An Interview with a Vet: How to Recognize and Deal with Dehydration in Dogs

What are the symptoms of dehydration in dogs? 
There are various dehydration symptoms and they also depend on how serious the condition is. In the beginning, the dog might not notice the loss of fluids, the symptoms might be very mild – apathy, tiredness, no interest in food or sunken eyes. If it still has energy, it might be nervous, go from one place to another, look for a water source and stay close to an empty bowl. Its mouth and gums are dry, not shiny, or it can have whiting covering on the tongue. 

What happens to the dog’s organism with a lack of fluids?
Restricted fluid circulation might lead to decreased blood pressure, increased heart rate, and trouble with thermoregulation and possible increase of body temperature as a result. A great number of symptoms are caused by the damage of nerve cells which might manifest in apathy, drowsiness, animal’s lack of interest, laying around, sickness, vomiting, cramps, coma or even death. Other symptoms the owner may recognize are often related to a primary disease that causes dehydration, which might be serious acute watery diarrhea or vomiting. 

How can we diagnose dehydration in a dog? Is it possible to do it at home or do we have to visit a vet?
Unfortunately, you might not recognize mild symptoms of dehydration in an animal. Some of the examinations you might try at home are the pinch test and checking the dog’s gums. However, you need to realize these can only show more serious cases of dehydration. In the first case, pinch a fold of skin on the back of the animal’s neck or on its shoulders and raise it to the height of 3 to 5 cm depending on the size of your dog in a way it won’t be uncomfortable or painful to the animal. The skin fold should naturally return to its normal state immediately, definitely in 2 seconds. However, if the dog is dehydrated it doesn’t return at all or only very slowly. I recommend you go to a vet with bad dehydration like that and let him/her do the relevant examinations of the animal and deal with the dehydration immediately. 

Is there any other way to recognize dehydration?
Another simple test is examining mucous membranes in the mouth. Touch the dog’s gums which should be wet, pink (depending on pigmentation) and shiny in a healthy dog. A dehydrated dog’s gums are dry. If you press them, their colour changes back to its original pink tone in more than 2 seconds. A dehydrated dog also has a significantly dark yellow urine or it doesn’t urinate at all as the body significantly saves its fluids. 

What does a dog’s organism handle when it’s dehydrated? 
When there is a loss of fluid in the organism, a body centralizes blood flow to maintain primary vital signs. Its consequence is decreased blood pressure and increased heartbeat. The organism tries to compensate the loss of fluids in kidneys by reducing the urine production, so it retains fluids. Its consequence is the production of little dark, highly concentrated urine. As there is less fluid mainly in the central blood circulation, renal ischemia might occur and lead to irreversible kidney damage.  There are significant changes on the level of the central nervous system, mainly in the brain, there is a change in the volume of cells which stop performing their functions and neurological symptoms occur. In serious cases and when not addressed, those might lead to the animal's death. 

What consequences can dehydration have if not timely dealt with? 
Dehydration is very tricky because its severity may change hour to hour, minute to minute in an animal. In its milder stages, it is a reversible process which has no consequences to the animal if adequate therapy begins. Some temporary symptoms might be tiredness lasting for several days, staying away from the owner, unwillingness to listen and carry out commands, the lack of interest in games with other dogs or toys, increased fluid intake. However, if dehydration is not dealt with or it even gets worse, it might lead to irreversible kidney failure, impaired consciousness, a shock or even death. 

Can we help a dehydrated dog at home? 
If you observe your pet manifests some of these symptoms, it’s possible to start supplying water to it on purpose at home. Then, it’s good to contact your vet and consult the dog’s problems with him/her. Supply the water to a dog frequently in small amounts. If the pet is extremely thirsty, don’t let it drink a large amount of water at once. If it isn’t interested in fluids even before dehydration, you can add something tasty to its water, e.g. a small part of a meat can, crumbled biscuits, or make a broth or something like that.