Dr. Raju R.Kokane

Dehydration is a common disorder in dogs and humans equally. It occurs when an excess of fluids continuously get eliminated from the body irrespective of the amount of fluids your dog intakes. Water working as the "potion for life" is essential for dogs too as it keeps them hydrated and makes sure the biological processes take place smoothly in them. Dehydration is a serious disorder and may result in as serious consequences as organ failure or even death. To know if your dog is suffering from dehydration, learn the symptoms carefully make a move as quickly as possible.

Symptoms of dehydration in dogs:

1. Depression
2. Dryness in the mouth and sticky gums. Often dehydration results in sticky gums and dry mouth in dogs as the water content of the body gradually falls down.
3. Sunken eyes. Sunken eyes can be considered as a pronounced symptom of dehydration.
4. Loss of appetite. Appetite is related to dehydration as the digestion, metabolism and other reactions in dog's body need water to successfully take place.
5. Abnormal sleepiness. Dehydration causes Depression and abnormal rate of sleeping in turn.
6. Abnormal urination. If your dog is suffering from Dehydration, it will either urinate too little or too much. This abnormal sign in urination speaks a lot about the dehydrated state of your dog.
7. Less elasticity of skin or tightness of the skin coat. This can be determined by a simple skin test. Pull your dog's skin and if it does not spring back in 2 seconds, your dog is dehydrated.

If you face problems with determining the level of dehydration, kindly take it to a Veterinarian. He/she will readily note the symptoms and apply proper treatment which should be the prime step in order to save your pet from such situations. Delays will only narrow its chances of surviving. It is also important to understand what causes Dehydration in your dog. This would certainly help you from bumping into such situations further in future.

Causes of dehydration in dogs:
The major reason or cause of Dehydration is illness and overexposing to the sunshine. An ill dog is more prone to get dehydrated than a healthy one. Several diseases like,

1. Fever
2. Diarrhoea
3. Vomiting
4. Renal failure
5. Diabetes mellitus
6. Diabetes insipidus
7. Gastrointestinal problems, etc. can affect your dog on a large scale and trigger off Dehydration with time.

To take care of such situations from taking place, you should keep in mind a few guidelines. The following tips will certainly prevent your dog from being dehydrated again if taken into account.

Prevention of dehydration in dogs:

1. Protect your dog from being overexposed to heat.
2. Make it drink as much water as it can every time. Always put a small bowl of water at the corner of its room. Monitor its water intake capacity and keep it hydrated.
3. Keep the toilet lid closed in order to prevent it from plunging its mouth inside. This will keep it away from bacteria and viruses which would affect it and make it fall sick.
4. If you go for exercising in the evening with your dog, bring extra water so that it stays hydrated.

Consult with a Veterinarian if its drinking less amount of water.