water

The Importance of Water

Water is essential to your dog's health. His body is made up of 70% water. Next to oxygen, water is the most important nutrient in your dog's body. It helps digest food, carry and absorb nutrients, flush out waste and control body temperature. Dogs can go for days without food and they can lose up to 40 percent of their body weight and still survive, but if a dog loses just 10 percent of his body's water, bodily functions shut down causing serious illness. A 15 percent loss of water will kill him. The average dog drinks 50ml of water a day for every kilo of body weight. That means about 1.5 litres per day for a 30kg dog. How much water your dog needs depends on his physical activities and the type of food he eats. Some of his daily intake of fluid will be found in food, too, especially with a moist diet. Snacks like apples contain a large amount of water. The amount of water needed will vary between dogs and from day to day, but it is a useful guide. A gradual or rapid increase in thirst can be significant.

Water is used in several ways in the dogs body:

1. Water is used to help digest and absorb nutrients.

2. It is used to burn fuel, which is turned into energy.

3. Water is responsible for maintaining a normal body temperature.

4. Drinking enough water replaces the fluids that are lost in the body during secretions.

5. Water is also responsible for mixing different types of chemicals in the body as they dissolve and transform into different chemical reactions.

6. Water carries nutrients to the cells and also transfers toxic waste products from the cells to the organs for proper elimination. With the absence of water, these organs will not be able to get rid of toxins from the body.

7. Water is needed to regulate the blood's acid level.

No matter what age your pet is, a noticeable increase in water intake (drinking) and subsequent increased urination often means there is an underlying medical problem, if your animal is not on a medication such as prednisone. Also, a change in urinary habits, such as urinating in the house or where the pet sleeps, increased urge to urinate, or very dilute urine needs to be evaluated as soon as possible. One exception for urinary accidents would be a senior pet with dementia (disoriented, forgetting housetraining), but other more common medical conditions must be ruled out first. Causes of increased drinking include diabetes, kidney disease and Cushings disease. Dogs with these life threatening problems often drink twice the usual daily amount.

Check your dogs water intake each day for a week, and allow only one dog to drink from a bowl. Don't change your dogs daily routine or diet - fluctuations in thirst due to exercise ot weather tend to even out. But if your pet is drinking more than 70ml/kg a day, get a fresh urine sample and ask you vet to check it out.

The above information is simply informational. It's intent is not to replace the advice of a veterinarian nor to assist you in making a diagnosis of your pet. Please consult with your own veterinarian for confirmation of any diagnosis. Your pets life may depend on it.