Ask Dr. Dog

Happy Summer! I know many of you are going on more hikes, taking your pets on exciting trips, and finding the sun wherever you can. It’s essential for you and your pets to stay hydrated every day, especially when you are more active. I’ve assembled a list of the frequently asked questions I’ve received throughout the years regarding the importance of hydration to help you and your pet stay on track.

Q: Why is water so important for my pet? A: Water is essential for life. It makes-up the majority of our bodies and more than half of the bloodvolume. It is indispensable for generating body fluid, nutritive solution bathing, and supplying all bodily tissues including tendons, ligaments, and other types of connective tissue involved in physical exercise.

Q: How much water should I give my pet? A: Healthy adult dogs need about 1 ounce daily for each pound of body weight. Water intakerequirements increase if the pet is eating dry dog food, exercises a lot, lives in a hot or dry climate, or suffers from diseases that make it difficult to conserve water.

Q: How often should I give my pet water? A: Water should be made available to your pet at all times while at home. Restricting access to water to prevent house soiling can lead to dehydration and digestive upset. When out on walks it’s good to bring along a collapsible water bowl and offer water every 30-60 minutes, depending on ambient conditions. If you’re exercising your pet at Fort Funston on a sunny, windy day at mid-day he will experience greater fluid loss and might need to be offered frequent breaks for water. Dry nose and mouth, and foam ridges on tongue are indications of decreased hydration. If your pet goes too long without water he might experience digestive upset and not be able to drink plain water anymore. Instead some dogs will attempt to eat sea shells, crab shells, or seaweed (all good sources of acid fighting calcium carbonate, the active ingredient in Tums).

Q: What happens if I give my pet too much water? A:    In my experience dogs are far more likely to drink too little because of distractions. Dogs that consume too much water usually do it because they feel hot or dehydrated, or because they are experiencing heartburn. If a dog were to drink too much water it’s body would tell the kidneys to stop conserving it and produce more dilute urine. Unless your pet suffers from hypertension or heart disease it is very difficult to over hydrate him.

Q: What happens if I give my pet too little water? A: Inadequate water intake leads to dehydration. The first major consequence is drying up of mucous membranes (mouth, nose, airway, stomach). Dehydration can quickly lead to stomach upset and throat, nose and eye irritation. By the time your pet has an upset stomach or scratchy throat, water might not seem like a tasty choice. Instead you might see you pet going for more ‘isotonic’ fluids like puddle water. A cleaner isotonic alternative is coconut water, low salt broth (no onion powder!), or milk (most pets are ok with various types of milk, including goat, cow, and almond milk).1 Once you suspect dehydration it’s important to prevent further fluid loss: seek shade to cool off, or dampen the dog’s coat on head and neck to increase heat loss from the surface (vs from nose/sinus).

Q: Is it Ok to give my pet water or sports drinks that contain electrolytes?A: Sport drinks have a lot of sugars and artificial sweeteners, but electrolyte enriched water is fine. You can also purchase electrolyte salt packets that can be mixed with certain amount of tap water to make it isotonic. The only way water can enter our bloodstream is by following electrolytes or sugars from fluids we drink. This process is called osmosis. It is very difficult to get hydration from distilled water.

Q: What are the signs of dehydration? A:Most common signs are dry nose and mouth, and drying up of mucous membranes of the stomach and digestive tract. This can lead to stomach inflammation or even ulcers. Depending on the degree of damage to stomach lining pets can either drink ravenously, or avoid water all together. Heartburn can manifest as ravenous thirst or appetite, eating inappropriate objects (grass, toys, fabric/cotton, tissues/paper, crab shells, dirt, clay), retching or dry heaving (sounds very much like coughing and it’s hard to tell them apart), loss of energy, lethargy, and anorexia (refusing to eat). Eventually damage to the digestive tract can manifest as vomiting and diarrhea. The most common clue I see in pets with dehydration-induced heartburn is digging at the neck and chest, and obsessive licking of front feet and forearms.

Q: What happens if my pet is chronically dehydrated? A: Chronic dehydration impacts circulation (blood delivery) to other vital organs besides the digestivetract. Kidneys require constant blood flow; otherwise they can sustain serious and sometimes irreparable injury. Chronic decrease in circulation to joints results in slow rate of repair, and loss of plasticity (increased stiffness). Joints that are less plastic are easier to injure, especially during high impact exercise. Chronic dry mouth leads to gingivitis and periodontal disease, and decreased blood flow to teeth can lead to root canal inflammation and dental pain manifested as pawing at the mouth or self-induced skin lesions: hot spots and ear infections.

Q: How can I keep my pet amply hydrated when exercising?A: Stay in shade, avoid exercising midday in full sun, take frequent breaks and encourage drinking water, avoid dehydrating snacks such as biscuits or kibble, offer high moisture snacks such as fruit, steamed veggies, hot dogs, yoghurt.Q: Besides exercise, how else does my pet lose water? A:    Moisture is lost during exercise via respiration (exhaling moist air) and evaporation from nose/sinus toregulate body temperature. Other types of fluid loss include diarrhea, vomiting, drooling, and blood loss from wounds.

Q: Besides lacking water, how else might my pet experience dehydration? A: Excess loss of fluid caused by inability to concentrate urine (kidney disease, stress caused by pain or inflammation), excess loss via defecation (diarrhea), vomiting, drooling (from mouth or tooth pain), and bleeding. Feeding dry kibble promotes dehydration, as typical pet kibble contains no more than 10% moisture. In order to make it digestible, the body needs to rehydrate it back to about 70%.Water is as important for pets as it is for people! The proper balance between water and electrolytes in our bodies determines how the majority of our systems function, including nerves and muscles - especially for our active pets! Be sure to always keep your pet hydrated at home and one the go! Dehydration and other hydration related symptoms are preventable with proper planning.