Water has several important physiological functions in your dog’s life. In this post & video let’s look at the importance and the major sources of water to your dog.
Water is the most important nutrient for the survival of majority of the species on earth and that includes dogs.
About 70% of the lean adult body weight of dogs is water. Even the loss of 10% of body water can have serious consequences and sometimes can be fatal.
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Prashanth Reddy Cheruku
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Water acts as a transport medium for nutrients and also helps in eliminating waste from the body.
It is essential for majority of the chemical reactions that take place inside the dog’s body.
Water regulates body temperature, lubricates joints, inner ear, internal organs and even the eyes.
Dogs in general get their daily water from three sources. The first source is the water present in the food. The second one is voluntary water intake and the third source is metabolic water.
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Water present in the food
If we look at the food as a source of water, different types of food provide different quantities of water to dogs.
The dry pet food also called as kibble contains just about 6-10% moisture. If you feed kibble to your dog then your dog will adjust itself to drink more water.
Wet dog food in the form of canned and food in the pouches typically contains about 80% moisture. Dogs that are often fed wet dog food consume lesser water overall as they are getting good amount of it from their food.
Voluntary water intake
Voluntary water intake is one of the most important sources of water for dogs. Dogs adjust their water intake based on the environmental temperature and humidity.
The dogs that are more physically active need more water. Dogs also alter their water consumption based on their health condition.
Clean drinking water must be available to dogs at all times of the day in multiple places of your house. You should also encourage your dog to drink water regularly by showing your appreciation and giving him treats occasionally.
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Metabolic water
The third source which is metabolic water is a byproduct of oxidising carbohydrates, proteins and fats in the dog’s body.
This accounts for just 5-10% of the daily required water for your animal and is insignificant.
Also watch out if your dog is drinking too much water too frequently than normal. Excess and abnormal consumption can be a sign of underlying diseases such as fever, diabetes mellitus, cancer, kidney or liver diseases.
I hope this post & video helps you in taking good care of your beloved dog. Let us know if you have any questions.
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