I have worried that my Ben does not drink enough water but his gums are fine (moist and pink not dry or sticky) and when you press on the gums they should turn lighter color as you press and then quickly return to normal as you let go... and I check his skin -- pull up a little skin at his neck (like pinch an inch on our waist) and see if it still has enough elasticity to quickly go back to normal and not stay bunched up. That shows he is not dehydrated. (This may not work right for older, overly skinny or obese dogs.) They will drink what they need if they are well. My vet told me to not worry as long as no dehydration signs. Here are the dehydration signs to check for:
Signs of Dehydration in Dogs Include:
Lack of skin elasticity
Dry, sticky gums
Sunken eyes
Too much or too little urination
Lethargy
Delay in capillary refill time (the time it takes for your dog’s gum to return to its normal color after you press your finger against it)
So, none of these signs, then your pup is probably well-hydrated. I wonder if my Ben maybe is very quick and get some drinks that I don't see because I worried myself a lot over this but he has never shown a sign of dehydration. I think we sometimes do worry too much but they are so little and it does not take long for them to become dehydrated. So, better to worry a little than to have a crisis! The main time to worry about dehydration is when they are sick. It does not take much diarrhea or vomiting to dehydrate a dog. Then you may have to force fluids. But be sure you need to before putting them through the trauma. I have a syringe that I can force water when they need to replenish due to diarrhea but so far I've not had to use it. Some dogs even have had to get their fluid subcutaneously when they dehydrate too much. But that is something better left to the vet if you are not trained and experienced. |