Have you recently noticed your pet Dog drinking water and urinating a lot or similar changes in your dog’s drinking water behavior? Every Canine is unique, and their diet depends on their breed, age, pregnancy, and health condition.
Most dog parents are concerned about how much water a dog should drink.
The standard rule of thumb is to measure the recommended amount of water intake, that is, 1 ounce per pound of your dog’s body weight daily.
Being a pet dog parent requires attention to your canine companion’s eating, drinking, walking, and sleeping patterns. You should be aware that 70% of the body’s metabolism is water for good metabolism. Physically active young dogs and cats who love to play also need to lower it, especially in summer.
Possible Reasons Why Your Dog Is Always Thirsty?
Just go through this quick checklist to narrow down the possible reasons why your dog drinks water constantly or feels too thirsty.
If your pet dog has any of the reasons below, then it’s normal to feel thirsty; however, you should contact your vet immediately if the dog is drinking water but is still dehydrated.
- Is your dog pregnant or lactating?
- Is your pet in growing years
- Is your dog on any medications
- Has your dog recently been diagnosed with diabetes, diarrhea, kidney disease, infection, or fever?
- Your pet dog is on a dry diet?
Dog’s body temperatures usually get high in the young puppies who play a lot in summers. You might have noticed dogs panting when tired after playing because their paws have sweat glands but no or less surface area.
Ensure your dog doesn’t throw up, feels dehydrated, or does not urinate after drinking water. As a Dog parent, you need to train them to drink small amounts of water after relaxing for a while from a playdate.
What About Hot Days? Should My Pet Drink More?
If your dog is hairy or furry and physically active before they get dehydrated during the hot days and start to feel down, you better take the initiative.
- Make sure your dog plays in the shadows and not under the sun mid-afternoon.
- You can get a pool for them to play with without getting too hot.
- Train them to have little breaks to relax and drink little amounts of water.
- Get them a haircut, and reduce the hairs or furs during the summertime to ensure most body heat is released.
- Get them on wet dog food as wet food consists of 15% to 25% of the water. It helps them absorb more water through food.
- Maintain a balanced temperature inside and outside of the house. Your dog might feel too much heat if it moves from an air-conditioned indoors to a regular hot summer day with 100 degrees outdoors. This leads to more chances of heat stroke and dehydration.
How Long Can A Dog Go Without Water? | What if my dog is dehydrated?
On hot days your dog needs fresh, clean drinking water more frequently when it is 80 to 100 degrees outdoors. Roughly, your dog can stay thirsty for a few hours air-conditioned indoors.
Dogs can survive without water, anywhere around 3 to 5 days, but it’s not healthy. However, after 24 hours, your dog will get dehydrated and start to show signs of weakness. Dogs are more likely to get dehydrated if no balance is maintained between water intake as water is constantly discharged out of the body through urine, sweat, and feces. Usually, the Urine color of dehydrated dogs is strong in the smell with dark pale yellow color.
According to American Kennel Club, here are warning signs and symptoms to identify dehydration in canines:
- Vomiting and diarrhea
- Not physically active as your dog used to be regularly
- Dry nose.
- Thicker saliva.
- Gums are dry and pale.
- Try to pinch on the shoulder blade skin to check the skin’s elasticity.
- Panting
- Muscle fatigue
- Heat Stroke
Excessive playing, illness, and urinary diseases can also lead to dehydration. If your pet dog shows any signs, immediately take it indoors, feed them with an electrolyte drink, and let the pet rest and monitor your dog’s conditions. In case your dog doesn’t show any improvement visit your vet.
Dog Breeds Most Likely To Get Dehydrated
In canines, puppies, lactating or pregnant dogs, and toy dog breeds are at a higher risk of dehydration due to increased physical activity and water consumption.
However, experts have suggested that if all the above reasons are ruled out. There could be an undiagnosed disease such as cancer, kidney, or diabetes as an underlying cause of dehydration in your dog.
How To Make Sure Your Dogs Stays Hydrated
You must ensure your Dog drinks enough water daily to avoid dehydration and rushing to the vet’s clinic. Dog parents must monitor their drinking behavior, bowel routine, and physical activities to keep them healthy.
You need to fill up the dog’s water bowl regularly at the same time with the same amount and observe how much water is consumed daily.
Signs That Your Pet Dog Is Drinking Enough Water & Hydrated
Well, if your dog is well-hydrated, it will reflect in its health, bowel movement, urine, and behavior. You can assure by pinching its skin if its elastic, moist gums, sparky playful behavior with healthy eye movement, and urine is odorless with light yellow to colorless.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know my pet dog is drinking enough water?
Make sure your canine companion consumes the daily recommended average amount of water, i.e., one ounce per body weight.
Is it healthy to let my dog drink from the toilet pot?
Drinking from the pot will not lead to infections, but it is not recommended because people are more likely to use bleach and toilet cleaners with solid acids and artificial scents. You must train your dog to drink from the bowl to avoid any health conditions.
How do I train my dog to drink enough water daily by itself?
Your Dog will build a habit of drinking water daily if you develop a routine where you fill up the water bowl and ask it to come for a quick gulp.
Can my Dog get thirsty at night while sleeping? What can I do?
There is no significant evidence or recommendations by the vet about pet dogs feeling thirsty at night. Also, if your dog drinks water before going to bed, it will have to pee after a few hours.
What if my dog drinks excessive amounts of water and is still dehydrated?
Such symptoms indicate an underlying health condition related to kidneys; therefore, get your dog a visit to the vet if your dog is drinking water but not urinating enough or still dehydrated after drinking reasonable amounts of water.