Dogs are usually lazy and dependent, but they highly depend on their owners for their basic needs. Apart from emotional support, they need food and water on time, and shelter to sleep well and remain healthy. One of the most critical aspects for dogs to stay healthy is hydration, which plays a crucial role in removing wastes from the body. Dehydration in dogs for a long time can cause many health complications like urinary tract infections, weakness and excreting problems. Making sure that your dogs are hydrated is important to prevent these complications. Here we’ll explore how hydration plays a crucial role in ensuring a dog’s health.
Hydration is one of the most important factors of any living being to stay healthy. Water is essential to remove toxins and waste from the body and maintain a healthy urinary system for dogs. When a cat gets dehydrated, their kidneys and bladder have to work hard to remove wastes, which can cause inflammation. If it is not addressed immediately, it will lead to UTI in dogs and other health problems that might turn fatal.
To tackle dehydration, it is important to make sure that your cat drinks water frequently. This can prevent common urinary tract issues like bladder stones and bacterial infections. By ensuring your cat consumes food and water properly, you can keep your cat safe from dehydration issues.
Some of the most common signs of dehydration in cats are:
Lethargic activity
Dry lips, gums and sunken eyes
Expressing pain or crying while urinating
Frequent attempts to urinate, but little excretion
Dry skin and weak body
Blood in urine or strong smell of urine
If you notice these symptoms in your cat, it is best advised to take them immediately to a nearby vet for treatment before the complications get worse. American Veterinary Group, LLC veterinarian specialises in treating and curing pets, even in the after-hours.
An average-sized cat normally requires 4 to 5 ounces of water a day. This amount can vary for each cat, depending on their weight, diet, activity level, climate and other environmental factors. Cats eating dry foods require more water to stay hydrated than the ones eating wet foods.
To ensure proper hydration, owners should provide a diet that contains both wet and dry foods. They should also make sure that their cats drink enough water regularly. Fresh drinking water should be kept in bowls at multiple places at home to give them easy access to water. Monitoring your cat’s water intake might help you greatly in assessing their health.
Diet is another crucial factor in determining a cat’s urinary health. A healthy diet should contain both wet and dry foods to prevent dehydration. Many pet foods that are available commercially lack the necessary moisture content. This is one of the major reasons why cats get dehydrated. If obtaining wet foods is difficult, try mixing a little bit of water in their food to increase hydration.
Additionally, foods like wet cat food, cucumber, blueberries, cranberries and broth keep them hydrated. Foods with high-quality animal protein promote pH balance while those with Omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation. Such supplementary nutrients are essential for cats to get the right balance of nutrients and stay away from deficiencies.
Cats absolutely need water to stay hydrated. Avoiding water can only complicate their health with several health complications. As a pet owner, you should make sure that your cat drinks water frequently.
However, some cats hesitate to drink water, which makes it challenging to hydrate them. In such cases you can follow some simple ways to encourage them to drink water:
Use wide, shallow bowls to prevent their whiskers from touching the water
Give a flavor to the water by adding tuna juice or bone broth
Place water bowls away from food bowls and litter boxes to attract them
Keep multiple water bowls all over the home to tempt them to drink water
If your cat gets dehydrated often and shows signs of illness, it’s time to take them to a nearby vet to assess their health. Urinary distress like straining, excessive licking of the excreting area, refusing to urinate, and crying or expressing pain while excreting are signs that need immediate medical intervention. Always make sure that your cat is healthy and never delay any vet appointments.
As pet owners, you should always monitor your cat’s health and make sure they are fed and drink at a proper time. Since cats are naturally repellent to water, it is the duty of pet owners to make sure that they drink water frequently and stay hydrated. By monitoring your cat constantly and treating their health complications, you can ensure your cat’s long-term health and happiness.
