As the weather hots up, Brits show a surprising lack of awareness when it comes to their dog’s hydration and are happy to let them drink water from puddles, the toilet, their bath and even the nation’s favourite brew – tea, with a quarter of pet owners admitting their dog loves a cuppa, but do you know how much water your dog needs to cope with the warm weather?
The survey, carried out by pet product experts at PetSafe®, to raise awareness about the importance of pet hydration, has found that nearly half (45%) of UK dog owners are unclear about how much water to give their dog to drink and that one in five of dog owners (19%) wouldn’t know how to tell if their pet was dehydrated.
Photo Credit: gailf548
Over half (51%) of dog owners believe that panting is a sign of dehydration – a common misconception – panting is a sign that a dog is too hot or anxious. Over three quarters (80%) of a dog’s body is made up of water and so keeping them hydrated is key while the warm weather peaks for Summer.
As a general rule dogs require 80ml of water per kilogram per day however, the amount should be doubled in warmer climates but the pet product manufacturer says that the average water intake for dogs should be approximately 315ml for very dogs (Yorkshire Terriers), to 560ml for small breeds (Westies), to 1.68 litres for medium sized dogs (Springer Spaniels), to approximately 2.5 litres for larger breeds (Labradors).
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1 comment
i always make sure my dogs have plenty of clean water all year round, but especially in the summer.
it makes sense if we humans get thirsty, then our dogs are thirsty as well, oh duh!