Keep Summer Fun!

Dehydration
With summer in our mist, you and your dog will be taking advantage of the great weather to walk the Monon, play frisbee in the back yard, or romp with canine friends. However, hot temperatures and exercise can lead to dehydration in your pet with fluid losses of as little as 4 – 5 %. Dehydration also leads to the loss of important electrolytes including potassium, chloride and sodium which are important for muscle contractions and nerve impulse transmission.

Humans have 2.6 million sweat glands to cool our body as sweat evaporates off the skin. In contrast, our canine friends only have sweat glands on their nose and foot pads. Therefore, a dog’s primary means of heat dissipation is from panting; rapid, shallow respirations with open-mouthed breathing. Panting allows for evaporative cooling via increased air flow over moist surfaces in the upper respiratory tract. If excessive fluids are lost from panting and the movement of fluids from the cells to the body, dehydration may result.

Signs of dehydration include:
 Lethargy
 Tremors
 Increased body temperature
 Sunken, dry eyes
 Loss of appetite
 Elevated heart rate
 Dry mouth tissues
 Prolonged capillary refill

Tests you can perform on your dog to check for dehydration include:
 Skin elasticity: Pinch the skin on your dog’s back between your thumb and index finger. Once released, the skin should quickly pop back into place. Under conditions of dehydration, the skin will lose its elasticity. Thinner and older dogs’ skin will be less elastic than younger and fatter dogs. Therefore, it is important for you to know what is normal for your dog.
 Prolonged Capillary Refill: Push your finger firmly on your dog’s gums until the gums turn white. Remove your finger and count how long it takes the gums to return to their normal pink color. In a normal dog, the capillaries should immediately refill. Under conditions of dehydration, the time to refill with blood will be prolonged to 2-3 seconds. Again, you should test your dog under “normal” conditions in order to establish a baseline to compare to.

As a general rule of thumb, dogs need approximately once ounce of water per pound of body weight per day but this amount can be significantly increased with environmental factors, stress, or with certain health conditions. Working dogs and performance dogs should be hydrated prior to competition as exercise can increase water loss 10 -20 times over the resting rate. Elderly dogs with compromised kidneys or dogs on medications that are metabolized by the kidneys especially need to maintain adequate hydration. Always keep fresh water available for your dog at home and carry a portable source of water for him when traveling.

If your dog is dehydrated, introduce water to him slowly. Gulping water can lead to vomiting and further dehydration. Don’t give you dog dry food. Keep him in a cool place while you slowly re-hydrate him with water. Don’t use cold packs to cool him down was this can constrict blood flow. Contact your veterinarian as medical care may be needed to introduce IV fluids in cases of severe dehydration to prevent heat stroke.