What to do if you suspect your pet is dehydrated

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A little bit of dehydration caused from exercising in the heat of the day is easily managed by providing ample clean, fresh drinking water. However, if your pet is dehydrating due to vomiting or diarrhoea you need to consult a vet as soon as you start detecting symptoms.


How to prevent your pet from becoming dehydrated


We covered a couple of tips earlier. These included leaving multiple containers of water around the house for your pet so they’re never caught short on the water front, and adding ice blocks to water bowls.


Feeding your pet wet food - i.e. a balanced fresh meat diet - provides them a natural source of moisture from the blood and plasma contained within the meat.

Fresh meat provides nutrients that aren’t present in good old H2O and moist food is a significant contributor to urinary tract and kidney health - particularly in cats.


There are several types of pet ‘drinking fountains’ on the market which are perfect for pets that like to drink running water.

This can be particularly true of cats (you might find them sneaking water from the kitchen tap when you’re doing the washing up)!


Make hydration fun by freezing treats inside ice-cream container-sized ice blocks and encouraging your pet to lick the ice to get their paws on the treat.

make sure a little of the treat is outside the frozen water so that your pet can scent the goodies and is motivated to start licking.


Just like humans, pets don’t always drink the amount of water they should but if you follow our tips above you can help them make a splash this Summer.

[Greynomad]

Had a friend visit recently with his three Staffies.
Senior bitch, for reasons best known to herself, refused to drink from our buckets, even when we offered her fresh water in a doggie-bowl!
After an hour in 35deg+ heat, her tongue was purple and she was panting like there was no tomorrow.
Luckily for us, it happened on a Friday, when local vet was in attendance. She was immediately put on a saline drip, and ice-cubes were packed around her to bring core body temp down. She was kept overnight for observation (24hr care!).
Next day: fit as a fiddle & wanting to know what the fuss was about.
Paul walked out of vets with a living, breathing Staffie, and lighter by $600.
Had this happened on a Saturday, when Vet's shopfront is closed, we'd have lost her!
So keep an eye on your pets as the weather warms up, and make sure that -- not only is there water available, but that your animals are willing to drink it!