With the warm summer months just around the corner, you know it’s important to monitor how much water you’re drinking, but what about your dog? Do they have the same water requirements that humans do?
Just like humans, water accounts for 60% of a dog’s body weight and is lost as they breathe, salivate, and urinate. Knowing this, it’s important that your dog stays properly hydrated throughout the day. But how much water exactly should your dog drink?
The amount of water your dog needs will vary on their size and amount of energy they have been exerting. In general, a dog requires 50-60 ml of water per kilogram of bodyweight. This may sound complicated, but to determine your dog’s weight in kilograms, all you need to do is divide their weight by 2.2. Alternatively, you could just look at this handy chart:
It’s great to know how much water your dog needs to drink, but how can you ensure that they are actually consuming the correct amount? The easiest way to do this is by measuring out the prescribed daily amount and monitor how much of it your pup drinks.
If you do this for a few days and notice that your dog is consistently not drinking enough water, there are a few things you can do to increase their daily intake.
1. Change water regularly, or use auto-replenishing dish
Some dogs can be quite picky about the water they drink, which can make it difficult to ensure they’re consuming enough water. If your dog won’t drink water that has been sitting out too long or water that another dog has helped him or herself to, make sure that their water is changed regularly or consider investing in an auto-replenishing dish.
2. Add water to their food
A sneaky way of making sure your pooch is getting all of the water they need, is by adding it to their food. Wet food already has quite a bit of water in it, but adding it to dry kibble is a great idea. Not only is their food more water-rich, when the kibble is gone most pups happily lap up any remaining moisture in the bowl.
3. Give treats of fresh fruit and vegetables
The tastiest way to add some extra water to your pet’s diet is by swapping out their dry treats for fresh fruit and vegetables. Fruits and veggies are full of water and are low in fat and calories so you can feel good about feeding them to your pooch! Just make sure that that you review which fruits and vegetables are safe for pups first.
4. Add broth to their water
If getting your dog to drink enough water is a losing battle, we’ll let you in on this little trick. Adding a bit of beef or chicken broth to your pup’s water is an easy way to convince them to drink more. Over time, you can reduce the amount of broth you add to their water until they’re happily slurping up bowls of broth-free liquid.
As the temperature continues to rise, it’s important to make sure that your pup is getting enough water. You may need to get creative to ensure your dog is getting enough water, but if it means your bud stays happy and healthy it’s worth it!
Sources: Dogster, Medicinenet, Petnet
Featured image via @hash_brown15 / Instagram
