With the ever unpredictable weather in the Uk, from downpours to heatwaves, dogs should always be a consideration, especially when combining dogs with cars - yet another case of dogs dying in cars with the recent incident by a police officer at a dog training centre highlights that even professionals can get it wrong and most of us need timely reminders about the perils of heat to dogs!! Dogs need a good supply of good clean water regardless of where they are to spend their time and enough water provided to compensate for that lost to natural body processes - sweat, urine, faeces and breath moisture. Petsafe recently issue guidelines for water requirements and put simply, for every Kilo of body weight, your dog will require 60ml of water daily - a typical 25Kg Labrador would therefore require approximately 1.5 litres of water every day. Food is a good source of water but remember, the type of food can vary enormously, dried food (kibble) only contains around 10% water whereas tinned food can contain as much as 75% water. How to spot dehydration: Dogs become dehydrated once they have lost around 5% of their essential body water levels and at 10% loss, they are generally considered to be clearly ill with increased "Skin Tenting" - this is where a fold in the skin is picked up and released which, in a correctly hydrated animal, will return to normal in one to two seconds but in an animal clearly dehydrated, it may take 20-30 seconds.. Animals with a hydration loss of 15% or more are generally close to death For pets with mobility issues, it pays to have water available in each of the rooms they frequent to ensure ease of access to water, especially during hot weather. Keep watering those dogs folks!! |
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CategoriesEventsFamily Life Health & Welfare Legal Question-Time Seasonal Training |
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