Dog Water Drinking Guide. Dog Water Calculator.

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How Much Water Should a Dog drink?

Hydrating your hound is very important since water makes up approximately 56 percent of an adult Dog`s body weight (73 percent of lean body mass). Water is an essential nutrient for your Dog`s existence.

Your Dog 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 Dog, and 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 (2.1 cups).

Essentially, the amount of water your Dog needs a day depends very much on how much your Dog weighs.

Also, the amount of water your Dog drinks depends on your Dog activity level. Very active dogs need more water than inactive dogs.

Use our Dog water calculator to estimate how much water your Dog should drink every day based on its weight and activity level.

Activity Levels in Dogs

To find out how much food you need to be feeding your Dog, check out our Dog feeding guide and food calculator.

How to Calculate How Much Water Your Dog Needs

Enter the weight and activity level of your Dog in the Dog water calculator below to estimate how much water your Dog needs.

Dog Water Calculator

Your Dog`s Weight:   

Activity Level:




Daily Water requirement:

*1 cup = 8 fluid ounces = 236.588 milliliters

Our Dog water calculator above is based on the dog water drinking recommendation provided by the vets at PedMD.com.

However, PetMD`s recommendation applies only to dogs with low activity levels.

However, our calculator goes further to provide recommendations on how much water Dogs of different activity levels (low, medium, and high) need.

In our calculator, a medium-activity level Dog needs one and a half as much water as a low-activity level Dog each day. Similarly, a high-activity level Dog needs twice as much water as a low-activity level Dog needs.

One way to improve your Dog`s water drinking experience is to buy your dog a water fountain.

A water fountain will also encourage your Dog to drink enough water.

This is because the continuously flowing stream of water with a fresh taste from a water fountain will entice your Dog to drink enough water.

Furthermore, pet water fountains continuously filter the water that it delivers to your dog. A water fountain ensures that your Dog has access to clean fresh filtered water all the time.

Giving your Dog water from a fountain is more hygienic than giving your Dog water from a water bowl.

This is because water in the water bowl usually lays around all day, getting polluted as it lays around.

Here are the best water fountains that we recommend for your Dogs. These water fountains are durable, made with food-grade materials, and operate very quietly with little noise:

  1. The PetSafe Drinkwell Platinum Water Fountain. Click here to check price on Amazon.
    Dog Water Fountain
  2. The Veken Automatic Water Fountain Dog Water Dispenser with Smart Pump. Click here to check price on Amazon.
    Dog Water Fountain
How to measure a cup of water for your Dog. Cup available here on Amazon

How Much Water Should a 60-Pound Dog Drink?

A 60-pound Dog should drink 92.2 ounces (11.5 cups) of water every day.

Dogs are generally high-activity dogs, and about 92.2 ounces is the amount of water a High Activity Level 60-pound Dog needs every day.

However, if your 60-pound Dog is a low-activity dog, then it will need about 46.1 ounces of water (5.8 cups) every day.

Similarly, if your 60-pound Dog is of medium activity, then it will need about 69.2 ounces of water (8.6 cups) every day.

Use our Dog dog water calculator to find out how much water Dog should drink at different weights.

Low Activity Medium Activity High Activity
46.1 ounces (5.8 cups) 69.2 ounces (8.6 cups) 92.2 ounces (11.5 cups)
How Much Water a 60-pound Dog should drink

Other Factors that Affects How Much Water Your Dog Needs

In addition to its weight and activity level, your Dog may need more or less water depending on other factors in your Dog`s life such as:

  • The weather: Dogs need more water during the hot summer than in the cold winter.
  • Your Dog`s Diet: Dogs that eat moist/wet food will require less water than Dogs that eat dry food (kibble). Wet dog food contains 65-80% water, while dry dog food contains 10-12% water.
  • Your Dog`s age: Senior Dogs are generally more laid back than younger Dogs, therefore senior Dogs need less water.
  • Pregnant Dogs and lactating Dogs: These need more water than normal.
  • Dogs on Medication: Certain medications may make your Dog drink more water.

Dog Not Drinking Enough Water

If your Dog is not drinking enough water, then your Dog is at risk of dehydration, and the problems that come with dehydration.

Problems that come with your Dog not drinking enough water include urinary tract issues like kidney stones and organ failure.

Your Dog may be drinking less water than usual because of the following reasons:

  • Your Dog has limited access to fresh clean water.
  • You changed your Dog`s food (e.g. from dry food to wet food)
  • You changed your Dog`s water source
  • The weather is cooler than it used to be
  • Your Dog is less active than it used to be
  • Your Dog is growing old

If none of these applies to your Dog, then it might be that your Dog has an underlying health condition and you might want to talk to your vet.

Also, your Dog 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 Dog is a picky drinker as such, then you should consider getting your Dog a water fountain like one of these. A water fountain will entice your Dog to drink water. With a water fountain, you can be sure that your Dog 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 Dog might not be drinking enough water.

Check your Dog`s mouth for any oral infection. When checking your Dog`s mouth, pay attention to the smell of your Dog`s breath to make sure that your Dog does not have bad breath as bad breath could be a sign of oral infection.

Furthermore, if you recently changed your Dog`s water source, and your Dog starts drinking less water, then you might want to change back to the old source.

Dog Drinking Too Much Water

Your Dog may be drinking too much water simply because you give it unrestricted access to water. Also, your Dog may be drinking too much because it has a health problem such as diabetes.

If your Dog is drinking too much water, then your Dog 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, over salivation, and stomach bloat.

Excessive and unexplainable thirst in your dog is called polydipsia. Polydipsia makes your dog drink more.

Ordinarily, when your Dog 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 Dog is drinking too much water, then your Dog will need to urinate frequently and take unnecessary bathroom breaks. This can be an inconvenience for your if you have to take your Dog out of the house for its bathroom breaks.

If your Dog is drinking too much water for no obvious reason, talk to your vet. However, if your Dog is drinking too much water because it has access to water, then limit your Dog`s access to water.

Do Dogs Drink a Lot of Water?

The amount of water a Dog needs is proportional to the Dog`s body weight and activity level. Older bigger adult Dogs drink a lot of water compared to younger smaller Dogs.

Also, Dogs that are not very active drink a lot less water than very active Dogs. Also, Dogs drink lots of water in the hot summer months than in the cold winter months.

To find how much water your Dog should be drinking, use our Dog dog water calculator to estimate your Dog`s daily water needs.

How to Tell if Your Dog is Drinking Too Much, Too Little, or Enough Water

A simple way to check if your Dog 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 Dog`s bowl so that your Dog can drink water without a limit.

Then, in the evening, measure the amount of water left in your Dog`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 Dog has drunk.

Finally, use our Dog 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.

Then you can switch to giving your Dog water with a water fountain.

How To Tell If Your Dog is Dehydrated

If your Dog 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 Dog. 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

Conclusion

To keep your Dog in good health, you need to keep your Dog hydrated. Therefore, you need to keep an eye on your Dog`s water intake to make sure your Dog is getting the right amount of water that it needs.

To encourage your Dog to drink enough water, make sure that your Dog has access to clean water all the time.

A good way to ensure your Dog has clean water available to it is to invest in a good water fountain like one of these.

If you think your Dog is drinking an unusual amount of water (too much or too little), then do not hesitate to speak with a pet vet.