Are you confused as to how to get your pet to drink enough water? If so, you have come to the right place. An adult dog requires one ounce of water per pound of its body weight per day. During the young age, most puppies fulfil their hydration needs from their mother’s milk. But once the puppy starts to eat solid foods, it needs a regular fresh supply of water. As a general rule, you should see that your pet drinks at least half a cup of water every two hours. Make sure the pet drinks the right amount of water – not less and not too much. This article provides information on how to get your pet to drink enough water.
Why Is Water Important For Your Dog?
Water is very important for the growth and proper functioning of your pet. It facilitates the metabolic process – including digestion, breathing, blood flow, and brain activity. Blood is mainly made up of water, and it clears toxins and transports oxygen to vital parts of the pet’s body while flowing through the body. When your pet doesn’t drink enough water, the entire process is stalled and can harm the vital organs of the dog. That’s why you need to monitor the water drinking habits of your loving pet.
Your dog pants in hot weather and that’s because water is important to regulate the body temperature of the animal. Panting helps keep the dog’s body cool by releasing excess water through respiration. Your pet also loses water through its tongue. That’s why you need to see that your pet drinks enough water during the day.
How To Persuade Your Pet To Drink Water?
So your dog isn’t drinking enough water and you are worried about it! But you don’t need to worry too much because, under normal circumstances, dogs will drink sufficient amounts of water. They will usually remain well-hydrated with no encouragement needed. Sometimes, your dog may refuse to drink water due to many circumstances such as:
. Disease and illness
. Unfamiliar places
. Lack of exercise and inactivity
. Negative experiences around drinking water
. Ageing
If your pet is experiencing any of these conditions and refusing to drink enough water, you can persuade the pet to drink enough water by:
. Changing the position of the water bowl – This trick might help your pet drink more water
. Provide a clean water bowl – This is another trick you can do to persuade your pet to drink more water
. Change the water bowl – Avoid water bowls made of metal because your pet can fear the noise made by such a bowl
. Contact vet – If your pet still refuses to drink water, you can contact your veterinary surgeon to examine the dog
. Mixing food – Mix wet dog food with water so that your pet drinks more water in the process
Make sure you opt for the best dog food in UK when mixing food with water to encourage the pet to drink more water.
