Dogs do almost nothing better than to eat – at least in most cases much better than to drink. A sufficient amount of water is important for our furry friends.
Does your dog drink too little? The following guide will tell you which symptoms you can recognize and when you should see the vet.
Dog drinks too little Symptoms: What are the typical signs?
Does your dog drink too little? He then shows several symptoms that you can use to identify this behavior, including less urination and an increased need for sleep.
Dogs that drink too little are also beaten off – to a certain extent the symptom that leads to a lot of sleep and to the fact that the dog no longer wants to go outside.
We will now take a closer look at what other signs there are that a dog is drinking too little and what is behind it.
Declining energy level
Not only the food intake provides the dog with energy, but also the intake of liquid.
Because water plays a key role in ensuring that the gray cells are and remain fit and awake.
Does your dog drink too little? One sign is that he seems listless and lacking in energy.
Already knew?
A dog should consume between 40 and 60 milliliters of liquid per kilogram of body weight per day.
Increased need for sleep
Anyone who has no more energy – or hardly any – gets tired quickly. If your dog has this problem due to the lack of water, he will become sleepy.
Does your dog drink too little? Then you can tell by the fact that he lies and sleeps in his dog bed for what feels like the whole day.
No motivation to go out the door
The reluctance to go out into the fresh air is also a sign that you can tell that your dog is not drinking enough.
Here again the energy level in the basement is responsible.
Does your dog drink too little? Then your dog is simply too tired to put one paw in front of the other.
Little urination
It is logical that a dog that drinks too little will urinate significantly less as a result.
After all, not enough liquid comes from above that could be excreted again via the kidneys.
Speaking of kidneys: In the long term, it is not a good idea for these important organs if your furry friend refuses water.
This is because toxins can no longer be excreted from the body, and kidney failure is the result.
When should I go to the vet and what are the treatment options if my dog is not drinking enough?
If your dog doesn’t feel like drinking too much for a day, that’s no reason to panic right away – but you can go to the vet on day 2.
Because too little liquid not only damages the kidneys sooner or later – especially if you always find out: Your dog drinks too little.
Other organs can also be affected life-threatening dehydration or dehydration once apart.
If this has already occurred, the mucous membranes in the mouth, among other things, are dry and sticky.
The skin also suffers from dehydration. If you pull up a fold of skin and it doesn’t quickly fall back on itself, your dog is on the way to becoming dehydrated.
Only a veterinarian can provide quick help here – in the form of infusions with an electrolyte-containing saline solution.
Treating your dog who drinks too little means that your fur nose has to be put on an IV – and if necessary stay at the vet’s overnight.
This is put through its paces by means of a number of examinations – for example blood tests, in order to be able to rule out or confirm diseases.
If there is a disease, it is treated with an appropriate medication.
However, since stress and a change in diet can also be the cause if a dog drinks too little, the further treatments and therapies are, to a certain extent, up to you.
Let’s take a look at what you can do here.
stress reduction
Stress and anxiety can trigger the most bizarre behaviors in dogs—and almost none of them are to be taken lightly.
One way to encourage your dog to start drinking more is to create a calm and relaxed atmosphere.
Incidentally, this stress can also be caused by being in heat.
Male dogs in particular are said to suffer from unmotivated drinking behavior when a bitch is in heat nearby.
Wet food instead of dry food
Nutrition experts will always advise feeding dogs wet food anyway – after all, this is closer to natural eating behavior than dry food.
Wet food also has the advantage of containing a high proportion of liquid.
If your dog is lazy or doesn’t drink enough, it can absorb some of this liquid through its food.
In this way, symptoms can be reduced if you find that your dog is not drinking enough.
Variety
Variety can also encourage your dog to drink more again. Maybe his water bowl is too boring for him?
Then try a water fountain from which the water bubbles happily.
Speaking of bubbles, a running faucet can also be a good trick.
Is your dog one of those furry friends that doesn’t drink enough, and if so, what’s behind it? We’d love for you to share this story and your tips with us in the comments.