Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO revealed that Australia is encountering hotter, stronger and more frequent heat waves than ever before , so it is important that pet owners not to forget to keep their furry friends fully hydrated this summer.
In particular, during the hottest months of the year, we need to raise awareness about the importance of hydration and the common misconceptions when it comes to signs of dehydration in pets, which could ultimately save a pets’ life.
After a straw poll amongst pet owners on Facebook, the PetSafe® Brand team were alarmed to discover that three quarters of respondents didn’t know how much water their pets needed to drink per day.
Official guidelines state that pets require 70ml of water per kilogram of weight per day, yet only 26% of people were aware of this, suggesting dogs and cats are falling short of their recommended daily water intake which could prove critical during the hotter weather.
Angela Critchley, International Marketing Director for PetSafe® Brand, said: “This is such an important subject for pet owners and one that isn’t spoken about enough. Providing sufficient water is essential for the health and wellbeing of pets, and this is even more important during the summer heat, which looks set to become one of the hottest on record this year following the recent Climate Change report.
“The quality of the water is also key, and we were surprised to find that 42% of Facebook respondents said they sometimes allow their pet to drink from “random” water sources such as puddles and rivers. To provide proper hydration, pets should be taking on board clean, fresh water straight from the bowl; drinking from potentially dirty water sources can have the opposite effect on your pet’s health, so it’s important to monitor pet drinking habits at all times.”
It is important to raise awareness about hydration and how to spot the danger signs. Symptoms of dehydration include lethargy, sunken eyes, loss of appetite and depression. Another tell-tale symptom is dry and sticky gums and a loss of moisture around the mouth.
To see how much your dog should be drinking, please click here to view the PetSafe® Hydration Chart.
This article appeared in DOGS NSW magazine, February 2017 edition.
For further advice on hydration and heat stress please click here.
