Water is very important for all of us including animals in our care. Of all the nutrients water is the most important and the one we take the most for granted. A dog can live without food for many, many days - weeks to even months but he cannot live very long without water. If a dog should lose one tenth of his water he will die from dehydration.Greater than seventy per cent of the dog's total body weight is water, but the daily amount required will vary greatly. It will vary with the individual dog, his environment and activity. If, for example, he is very active and the weather is hot, then much more water is consumed and lost because water is needed for the cells as they burn up energy and for the removal of heat.
The dog will normally drink enough water to meet his own requirements. We must be sure that it is available. An average sized, forty pound dog, in a moderate temperature environment with moderate exercise must take in a little more than a liter or quart of water every day. About half of this he will get from the food he eats, the water produced from metabolizing that food and the rest from drinking.
Most food contains water. Commercial canned dog food contains over seventy-two per cent water whereas dry dog food is around twelve per cent. If we are feeding our dog dry dog food he will drink much more than if he is on canned food.
Water is also formed by the chemical oxidation of foods. 100 gms of protein will yield about 40 gms of water, 100 gms of carbohydrate 55 gms and 100 gms of fat about 100 gms.
Water fulfills many needs for the dog. Water is an excellent solvent and is the main component of blood. Water provides transportation for blood, nutrients, antibodies and waste. Temperature regulation such as heat loss due to evaporation and removal of heat from internal organs out to the skin surface are other functions that water provides. Lastly, water is essential for digestion and urine production. Water is important.
Normally water is lost through the lungs (expired air), skin, milk, feces and urine. The dog's skin does not perspire like ours, so when he is hot he will pant to get rid of excess heat losing water in the process. The foot pads do sweat. Because the dog does not sweat through his skin he does not lose salt such as with us or the horse therefore salt is not an important ingredient in a dog's diet.
| DINGO-AID | ||
|---|---|---|
| A drink that will quench the thirst on a hot day or after vigorous exercise. | ||
| Water | 9 cups | 1 L |
| Lite salt (potassium chloride) | 2 tbsp. | 30 mL |
| Vitamin C (powder or crushed tablet) | 500 mg | 500 mg |
| Vitamin B complex 50 mg crushed tablet | 3 | 3 |
| Crush the tablets well and dissolve in the water. Serve cold.
Can be frozen in ice cube containers and given to lick. Lite salt - potassium chloride, is used by human athletes and race horses to replace potassium loss after heavy muscular activity. Vitamin C and B are important water soluble vitamins. | ||
About Edmund R. Dorosz, BSA, DVM
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