Regardless of your dog's affinity for water, it is a vital nutritional element for him. You can monitor your dog's daily water intake, either by drinking or eating, a predefined amount that will help keep his body hydrated and protect him from certain diseases. Water, ideal for playing and feeling good? Some dogs also need it for their personal balance. Here's how to perfectly meet all their needs, at any age, depending on their temperament or lifestyle.
Water amounts according to weight
Your dog's body contains nearly 70% water that needs to be partly renewed every day to hydrate his organs, carry his blood components, body fluids such as urine or facilitate sweating and fecal elimination. 3 days of dehydration would be fatal. If nothing disturbs its daily functioning and its weight is stable, the required quantity is 50 to 80 ml of water/kg per day.
For example: at a moderate room temperature (15°C) at rest, for a 10 kg poodle, plan consumption of 500 to 800 ml of water per day; for a 30 kg shepherd, count rather in 1 Litre bottles with an average of 1.5 to 2.4 Liters each day. It is therefore important to evaluate the size of his bowl, to fill it once or twice a day with fresh and not soiled water (no slime, no earth, ice on top, or overturned bowl...) and to consider that this total quantity can be obtained partly by food if it is wet (soups, pâtés which already have nearly 80% of humidity, household rations, sauces with water...)
If your dog drinks a lot
Your dog's water needs necessarily increase if he has to adapt to seasonal changes, high temperatures, during pregnancy, or lactation if he eats too salty food if you offer him more intense physical activity or walks with other dogs. He has a natural reflex to go in search of water to satisfy his needs. He will tell you that his bowl is empty, guide you to the nearest watering hole to drink, sometimes in front of a puddle, a stream, he will also taste a few sprigs of grass just for the freshness and the water that beads on the surface.
On the other hand, some situations are a reflection of abnormalities that it is good to recognize in order to intervene in time. This is the case if your dog drinks almost twice as much as usual every day, sometimes he can't hold it in at night, he asks to go out frequently and his urine is clear, abundant. Kidney disease or diabetes is frequently associated with this excessive drinking and urination. A high fever can also cause your dog to drink a lot, and he is then very tired, without appetite; in this case, present him quickly to your veterinarian.
Some small dogs drink little
Small breeds of dogs that, because of their lifestyle, their sedentary lifestyle, and their excess weight, may suffer from slight but recurrent dehydration, combined with a diet that is too dry and unbalanced in minerals, sometimes have bladder stones that may obstruct their urinary tract. In this case, changes in diet, lifestyle, and additional water intake will be considered to avoid any recurrence that would be painful and dangerous to their health.
Monitor the origin of the water outside
The healthiness of the water consumed by your dog should be monitored, some puddles are sometimes soiled by detergents, hydrocarbons, or too stagnant. It happens that waterways with weak currents, during hot weather, are subject to bans following fatal poisoning of dogs caused by fungi or aquatic bacteria ingested.
Also read: Organic dog treats
Make sure there is a suitable water source to quench your dog's thirst when you are out and about or take a dog bowl, water bottle, or water bottle with you. The same advice applies to your car journeys, a heat stroke or exposure behind a window in the sun which turns easily can be fatal in a few minutes. The dog, with its fur, can neither sweat nor regulate its body temperature. So, keep him well hydrated and always keep him out of danger.
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