold at any pet food shop or any pharmacy (also, we do not have human and pet pharmacies, just the pharmacy).
Over here, vets can have some more common meds at hand (a handful of antibiotics or cortisone), in the case a pet needs to start a therapy right away. In this case the package of med is added in the vet bill.

 

[louisstools]

I'm not going to call this snake oil...
But the packaging literally says "Increases total amount of water intake *" and then further down the box "* compared to cats consuming only water in addition to dry kibble"

I mean, no kidding. Adding water -- or in this case 98% water based supplement -- to their food increases the amount of water intake?

 

[Caspers Human]

I'm not going to call this snake oil...
But the packaging literally says "Increases total amount of water intake *" and then further down the box "* compared to cats consuming only water in addition to dry kibble"

I mean, no kidding. Adding water -- or in this case 98% water based supplement -- to their food increases the amount of water intake?

I was about to say much the same.

Guar gum and glycerine are both listed on the ingredients list. These are thickeners and sweeteners. They do nothing, really, for your cat's health. Whey protein is another ingredient. It might add a few vitamins to the mixture but it wouldn't be anything you can't get at the health food store. Probably a lot cheaper. The last ingredient of import is potassium chloride...salt. They added some liver flavor just to make your cat eat it.

Basically, there's nothing in it but some salt and some flavor.

Remember! Water is water! You can't add something to water and, magically, end up with more water. If you drink a liter of water, adding some magic supplement to it won't turn it into more water. Maybe the salt that they put in the stuff might make your cat thirsty so that it drinks more water but the cat can never get more water than it drinks in the first place.

The idea that some supplement might make water, somehow, "work differently" is a bunch of bull, too! Some water isn't absorbed? Preposterous! You drink water, it goes into your stomach and intestines where it gets absorbed into the bloodstream. Any excess water is excreted by the kidneys as urine. If you drink more water than your body needs, you'll just end up peeing it out, later on.

All water gets absorbed and what the body doesn't need ends up in the toilet.

Better off to just feed your cat a healthy diet, make sure that there's enough clean water to drink and, if you think your cat needs more vitamins in its diet, go to the health food store.

$40.00 for something I could get out of my tap for less than a penny?! Snake oil!

 

[Alldara]

It's kind of like drinking a sports drink to ensure hydration. There's a level of electrolytes to help with hydration as well.

I've seen the product used to help with cats with severe hydration but not in healthy cats. usually used along with recovery food.

 

[Dakera]

Alright, thanks.

What I find weird, if not unbelievable, is that this person's vet told her that cats do not absorb water from the dish unless it comes naturally as moisture from a wet food. That's why, according to this vet, this gel comes in handy, rather than just adding water to the canned food.

Yes, it's actually kind of ridiculous as if cats were some sort of another living being, a special sort of mammal that functions totally different from all the other mammals when it comes to hydration!

 

[Dakera]

I do think it wasn't for sale at the vets' office.
Over here in Italy, vets do not sell anything. They only do their job.
What is usually called prescription food, and meds, are respectively sold at any pet food shop or any pharmacy (also, we do not have human and pet pharmacies, just the pharmacy).
Over here, vets can have some more common meds at hand (a handful of antibiotics or cortisone), in the case a pet needs to start a therapy right away. In this case the package of med is added in the vet bill.

Oh I wish it was the same in France!!

 

[Antonio65]

Yes, it's actually kind of ridiculous as if cats were some sort of another living being, a special sort of mammal that functions totally different from all the other mammals when it comes to hydration!

Yet, some vets push people into buying this stuff

 

[Antonio65]

Oh I wish it was the same in France!!

You live in France? Is it different from here in Italy?
Just out of curiosity, are vets expensive in France? For instance, how much for a RCP vaccine, or a female spaying, or an X-ray, or else?
Thanks!

 

[Dakera]

You live in France? Is it different from here in Italy?
Just out of curiosity, are vets expensive in France? For instance, how much for a RCP vaccine, or a female spaying, or an X-ray, or else?
Thanks!

Yes, currently in France, it's super expensive compared to Greece and Germany where I lived previously… Plus, the vets here do sell kibble and medication and all sorts of things for an extremely high price. A friend's cat was diagnosed with diabetes, the vet sold him special "scientific" kibble for more than 100 euros a package! I showed him the zooplus website that was selling the exact same product for far less…
A simple visit costs between 40 to 70 euros. The RCP vaccine (it's done yearly here, as opposed to Germany and other countries) is between 50 to 90 euros. Spaying costs between 100 to 200 euros neutering is less expensive (around 100 euros). I recently had to check my cat's heart before traveling, and the ultrasound cost 150 euros. And all adds up, I mean you go for a vaccination? You'' end up paying the visit + the vaccination.
It is expensive. And of course, there is one humane society where you pay what you actually can afford, but they are not located everywhere - only in 5 or 6 major cities. And they are so underfunded that they cannot do half of the things, like yearly senior checkup is only partial (that is BUN and CREA, weirdly they also check the cholesterol and calcium/phosphorus ratio, but no urinalysis, no thyroid nor CBC).
So I'm glad I was able to do all the major things with them in Germany!

 

[Antonio65]

A simple visit costs between 40 to 70 euros. The RCP vaccine (it's done yearly here, as opposed to Germany and other countries) is between 50 to 90 euros. Spaying costs between 100 to 200 euros neutering is less expensive (around 100 euros). I recently had to check my cat's heart before traveling, and the ultrasound cost 150 euros.

Not much more expensive than here.
A simple visit can be from free of charge to about 40 euro.
The RCP vaccine (done every three years according to the latest protocol) is 35 euro.
Spaying is from 100 to 150 euro, neutering from 80 to 110 euro.
An abdomen ultrasound is 70 to 90 euro, but an ultrasound for heart checking is around 150 euro.
Thanks for your reply, and sorry for the OT.

 

[Furballsmom]

For those who don't believe Hydra Care is anything more than water in fancy packaging with a big price tag, I want to warn that this thinking can be quite problematic since the product can conceivably cause issues for cats who have too low a urine specific gravity.

Also, I'll repeat that on the other hand, it can be extremely helpful for people who have kibble-only cats with FLUTD, which is what it was specifically formulated for.

To quote; "When given as directed by the manufacturer, this supplement is shown to increase total liquid intake, promotes hydration and is shown to decrease urine specific gravity when compared to cats consuming only water in addition to dry feeding.
Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Supplements Hydra Care is a nutrient-enriched water that promotes hydration in cats. It contains nutritional osmolytes, which aid in the absorption of water at a cellular level and helps cats get the hydration they need. Hydra Care is shown to increase total liquid intake, compared to cats consuming only water in addition to dry feeding."

Also referenced and copied/quoted from felinecrf.org, which many TCS members like to refer to as Tanya's site;

Purina Sees Hydra Care as Dehydration Solution

Hydra care was launched in April 2020 as "a nutrient-enriched water containing osmolytes, which help cells absorb water.

and:

However, this product is designed for cats with a different type of problem (FLUTD), and is designed to lower urine specific gravity (USG). Therefore I do not think this product is suitable for CKD cats, who tend to have too low a USG anyway.