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| Dehydration - HEALTH CARE - THE DEN - Canine Corner | ||||||||||||
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Robi Pack Leader 
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Is the process of excessive loss of bodily fluids. This is the same whether you are a human or a dog. Dehydration includes the loss of essential electrolytes and minerals in addition to the water loss. It is important to note that dehydration in dogs, or any creature is very, very serious. Left untreated, dehydration could lead to a number of serious health issues and eventually organ failure or even death. How does this happen? There are several ways such as excessive panting, prolonged vomiting or diarrhea,excessive heat, inadequate fluid intake or even fever when sick, etc. If your dog is panting, it is hot, simple enough. Now, if the dog does not drink enough to offset these fluid losses it will eventually become dehydrated. It is also very important to know that one of the main symptoms of dehydration in dogs is a loss of skin elasticity. This is one of the classic symptoms of dehydration in dogs. What exactly does this mean? If the skin along the back was picked up it would stay up in the ridge shape and not lay down normally on its own. Dry mouth and nose are other signs of dehydration. You can also test the color of your dogs gums to check for dehydration. If you were to open the dogs mouth and put your finger firmly against the gums (so that they appear white) and then removed your finger you could check to see how quickly the blood returns to the gums. If the gums take more than a few seconds to return to the original pink state chaces are he/she is dehydrated. If you suspect that your dog is dehydrated, you should seek veterinary attention as soon as possible. Replacing all fluids the dog has lost and keeping it from losing any other fluids is very important - intravenous fluids may be needed depending on the severity of the dogs dehydration. If you can, get some water into your dog in the meantime but don't overdo it. Too much at one time can have the opposite effect and cause vomiting - let the dog drink small amounts over a period of time and get him/her to your vet asap. Tips for treating dehydrated dogs: • give your dog ice to lick to rehydrate him/her slowly • don't let your dog drink large amounts of water after heavy exercise (over drinking can quickly lead to vomiting and more fluid loss) • after heavy exercise allow frequent but small amounts of fluids every few minutes • give him/her an electrolyte supplement (Pedialyte is suitable for dogs) mixed into his/her water - electrolytes help do the job more quickly • if he/she hasn't had a drink for a while, start re-hydrating the dog slowly
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| Canine Corner > THE DEN > HEALTH CARE > Dehydration | |
