Watering The Dog
Keeping fresh, clean water available at all times
MetPet.com Staff Writer
 Dogs should have access to clean, fresh water all the
time. (Puppies should have water except before sleeping to prevent accidents.)
Even though your dog may be happy to drink from oily gutters, algae-covered ponds,
muddy puddles or other questionable sources, you should never let him drink what you
wouldn't. This includes the very dangerous habit of drinking salt water
at the beach!
How much water does your dog need?
A rule of thumb
is 1 ounce of fluid (including drinking water and fluids from food) per 1 LB of weight.
There are 8 fluid ounces in a cup so an 8 LB dog needs a cup of fluid a day.
Heat, activity, fever and even a switch to a drier kibble can increase water
requirements. It's always best to leave it to your dog to drink as much as he wants
to prevent
dehydration.
|
Weight of Dog |
Fluid Ounces per day |
Cups per day |
| 10 lbs |
10 |
1 1/4 |
| 20 lbs |
20 |
2 1/2 |
| 40 lbs |
40 |
5 |
| 50 lbs |
50 |
6 1/4 |
| 80 lbs |
80 |
10 |
What kind of water servers are there?
There are many products that make watering the dog easy
and convenient. They range from the chintziest plastic ware to
one-of-a-kind granite bowls. If you are using porcelain or clay-based
bowls, make sure that any paint is nontoxic and fit for this type of use.
If your dog is prone to allergies, consider using stainless steel bowls instead
of plastic as some types of plastic can cause reactions.
There are many alternative products for special situations.
There are licking spouts (like those in hamster cages) that attach to outside
faucets. There are bottle-sized canisters that drain automatically into
watering bowls. There are outdoor bowls and troughs that are automatically
filled from garden hoses. There are travel bowls that have a lid with a small
central opening to
prevent spills. There are bowls with "moats" to prevent ants from crawling
into the drinking water. There are waterproof soft-sided nylon bowls that pack
flat into
handy cases. There are even bowls with narrow sides to keep floppy ears from falling
in and bowl stands so that your dog can drink without bending his neck.
 The
sporting dog and his bottle
Here's
our favorite idea for moving around with your dog+water. Train your dog to
drink from a sport bottle. They're available from sporting goods stores,
gyms and are frequent giveaways at summer events. Many of them have a pull
top similar to those on dishwashing liquid bottles (clean one of those
thoroughly and they work pretty well but are not as pliable, durable or
cool-looking). Hold the bottle upside down and drip water into your dog's
mouth. On really hot days, we add ice cubes or fill the bottle 1/4 full of
water and freeze for a few hours.
More tips for watering the dog
Here is a tip that we like quite a bit. Since some
dogs see the water bowl as a really tiny swimming hole, there is little use in leaving it
full of water. Attach a plastic "Y" attachment to your outside faucet.
This attachment is available in any garden center for a few dollars. One fork
of the "Y" attaches to a hose for normal use. The other fork is left free
and can be turned on to create a fountain for your dog. Your dog can drink
his fill every time he goes out for a walk (3-4 times a day minimum) and the
kitchen floor isn't always sopping wet.
If your dog flicks water around the floor every time he goes
in for a drink, try using a very large bowl such as a stainless steel mixing
bowl or a deep plastic serving bowl. Fill about 1/3rd of the large bowl
with water. When your dog flicks his tongue to drink, the water will hit
the sides of the bowl instead of spilling all over your kitchen floor.
However your dog likes to drink water, just make sure that he
has plenty of it! Dehydration is common especially during the warm months
and it's a dangerous condition that is easy to prevent.
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