Dehydration is a common condition caused by not drinking enough water and losing too much fluid. If left untreated dehydration can be life-threatening. Luckily there are tricks for spotting a thirsty dog. Here’s how to tell if your dog is dehydrated and needs your help.
Symptoms
Gently pull on their skin – if it has lost elasticity and takes a long time to go back to the original position your dog is most likely dehydrated. Other symptoms include dry and sticky gums, thick saliva, loss of appetite, panting, a dry nose, or tiredness. More serious signs are sunken eyes, vomiting, diarrhoea, collapse, or shock.
Causes
Dehydration can be caused by a decrease in water or food intake, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, illness, injury, or heatstroke. Dogs more prone to diarrhoea are young dogs, small breeds, older dogs, or nursing dogs.
Prevention
Make sure your pet is drinking enough water and has a healthy diet! A good guide is 30 – 50ml of water per kilogram of body weight. Prime100 diets are complete and balanced to ensure your dog gets their daily dose of proper nutrition.
Treatment
If your pet is displaying symptoms take them to the vet immediately. As an interim treatment you can slowly give your dog water with electrolytes and if they can’t hold anything down give them some ice to lick.
Your vet will examine your dog to find out if they are truly hydrated or if there is an underlying condition. Our animal doctors are always here to come to the rescue.
Moral of the blog is watch out for your pet and keep the fluids flowing!
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