Tips for Choosing Your Dog's Water Bowl

Choosing the right dog water bowl to make sure your pet stays hydrated is very important. Did you know that your dog can lose 50 percent of his muscle or body fat and survive, but losing just 10% of his water weight could be dangerous?

Here are some tips for choosing a dog water bowl:

• Choose a bowl that's hard to knock over.
• Consider the size of your dog. The average a dog needs 1 cup of water for every 5 pounds of weight to stay properly hydrated.
• If you have a large dog you'll need to refill their bowl more than once a day. In that case you may consider an automatic watering station or fountain type dog water bowl.

Here are some of the types of dog water bowls you might consider:

Plastic - they are light weight, dishwasher safe and inexpensive

Drawbacks - they can be easy to tip over, chewable, can harbor bacteria and may not be durable

Ceramic - harder to tip over or move around than plastic bowls, they come in many attractive designs, dishwasher safe

Drawbacks - they can be too heavy, breakable, bacteria can hide in small cracks and they are more expensive

Stainless Steel - dishwasher safe, long lasting and have no place for bacteria to hide. They can also be purchased with slip proof bottoms

Drawbacks - more expensive than plastic, not as many design choices as ceramic bowls

Signs of Dehydration in Dogs:

• Sluggishness or lethargy
• Sunken eyes
• Loss of appetite
• Dry, sticky gums
• Depression

Dehydration is a very real danger. If your dog doesn't get enough fluids, dehydration can set in within 18-24 hours.

What to do if your dog is dehydrated:

• Try adding ice cubes to your dogs water.
• Mix unflavored Pedialyte with the water in a 50-50 mix.
• Try giving your dog low sodium chicken or beef broth.
• Clear chicken soup can make a good alternative when your dog refuses to drink water. Be sure they are low sodium and do not contain onion or garlic as these are among the foods you should never feed your dog.
• Diluted fruit juice (non citrus), is another option if your pup won't drink plain water. The fructose in juice can also help combat low blood sugar in a dog who's not eating, though you should avoid giving fruit juice to healthy dogs because of the high sugar content.