So what's worse?

Sera...are you warming the water first? 
 
Also, are there any other high quality brands that are low ash that you can feed there? I know that shipping to you has GOT to be out of the question and I am pretty sure you have limited options locally.   

i never add water to my dog's kibble... BUT, if you really want to add water to it, you could try getting some of those freeze dried "food toppers" (can't remember the brand- i have the liver ones) and putting the flakes at the bottom of the bag in the water to flavor it. 
 
i wouldn't switch just because of the ash content, as it was pointed out to me on another thread that the ash is merely a result of normal processing of the bone.  ( think that's how it was worded) 
 
with all the recall madness, i would be really hesitant to switch to a lower quality kibble just because of ash content, unless the girls have other health issues you're concerned about the ash affecting.

You could change kibble, and lower the ash content, and not lower the quality. What else does the place that has Barking at the Mon have?

Have you tried (low sodium) broth instead of water?

Water doesn't turn my dogs on either. The kennel I board my husky at though adds a gravy type food topper to get all of the dogs to eat at the same time (some dogs get depressed and won't eat apparently). Have you tried that yet?
 
 

I know ash content is an issue for cats, but what's the deal for dogs?  Can't dogs just drink water?

My question (as stated above) would be if you are heating the water at all.  Wolfie will not eat it w/ cold water, but likes it warmer.  

Fromm makes a gravy that looks really healthy. I don't know how available it is, for you, or how much it costs.

A spoonful of canned food, mixed with warm water works just as well, and most dogs adore it. The other SG formulas are pretty good, though, if you need to switch.

most dogs drink water immediately after eating a meal of dry kibble. You think it matters whether the dog consumes the water right afterwards or during the meal?
 
I usually mix canned food diluted with a bit of water with kibble. A nice healthy "gravy".

Hi there!
 
My Tzu is a oor drinker.
 
When she was on kibble, she would drink only a tiny bit of water "on her own" (she drank from a water bottle, but wouldn't touch a water bowl). When we switched to homecooking, she stopped drinking alltogether. The vets said it was "ok", and that she was getting the moisture from the "wet food". Well, they were wrong! My dog ended up dehydrated and we had to give subcutaneous fluids, twice! To the tune of $75 each time, at the vets. 
 
Since then, I give her a "soup course" before each meal. It's basically just some of her food + broth.  If I just added in pure water, she wouldn't touch it; she'd just "dunk" for pcs of her food, and get a lot of water up her little nose. She's like a pelican, diving for fish. LOL  With the "broth" added, though, she drinks every last drop.   To make my life simpler now, I make her entire recipe batch of food as a "stew" (4-5 days worth at time). That way I just laddle out her food portions, and the "broth" is already in there. *always trying to outsmart this puppy! [8|] * 

Ideas:
So, if your dog is a very poor drinker throughout the day, you could try homecooking for him? and make stews?

Or, if that's not an option, perhaps you can make up some "broth" and add that to the kibble, right before he eats (so that the kibble won't get soggy? My Tzu hates soggy food; it has to be "chunky" [sm=rolleyes.gif] lol) I would make my own stock, vs use a premade, that way you can control the sodium content (even low sodium stock still has a lot of salt in it, imho).  Sedona likes her stock a bit spicy *haha*. I add in a bit of rosemary, and some garlic (tiny amount of fresh, or I'll sprinkle some powdered garlic at the finish). I just boil up some chicken (bone in, skin on), or some beef, or lamb for the stock.  Sometimes, if she's really being picky, I'll add in a tiny pinch of salt or a pinch of cheese (parmesan or feta) to the finished stock, at serving time. She just seems to crave the salty flavor, but I do make sure it's a very tiny amount. Since the pinch of cheese "floats", it's kind of hard for her to dive in her bowl to fish them out. LOL She's more or less forced to drink all the water, before she can "catch" the cheese pieces.

I second the tablespoon of canned food mixed with water to make a "gravy".  Its simple and both my girls (past and present) never refused a kibble meal served that way.    You could buy the small cans of food and keep the leftovers in the fridge - each small can would probably last for 4 meals.