Aside from a well-balanced diet, another essential factor to remember to ensure that you meet their daily requirements and overall nutrition is your dog's water for drinking.
It is common knowledge that water is a basic essential to sustain life. However, how much water should your dog drink to remain healthy? Know more after reading the following to get your pet to drink more if they are not drinking enough.
First, know that 70% of your dog's body is made up of water, which is why the substance is involved in almost every chemical process that occurs in the body. Water moisturizes the air in the lungs and transports oxygen and nutrients in the bloodstream to cells. Water also regulates body temperature and lubricates internal organs and joints. Also, water helps remove waste and other harmful substances from the body.
How much water should a dog drink?
Generally, a dog should be able to drink 1 ounce of fluids per pound of body weight. Therefore, 10-pound dogs should drink roughly ten fluid ounces per day. If a dog either lives actively in a hot climate or is currently going through a lactating phase, then these dogs will drink more. Because puppies tend to run around the house a lot, you can consider them to be active dogs. Therefore, puppies will also consume more water compared to adult dogs. Lastly, when you serve your dog wet food, then they are expected to drink less water.
If you observe that your pet is drinking more water than he usually consumes, this can indicate Parvovirus, Leptospirosis, Pancreatitis, bladder infections, or other general infections. Seek medical advice then.
How to Ensure Proper Hydration for Your Dog?
We've finished answering the question of how much water your dog must drink regularly. Let us now discuss the ways on how to manage under-drinkers and over-drinkers. Consider the following:
If your dog is drinking less than its usual consumption, praise him and hand him a treat whenever he goes to get a drink. Modify his behavior towards drinking water through motivations.
Place a water bowl near his bed, near his food, or anywhere he usually stays. Accessibility to water or food sometimes impacts your pet’s craving to eat or drink.
To increase his drinking, you can also add flavor packets such as chicken, bacon, or beef into his drinking water. If he refuses to drink water altogether, you can serve him some actual beef or chicken broth instead. Add plain water gradually.
For over-drinkers, letting them lick bottles (like the ones used for horses) can help decrease their water intake.
Ration water refills throughout the day to control the amount of water given to your dog. You can use automatic water dispensers to fill up their bowls whenever the water gets low. However, the downside to this is you cannot control the amount of water given when using dispensers. To control the amount of water given, you can opt to use an automatic feeder instead, so its separate compartments can open at specified times.
To sum it all up, with the right amount of water paired with a well-balanced diet and a safe and nurturing environment, you can prevent your pets' illness and improve their health. So, equip yourself with the right tools and accessories while raising your pets.
At Instachew, you can browse through the various smart pet products in store for you. From automated and filtered water fountains to dog bowls and portable water bottles, we have the perfect equipment for your dog's drinking needs. Visit us and get one for your fur baby now!