If your Bullmastiff is not drinking enough water she may become dehydrated. Dehydration in dogs can have mild to severe consequences. Always be on the watch to prevent the accidental dehydration of your Bullmastiff.
Here are ways to know if your dog is dehydrated:
Check her gums: Press on her gums and release it; if it quickly becomes pink back, she is not dehydrated. If it remains white, she may be dehydrated.
Loss of skin elasticity: You can check your dog`s hydration level by pinching her skin. If her skin goes flat right away, that is a sign that your dog is properly hydrated. However, if it takes several seconds for your dog`s skin to go flat after a pinch, then that could be a sign that your dog is dehydrated.
Weakness and low activity: A dehydrated dog will be weaker and less active than usual.
Dry mouth: If your dog`s mouth is dry or if your dog salivates less, then she may be dehydrated and need water.
Dry Nose
How Much Water Should a Bullmastiff drink?
Hydrating your hound is very important since water makes up 70 % of your Bullmastiff`s body mass. Water is an essential nutrient for your Bullmastiff`s existence.
Your Bullmastiff needs to drink the right amount of water that suits its age, weight, and activity level.
Drinking too much water is not good for your Bullmastiff, neither is drinking too little water.
According to the recommendations by the vets at PetMD, a dog should drink, in milliliters, 50 times its weight in kilograms. That is, a 10 kg dog needs 500 milliliters of water.
One way to improve your Bullmastiff`s water drinking experience is to buy your dog a water fountain.
A water fountain will also encourage your Bullmastiff to drink enough water.
This is because the continuously flowing stream of water with a fresh taste from a water fountain will entice your Bullmastiff to drink enough water.
Furthermore, pet water fountains continuously filter the water that it delivers to your dog. A water fountain ensures that your Bullmastiff has access to clean fresh filtered water all the time. This is more hygienic than giving your Bullmastiff water from a water bowl. The water in the water bowl usually lay around all day, getting polluted as it lays around.
Here are the best water fountains that we recommend for your Bullmastiffs. These water fountains are durable, made with food-grade materials, and operate very quietly with little noise:
Our Bullmastiff water calculator is based on the dog water drinking recommendation by the vets at PedMD.com. Their recommendation applies only to dogs of low activity level.
However, our calculator goes further to provide recommendations on how much water Bullmastiffs of different activity levels (low, medium, and high) need.
In our calculator, a medium-activity level Bullmastiff needs one and half as much water as a low-activity level Bullmastiff each day. A high-activity level Bullmastiff needs twice as much water as a low-activity level Bullmastiff needs.
How Much Water a 106-pound Bullmastiff should drink
Other Factors that Affects How Much Water Your Bullmastiff Needs
In addition to its weight and activity level, your Bullmastiff may need more or less water depending on other factors in your Bullmastiff`s life such as:
The weather: Bullmastiffs need more water during the hot summer than in the cold winter.
Your Bullmastiff`s Diet: Bullmastiffs that eat moist/wet food will require less water than Bullmastiffs that eat dry food (kibble). Wet dog food contains 65-80% water, while dry dog food contains 10-12% water.
Your Bullmastiff`s age: Senior Bullmastiffs are generally more laid back than younger Bullmastiffs, therefore senior Bullmastiffs need less water.
Pregnant Bullmastiffs and lactating Bullmastiffs: These need more water than normal.
Bullmastiffs on Medication: Certain medications may make your Bullmastiff drink more water.
Bullmastiff Not Drinking Enough Water
If your Bullmastiff is not drinking enough water, then your Bullmastiff is at risk of dehydration, and the problems that come with dehydration.
Problems that come with your Bullmastiff not drinking enough water include urinary tract issues like kidney stones and organ failure.
Your Bullmastiff may be drinking less water than usual because of the following reasons:
Your Bullmastiff has limited access to fresh clean water.
