SHARE

How much Water should my Dog Drink?

 
Josie F. Turner
By Josie F. Turner, Journalist specialized in Animal Welfare. Updated: April 24, 2018
How much Water should my Dog Drink?
Dogs

See files for Dogs

Keeping your dog well hydrated is fundamental to its good health. Usually, the clearest sign that a dog needs to drink is when it sticks out its tongue. Once you know that your dog is thirsty, an important issue is knowing how much it should drink to stay healthy and safe.

Since this issue is not as obvious as it might seem, here at AnimalWised we'll go over the frequently asked question of how much water should your dog drink. If you have questions about this topic, please feel free to leave a comment a little further down the page.

You may also be interested in: Do Rabbits Drink Water?

What kind of food does your dog eat?

As you probably know, there are three different types of food you can give your dog. The amount of water that your dog should drink depends on what it usually eats, since some foods are more hydrating than others.

Let's have a look at the different types of food for dogs:

  • Wet or canned food: You should not feed your dog only wet food, because it does not contain all the necessary nutrients and it will also make your dog very fat, risking obesity-related diseases. As for how much water your dog should drink if it eats wet food, the answer is quite logical: Because the food is wet, your dog will need less water.
  • Semi-moist food: This kind of food for dogs contains some liquid, which means that your dog does not need to drink lots. However, the food alone is not enough to hydrate your dog by far.
  • Dry food: Thisis the most common, economical and healthiest option. Of course, it does not incorporate any liquid into your dog's diet, but this can be easily rectified by giving it water. But how much? You're about to find out.
How much Water should my Dog Drink? - What kind of food does your dog eat?

How much water should you give your dog every day?

If your dog usually eats dry food, you can use a very simple proportion as a guideline. To know how much water you should give your dog to make sure it's always properly hydrated, multiply the weight of the food by 2.5.

Water should always be offered in optimal conditions. It should always be fresh and clean, which is why you need to know which water bowl you should buy.

How much Water should my Dog Drink? - How much water should you give your dog every day?

What is the best water bowl for your dog?

When you buy a water bowl - or any sort of accessory, really - for your pet you will probably be tempted to choose the one that looks the nicest. However, since you are choosing the bowl where your dog will drink from, you should look for the healthiest and most practical option. A water bowl is not to decorate but to fulfill a vital function.

Let's have a look at the different types of water bowls for dogs:

  • Plastic water bowls, as you know, are inexpensive and easy to clean, but they can cause certain allergic reactions. If you choose a plastic water bowl for your dog, you should make sure it is of the highest quality.
  • Ceramic water bowls have attractive designs, but cleaning them is complicated because of their surface. It is not good if you cannot remove remnants of dirt, because dogs must have fresh and pure water to drink.
  • Stainless steel water bowls are the hardiest and most practical of them all. If you find a good quality one, it will hold water without any trace of toxic substances, and they are also very easy to clean.

In other words, here at AnimalWised we strongly recommend a stainless steel water bowl for your dog. Although they don't come in very attractive designs, they are the best choice to keep your dog healthy.

Don't forget that 60% of your dog's organism is water, so you must look after what it drinks with great care.

If you liked this article, share it! If you have any questions or comments, leave them in the comment box a further down the page.

How much Water should my Dog Drink? - What is the best water bowl for your dog?

If you want to read similar articles to How much Water should my Dog Drink?, we recommend you visit our Basic care category.

Write a comment

Add an image
Click to attach a photo related to your comment
What did you think of this article?
How much Water should my Dog Drink?
1 of 4
How much Water should my Dog Drink?

Back to top ↑