No matter how fond your dog is for water, it is a vital nutritional element for them. You can monitor Its daily consumption of water, a predefined amount that will allow It to preserve the hydration of Its body and to protect it against the appearance of certain diseases. Water, ideal for playing and feeling good? Some dogs also need it for their personal balance. Here is how to perfectly meet all their needs, at any age, according to their temperament or their lifestyle.
Amounts of water according to weight
Your dog’s body contains nearly 70% of water that it is necessary to renew in part every day, to hydrate Its organs, transport the components of Its blood, body fluids such as urine or to facilitate perspiration and fecal elimination. 3 days of dehydration would be fatal. If nothing disturbs Its daily functioning and Its weight is stable, the required amount is 50 to 80 ml of water/pound per day.
For example: at moderate room temperature (32 ° F) at rest, for a 20 pounds poodle, should consume 500 to 800 ml of water per day; for a 60-pound shepherd, should consume an average of between 1.5 and 2.4 liters each day. It is therefore important to assess the size of your bowl, to fill it well once or twice a day with fresh, non-soiled water (no slime, no earth, no layer of ice on top, oran overturned bowl ), and to consider that this total quantity can be obtained in part by food if these are wet (soups, pates which already have nearly 80% humidity, household rations, sauces with water…).
If your dog drinks a lot of water
Your dog’s water needs necessarily increase if It has to adapt to seasonal changes, high heat, during gestation or lactation, if It eats foods that are too salty if you offer It physical activity. more intense or walks with other dogs. It has this rather natural reflex, that of going in search of water to satisfy Its needs. It will tell you that Its bowl is empty, will guide you to the nearest water point, to drink there, sometimes in front of a puddle, a stream, It will also taste a few sprigs of herbs just for freshness and the water that beads up on the surface.
On the contrary, certain situations are the reflection of anomalies that it is good to recognize in order to intervene in time. This is the case if your dog drinks almost double Its usual amount every day, It can not hold back at night, It asks for frequent outings and Its urine is clear, limpid, abundant. Kidney disease or diabetes is frequently associated with these excess fluid intakes and urine output. A high fever can also cause It to drink a lot, your dog is then very tired, without appetite; In this case, present it quickly to your veterinarian.
Some small dogs drink little
Small dog breeds by their lifestyle, their inactivity, overweight may have a slight but recurrent dehydration, combined with a diet too dry and unbalanced in minerals, sometimes bladder stones that may block their urine. In this case, changes in diet, their lifestyle, and additional water intake will be considered to avoid any recurrence that would be painful and dangerous for their health.
Monitor the source of water outside
The safety of the water consumed by your dog is to be monitored, some puddles are sometimes soiled by detergents, hydrocarbons, or too stagnant. It happens that rivers with weak currents, during high heat, are the object of prohibitions following fatal poisoning of dogs caused by ingested fungi or aquatic bacteria.
Make sure there is a suitable water point to quench your dog’s thirst on a walk or take a transport bowl, a water bottle, or a dog gourd with you. The same advice for your car trips, heatstroke, or exposure behind a window to the sun that turns easily, can be fatal in a few minutes. The dog, with its fur, can neither sweat nor regulate its body temperature at will. So, hydrate it healthily and always place it away from such danger.
