How much water should a dog drink?

Usually, owners pay attention to their pet's eating habits, whether it has become more to eat or refuses food, but how much liquid it consumes is usually not controlled by anyone. But nevertheless strong thirst sooner or later becomes noticeable. Is it worth worrying if the dog drinks more than usual, and what causes this behavior?

The dog has increased thirst or polydipsia

In veterinary practice there is a specialized terminology, according to which, increased thirst in animals and their increased use of large amounts of water is called polydipsia. Should this phenomenon disturb the owners?

Of course, if the dog starts to drink a lot, it is about any changes in the body, only they are pathological or they are at the level of the norm, and this needs to be clarified. In addition, it is necessary to clarify whether the animal really began to drink more than usual, or whether the owner simply did not pay attention to how the pet quenches thirst. And one of the important aspects is the assessment of the type of increased thirst and its classification.

How much water should a dog drink?

One of the common causes of increased thirst in dogs is their transfer to food by dry production rations. If the animal could receive additional moisture from wet products (it contains up to 80% there), then in the granules of dry food, after evaporation, about 10-12% remain. Naturally, to fill the lack of water, the pet begins to drink more.

Such thirst is not considered a pathological phenomenon, since it caused a change in the source of moisture. Veterinarians warn about this nuance of dog owners, and on packs with ready-made rations you can read a reminder about the obligatory granting to your pet of constant access to clean drinking water.

To find out how much a dog should drink water per day, you can use the following data - from 70 to 100 ml per kilogram of pet's weight. This is the maximum daily dosage. Thus, a miniature 5-pound dog should drink from 350 to 500 ml of water a day so that there is no risk of disturbing the water-electrolyte balance. If the dog weighs "half centner", then he can and should drink about 3.5-5 liters of water per day, which is considered to be absolutely normal.

That's when the animal consumes large amounts of fluid, then we can say that he has increased thirst. It should be noted that it is recommended to change the water to the pet at least once a day, and in the warm season - 2-3 times. As in a similar environment, bacteria and viruses can develop in fluids.

It is also recommended to give the pet raw water, as boiled "dead" water may not be to the taste of the dog, as well as stagnant or with a high content of chlorine. But situations of water consumption by animals from unknown water bodies and puddles should be avoided.

See also:

• choose a harness for the dog ;
• how to wean the dog to write and crap at home .

Natural increase in thirst in dogs

As in any living organism, the pet may undergo changes, resulting in high fluid consumption. In such a situation, the animal begins to consume more fluid than indicated by the norm. Such behavior may be associated with pathological conditions of the body, when the disease is accompanied by increased thirst, but also do not immediately exclude the causes of natural origin, which are not associated with diseases. Increased thirst can occur for the following reasons:

• during the carrying of offspring;
• increased pet activity;
• in the warm season during the heat;
• if the dog is in a room with high temperature and dry air for a long time;
• use of a number of products with a diuretic effect (rice, apples, pumpkin, carrots, greens, cucumbers, etc.);
• if the feed contains a lot of salt;
• if the diet includes little protein food.

The group of natural causes also include taking certain medications:

• drugs with a pronounced diuretic (diuretic) effect;
• corticosteroid medications;
• administration of Xylazine hydrochloride injection, which has a sedative, analgesic, anesthetic effect, and is also a muscle relaxant. The drug is used to immobilize the animal.

In addition, the dog may increase thirst in the background of a stressful situation, when the pet is in great excitement. In this case, polydipsia is psychological.

Thirst of pathological origin

But not always everything is so harmless, often the dog begins to drink a lot due to the fact that the disease develops in his body. And abundant nutrition in this case is a protective reaction of the body, protecting it from possible dehydration.

If the owner decides that the best way out in this case is to limit the animal’s access to water or to prohibit the use of such volumes of liquid, this may cause the death of the animal. The list of diseases, which symptom is polydipsia, includes the following ailments:

• hypercalcemia (increased calcium in the blood plasma);
• hypocalcemia (pathological reduction of calcium);
• diseases associated with hormonal levels (sugar and non-sugar forms of diabetes, thyrotoxicosis, acromegaly);
• tumor formations in liver tissues, as well as other oncological diseases;
• inflammatory processes in the liver (hepatitis);
• accumulations of purulent-inflammatory fluid in the uterus;
• hypothalamic disease;
• manifestation of perdikalnogo effusion;
• increased red blood cells in the bloodstream;
• acute or chronic renal failure;
• inflammation of the kidneys (pyelonephritis);
• glomerular nephritis;
• urethral obstruction.

Since there are a lot of diseases that cause polydipsia, it’s not worth the owners to try to diagnose the ailment on their own. It would be more correct to consult a specialist. In this situation, a complex diagnosis in the clinic and the timely appointment of treatment is required. In addition, some pathological conditions also cause increased thirst:

• accumulation in the chest cavity and peritoneum fluid, for example, with dropsy;
• for skin lesions - burns, wounds;
• with diarrhea ;
• gagging ;
• with heavy blood loss.

If the dog began to drink a lot and other symptoms of disease appear in her condition, you need to urgently consult a veterinarian. Otherwise, you can lose sight of the initial stage of the disease, in which the disease is much easier to cure.

And up to this point it is necessary to provide the pet with constant access to fresh drinking water, enabling the dog to drink as much as he wants, this is very important for his health and well-being.