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This article was co-written by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS. Elliott is a veterinarian with more than thirty years of experience in veterinary surgery and pet treatment. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary surgeon. She has worked at a veterinary clinic in her hometown for more than 20 years.
This article has been viewed 29,311 times.
Dogs will become dehydrated if they lose more water from their bodies than they take in. For example, dogs with an upset stomach may become dehydrated with diarrhea or vomiting, so there is a risk of rapid dehydration. In addition, there are many other reasons that lead to dehydration in dogs. For example, if you don’t drink a lot of water on a hot day, your dog can also become dehydrated quickly. [1] X Research resources Practical emergency and critical care nursing. Aldridge. Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell. The first step in treatment is to recognize dehydration by making sure the dog is drinking enough water or by taking the dog to the vet.
Steps
Check for signs of dehydration
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Pay attention to the dog’s behavior. Dehydrated dogs often use their remaining strength to find water to drink. If your dog is dehydrated, you may notice unusual behaviors in your dog such as restlessness or pacing as if searching for water. [2] X Small animal emergency and critical care for veterinary technicians research resources . Battaglia. Publisher: Saunders.
- Dogs may constantly lick their lips and/and show anxiety on their faces if they can’t find enough water to drink. [3] X Small animal emergency and critical care for veterinary technicians research resources . Battaglia. Publisher: Saunders.
- Dehydrated dogs may also lie down and rest their noses against a bowl of water. [4] X Small animal emergency and critical care for veterinary technicians research resources . Battaglia. Publisher: Saunders.
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Check the dog’s nape. The basic dehydration test that you often see veterinarians perform at the clinic is to pull up the dog’s nape. This test can measure skin elasticity and loss of skin elasticity can be a sign of dehydration. You can conduct this test yourself by performing the following steps:
- Locate the dog’s nape. The nape of a dog is the area of skin that hangs over the shoulder or back of the dog’s neck.
- Raise the dog’s nape. You can grasp this area of skin and gently pull it up 5-7 cm above the dog’s back.
- Release the nape and observe. If hydrated enough, the skin will return to its original position immediately. If dehydrated, the skin will become less elastic and cannot return to its original position immediately.
- If the skin takes more than 2 seconds to return to normal, the dog may be dehydrated. [5] X Research resources Practical emergency and critical care nursing. Aldridge. Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell.
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Check your dog’s gums. The gums are a good place to check for early dehydration in dogs. Normal gums will be moist and shiny just like human gums. Dehydrated animals often have dry or slightly sticky gums because they do not produce enough saliva. [6] X Resources for Practical emergency and critical care nursing. Aldridge. Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell.
- Be aware that anxious or scared dogs can also have dry gums. Therefore, be sure to check the gums when the dog is really relaxed to avoid confusion. [7] X Research resources Practical emergency and critical care nursing. Aldridge. Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell.
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Check your dog’s urine. If you don’t drink enough water, your dog’s body can automatically take steps to retain water. In this situation, the dog will not urinate because the bladder is empty or the urine becomes concentrated. Concentrated urine is usually dark yellow. [8] X Research resources Practical emergency and critical care. Aldridge. Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell.
- This happens because the dog’s kidneys are overworked to recycle the water in the body and stay hydrated. [9] X Research resources Practical emergency and critical care. Aldridge. Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell.
- You should be aware if your dog is urinating less than usual or if the dog’s urine is unusually colored.
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Take your dog to the vet. If your dog seems healthy and shows only a simple sign of dehydration such as emptying the bowl, you can give your dog more water and see if it improves. However, if a dehydrated dog seems sick or does not improve after drinking water, you should take your dog to the vet right away. [10] X Research resources Small animal emergency and critical care for veterinary technicians. Battaglia. Publisher: Saunders.
- Some dehydrated animals require intravenous fluids to preserve the function of internal organs during rehydration. [11] X Research resources Small animal emergency and critical care for veterinary technicians. Battaglia. Publisher: Saunders.
Identify risk factors for dehydration
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Watch your dog’s water supply. There are many situations in which dogs can become dehydrated, and the easiest way to control dehydration is to observe your dog’s access to water.
- If the water bowl is completely empty or empty without being refilled for a long time, the dog may become dehydrated. You should make sure your dog drinks enough water, especially on hot days. [12] X Research resources Practical emergency and critical care nursing. Aldridge. Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell.
- Dehydration can develop quickly and can sometimes occur within an hour or so, depending on the ambient temperature. [13] X Research resources Practical emergency and critical care nursing. Aldridge. Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell.
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Make sure your dog drinks water regularly. Even when it has access to water, dogs can still become dehydrated if they do not regularly drink enough water. You should monitor to make sure your dog is drinking water continuously.
- For example, older dogs with arthritis often experience pain when getting up to drink water after each thirst, so there is also a risk of dehydration. [14] X Research resources Practical emergency and critical care nursing. Aldridge. Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell.
- Dehydration can be aggravated if the dog has certain medical conditions such as diabetes or kidney disease because the body tends to produce too much urine. The rate of dehydration of dogs with these diseases will be faster than that of healthy dogs. This is a chronic form of dehydration that can come on slowly over several days and carries a risk of recurrence. [15] X Research resources Practical emergency and critical care nursing. Aldridge. Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell.
- Similarly, dogs with anorexia who do not want to eat and drink water are also at risk of becoming dehydrated.
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Pay attention when your dog has diarrhea. Loose stools usually contain a lot of water, so water loss occurs faster and increases the risk of dehydration. [16] X Research resources Practical emergency and critical care nursing. Aldridge. Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell.
- If your dog drinks enough water, the risk of dehydration is reduced. However, if the dog refuses to find water to drink or does not want to drink, the dog can quickly become dehydrated with diarrhea. [17] X Research resources Practical emergency and critical care nursing. Aldridge. Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell.
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Watch out if your dog vomits. Vomiting is a serious problem because dogs cannot retain all of the water they drink. [18] X Research resources Practical emergency and critical care nursing. Aldridge. Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell.
- You should watch closely if your dog vomits and contact your veterinarian if you suspect your dog is dehydrated or if he vomits continuously.
Advice
- If you think your dog is thirsty or dehydrated, you should not wait for symptoms to appear. Instead, simply refill the dog’s bowl with water each time the water level in the bowl drops.
- The best way to prevent and treat dehydration is to make sure your dog drinks plenty of clean water at all times. [19] X Research resources Small animal emergency and critical care for veterinary technicians. Battaglia. Publisher: Saunders.
Warning
- If your dog looks weak, tired, and/or isn’t drinking or his dehydration doesn’t improve after drinking water, you should take him to the vet.
- Dehydration, if left untreated, can lead to organ failure and death.
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This article was co-written by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS. Elliott is a veterinarian with more than thirty years of experience in veterinary surgery and pet treatment. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary surgeon. She has worked at a veterinary clinic in her hometown for more than 20 years.
This article has been viewed 29,311 times.
Dogs will become dehydrated if they lose more water from their bodies than they take in. For example, dogs with an upset stomach may become dehydrated with diarrhea or vomiting, so there is a risk of rapid dehydration. In addition, there are many other reasons that lead to dehydration in dogs. For example, if you don’t drink a lot of water on a hot day, your dog can also become dehydrated quickly. [1] X Research resources Practical emergency and critical care nursing. Aldridge. Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell. The first step in treatment is to recognize dehydration by making sure the dog is drinking enough water or by taking the dog to the vet.
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