Water intake is important for dogs especially when the temperature is high during the summer. While owners think that their dogs might over drink or drink too little, there is certain amount of water that your canines need.
"Just like people, most of a dog's body is made up of water," said Cynthia Otto, DVM, Ph.D, according to Cesar's Way, "And so it's absolutely essential for every function of his body. A dog can go a long time without food, but without water he's not going to survive."
Over-drinking would lead to stomach bloat, electrolyte imbalances, and hyponatremia (water toxicity) and it could be a sign of a bladder infection, another type of infection, or diabetes. Meanwhile, under-drinking can indicate parvo, leptospirosis, or pancreatitis, The Dogster reported.
The amount of water your dogs drink in a day depends on its size, food, age, exercise, weather and medications. Healthy dogs drink an average of 1/2 to 1 ounce of water per pound of body weight per day. If your dogs eat dry food, give them a little more water and avoid food that contains sodium because it would make them feel thirsty.
For puppies, 1/2 cup of water every two hours is recommended while senior dogs can already monitor themselves. When exercising, provide ice cubes or water for your dogs. During the summer, the weather is hot and you need to increase your dog's water intake. See to it also that you know if your dog needs more water depending on its medication.
To determine if your dog may need more water, lift some skin at the back of her neck and let it go. The skin will quickly fall back into place if the dog is well hydrated but if the dog is dehydrated, it will fall more slowly and form sort of a tent, Healthy Pets reported. Try checking the dog's gums too. If they are slick, she is well-hydrated. If they are dry or sticky, the dog needs more water.
One important step to ensure that water supply is enough for your dogs is to clean them up. Provide them with healthy diet and right amount of clean water in order to promote health and avoid illness.
