Water :: The Most Overlooked Nutrient
A summer reflection through the lens of Ayurveda
One of the things I love most about dogs is how faithfully they continue listening to nature. They rarely question what their bodies are asking for. Instead, they simply respond.
On a warm summer afternoon, they instinctively seek out the cool tile floor, stretch beneath the shade of a favorite tree, or pause to stand in a shallow creek during a walk. They don't need someone to tell them they're getting too warm. Their bodies simply know what to seek.
I often think there's something deeply reassuring about that. While we humans have a tendency to outthink our instincts, dogs remain wonderfully connected to theirs. If we're willing to pay attention, they become some of our greatest teachers in this regard.
Ayurveda, the ancient science of life, has observed these same rhythms for thousands of years. Summer is known as Pitta season, a time when heat naturally accumulates in the body. As temperatures rise, our dogs are quietly working harder to stay in balance, regulating body temperature, supporting healthy circulation, and maintaining countless processes that keep them thriving.
One of the simplest ways we can support that balance is also one of the easiest to overlook.
MORE THANK JUST A DRINK
We rarely think of water as a nutrient, yet it may be one of the most important things our dogs (and ourselves) receive each day. Every cell depends on it. Water helps regulate body temperature, transports nutrients throughout the body, supports digestion, cushions joints, and allows the kidneys and liver to perform the remarkable work they're designed to do. It isn't simply something that satisfies thirst. It's woven into nearly every function of life.
That realization has stayed with me over the years. We spend so much time choosing healthier foods, researching supplements, and looking for ways to help our dogs live longer, healthier lives. Yet one of the greatest opportunities to support wellness is sitting quietly in the corner of the kitchen.
If water plays such an important role in the body, it naturally raises another question: shouldn't the quality of the water matter just as much as the quality of the food?
Most municipal tap water is considered safe to drink, but depending on where you live, it may also contain chlorine or chloramine, fluoride, traces of heavy metals, agricultural runoff, pharmaceutical residues, and other compounds that weren't naturally part of water to begin with. None of us can eliminate every environmental exposure, but we can choose to reduce some of them. I've always felt our dogs deserve the same quality of water we choose for ourselves. Whether that's a reverse osmosis system or a quality countertop filter, providing cleaner water is one of those quiet decisions that asks very little of us while offering something meaningful in return.
FOLLOWING NATURE’S LEAD
One observation has always fascinated me. Given the choice, many dogs seem to prefer moving water. Perhaps you've seen it yourself. A dog bypasses perfectly still water in favor of a gently flowing creek, or suddenly drinks more enthusiastically after a fountain is introduced at home. Scientists suggest that moving water tends to be cooler, fresher, and more oxygenated. Ayurveda arrives at the observation from another direction, teaching that during Pitta season, movement and cooling help restore balance.
It also reminds us that balance isn't created only by what we drink. The sight of flowing water, the gentle sound of a creek or fountain, the cool sensation of water on our skin (or our dogs' paws) and even the freshness carried in the air around it all offer qualities that help soften excess Pitta. Perhaps that's one reason so many dogs seem naturally drawn to streams, lakes, and shady places beside the water during the heat of summer. They're experiencing far more than hydration alone. Different paths, wonderfully similar conclusions.
Rather than seeing this as another wellness tip, I see it as another reminder to observe. Our dogs are constantly offering clues about what feels good to them. Sometimes we simply overlook them because we're busy looking for more complicated answers.
THE LITTLE THINGS WE NOTICE
One of my favorite examples came from the tiniest guest we've ever welcomed to our dog B&B. Our sweet little Chihuahua friend, JayJay, hardly drank during his first day with us. The water was fresh, the bowl was clean, and nothing seemed obviously wrong. Then we realized the bowl looked enormous beside him. We couldn't help but laugh that perhaps he thought he might fall in. So we added a smaller, shallower bowl to the mix, and JayJay drank almost immediately.
That little moment has stayed with me because it reminded me how easily we can mistake behavior for preference when it may simply be about comfort. Bowl size, depth, material, and even where it's placed in the home can influence whether a dog feels inclined to drink. Sometimes the answer isn't to encourage them more. It's simply to look more closely.
The same can be said for the bowl itself. A fresh bowl of water deserves a fresh bowl to live in. Washing it daily with soap and sanitizing it regularly (I simply run ours through the dishwasher once a week) is one of those almost invisible acts of care that rarely gets much attention, yet quietly supports longevity.
HYDRATION BEYOND THE BOWL
Another fact that has changed the way I think about hydration is realizing that, in nature, dogs don't receive all of their water by drinking. Wild canines obtain a significant amount of moisture through fresh food (around 75%), while many modern dry diets contain only a fraction of that natural water content (around 17%). It's one of the reasons I love adding moisture back into meals whenever possible, whether through fresh foods, gently cooked diets, bone broth, or even a generous splash of filtered water. Hydration isn't confined to the water bowl; it's woven throughout the day.
AN ORDINARY ACT OF CARE
Perhaps that's what I appreciate most about Ayurveda. It has a way of reminding us that the ordinary things are often the most profound. Water isn't viewed simply as something that quenches thirst. It's considered one of the body's primary carriers of nourishment, helping every tissue receive what it needs to function, heal, and remain in balance.
When you begin looking at it that way, a bowl of fresh water no longer feels like a routine task. It becomes an act of care.
The older I get, the more I realize that living well isn't always about learning something new. Sometimes it's about remembering what nature has been showing us all along. And maybe that's the lesson I keep coming back to. Good health is rarely built through one dramatic change. More often, it's shaped by hundreds of quiet choices that seem almost too ordinary to matter... a shady place to rest, a walk before the afternoon heat, a bowl of clean filtered water, a meal rich in moisture and nourishment.
Our dogs have been showing us this all along. Nature doesn't ask us to do everything. It simply asks us to pay attention.
— By Amanda Ree, Sama Dog Founder