Why Is Keeping Your Pet Hydrated Important?

Dogs and humans alike love the summer season. With more hours of sunlight comes more walks, hikes, and swimming sessions. What's not to love about that? But this can also lead to dehydration in our pets. With the heat comes the need to keep our pets hydrated and cool. It's simple enough for you to drink a glass of water, but your pet might not be interested in more gulps out of the water bowl. If this is the case, we have some sneaky ways for you to keep your pet hydrated without them realizing it, as well as how to spot dehydration in your furry friend!   

Why Is Keeping Your Pet Hydrated Important?

Just as hydration is important for humans, it’s especially important for pets! Most people are unaware that while their own human body consists of about 60% water, your pet’s body is actually made up of 80%! Even if water is present for the pet, they often won’t drink enough without intervention.

Dehydration in your pet can result in many health problems. Diarrhea, loss of appetite, sunken eyes, dry nose and mouth, fatigue, and other issues. Cats can also develop crystals in their urine, which can be very painful and problematic.

How To Test For Dehydration

You can check your pet for signs of dehydration by performing the skin test. To perform, gently pinch a loose fold of skin from the back of your pet’s neck or between shoulder blades. If you release, and the skin snaps back quickly, your pet is hydrated. If it snaps back slowly, your pet may need more water -  or even a trip to the vet!

How To Get Your Pet To Drink More Water

1. Keep multiple water sources around the house. Pets can be picky eaters/drinkers just like us so give them a few different options to ensure they drink when they want. A bowl in the kitchen, as well as other places like a bedroom, living room, or even outside are all good locations for ensuring your pets stay hydrated.
    
2. Fill a FurHaven Paws n’ Play Pie Toy with water and different treats for your pet. Freeze tasty fruits like blueberries or raspberries into the water and voila! You now have a pet that's consuming water without realizing it, and is also entertained by their toy. 
   
   Here's a link for five of our favorite Homemade Frozen Treat Recipes, or some other additional recipes for our Paws n' Play!
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Getting your pet to drink more water might be as simple as cleaning the bowl. You wouldn't want to drink out of a glass that hasn't been cleaned in weeks, right? The same applies for pets. An unclean bowl can harbor harmful bacteria that can be dangerous for your pet. A scrub in hot water with soap can resolve this issue, or if the bowl is dishwasher safe you can put it in the wash instead. 
   
   
4. Ice cubes might just do the trick for keeping your pet hydrated if they enjoy crunching on them. Sometimes it's just the fact that the "treat" comes from your hand that makes all the difference. 
   
   
5. If you have a senior dog it might be hard for them to bend down to reach the bowl. Consider investing in elevated water bowls to alleviate the stress on their joints and muscles. 
   
   
6. Another simple way is to put water or low-sodium bone broth into your pet's daily kibble before they eat it. It might not sound appetizing to us to have chicken flavored water but to a dog? Absolutely delicious! 
   
   
7. When you leave the house and take your pup with you always remember to bring a water source for them- keeping a pet hydrated is even more important on walks or other physical activity!

It's always important to check with your vet if you believe your pet is not getting enough water. These tips and tricks are just that, tips that shouldn't be a substitute for medical grade suggestions.

Here's to getting outside with your best friend and having a blast! From all of us at the FurHaven Family, happy trails!