You changed your Bullmastiff`s food from (e.g. from dry food to wet food)
You changed your Bullmastiff`s water source
The weather is cooler than it used to be
Your Bullmastiff is less active than it used to be
Your Bullmastiff is growing old
If none of these applies to your Bullmastiff, then it might be that your Bullmastiff has an underlying health condition and you might want to talk to your vet.
Also, your Bullmastiff may drink less water if it does not have access to clean fresh water always.
Some dogs are picky drinkers, and they won`t drink water that is not fresh or water with dirt and debris in it.
If your Bullmastiff is a picky drinker as such, then you should consider getting your Bullmastiff a water fountain like one of these. A water fountain will entice your Bullmastiff to drink water. With a water fountain, you can be sure that your Bullmastiff will have access to fresh clean water always.
Also, oral infections such as tooth decay, gum decay, and broken tooth are some of the reasons your Bullmastiff might be not be drinking enough water.
Check your Bullmastiff`s mouth for any oral infection. When checking your Bullmastiff`s mouth, pay attention to the smell of your Bullmastiff`s breath to make sure that your Bullmastiff does not have a bad breath as bad breath could be a sign of oral infection.
Furthermore, if you recently changed your Bullmastiff`s water source, and your Bullmastiff starts drinking less water, then you might want to change back to the old source.
Bullmastiff Drinking Too Much Water
Your Bullmastiff may be drinking too much water simply because you give it unrestricted access to water. Also, your Bullmastiff may be drinking too much because it has a health problem such as diabetes.
If your Bullmastiff is drinking too much water, then your Bullmastiff is at risk of overhydration and the problems that come with overhydration.
Problems that come with water overhydration in dogs include staggering, loss of coordination, vomiting, dilated pupils, and over salivation, and stomach bloat.
Excessive and unexplainable thirst in your dog is called polydipsia. Polydipsia makes your dog drink more.
Ordinarily, when your Bullmastiff drinks too much water for just a day or two, there may be nothing to be worried about. However, if this condition persists, you should see a veterinarian.
Also, if your Bullmastiff is drinking too much water, then your Bullmastiff will need to urinate frequently and take unnecessary bathroom breaks. This can be an inconvenience for your if you have to take your Bullmastiff out of the house for its bathroom breaks.
If your Bullmastiff is drinking too much water for no obvious reason, talk to your vet. However, if your Bullmastiff is drinking too much water because it has access to water, then limit your Bullmastiff`s access to water.
Do Bullmastiffs Drink a Lot of Water?
The amount of water a Bullmastiff needs is proportional to the Bullmastiff`s body weight and activity level. Older bigger adult Bullmastiffs drink a lot of water compared to younger smaller Bullmastiffs.
Also, Bullmastiffs that are not very active drink a lot less water than very active Bullmastiffs. Also, Bullmastiffs drink lots of water in the hot summer months than in the cold winter months. To find how much water your Bullmastiff should be drinking, use our Bullmastiff dog water calculator to estimate your Bullmastiff`s daily water needs.
How to Tell if Your Bullmastiff is Drinking Too Much, Too Little, or Enough Water
A simple way to check if your Bullmastiff is drinking too much, too little or enough water is to first measure a large volume of water (many cups).
Then, at the start of the day, pour this water into your Bullmastiff`s bowl so that your Bullmastiff can drink water without a limit.
Then, in the evening, measure the amount of water left in your Bullmastiff`s water bowl.
Then, subtract the amount of water left in the bowl in the evening from the initial amount of water that you put in the bowl in the morning. This will give you how much water your Bullmastiff has drunk.
Finally, use our our Bullmastiff dog water calculator to check to see how the amount of water your dog has drunk compares with how much water your dog should be drinking for its size and its activity level.
This will tell you if your dog is drinking too much, too little, or just enough water.
Conclusion
To keep your Bullmastiff in good health, you need to keep your Bullmastiff hydrated. Therefore, you need to keep an eye on your Bullmastiff`s water intake to make sure your Bullmastiff is getting the right amount of water that it needs.
To encourage your Bullmastiff to drink enough water, make sure that your Bullmastiff has access to clean water all the time.
