It’s a beautiful warm summer day, the sun is shining, the sky is blue, you are out at the lake and you feel like going for a walk with your dog. Experience tells you that in the summer, when out in the sun, you will to need to take along plenty of liquids for both you and your dog in order to stay hydrated. How much water you bring along and how much you and your dog drink should be based on the terrain, the distance both there and back and, of course, the fact that as the day progresses the heat intensifies.
Dehydration is a lack of water in the body and can cause serious complications for both people and dogs. Water is essential to all living beings dependant on fluid intake to maintain appropriate body temperature, proper circulation, digestion and waste removal.
The best way to avoid dehydration is to pay attention to your (and your dog’s) body signals when taking part in an outdoor activity such a extended walks or hiking. Drink plenty of fluids at regular intervals. Sip water/fluids every 15 to 20 minutes. If you’re feeling thirsty, you are already starting to become dehydrated. Being properly hydrated in the outdoors is important for your well being, not to mention enjoyment and, in some instances, your survival.
If you drink enough fluids, you will feel better; if you don’t, you may experience symptoms of dehydration including a dry or sticky mouth, low and/or dark urine output, low blood pressure, lethargy and, in more severe cases, dizziness and confusion.
Proper hydration is essential, so remember, it is always better to bring along more water/fluids than you think you might need. Give your dog water at regular intervals as well.
The most common symptom of dehydration in dogs is the loss of elasticity in the skin. If you pull lightly on the skin and it does not readily come back to its original place, your dog is becoming dehydrated.
Another more alarming symptom is a condition known as xerostomia where the dog’s gums lose moistness and become dry and sticky and the saliva becomes thick.
If your dog appears to be suffering from severe dehydration, seek immediate medical attention. A veterinarian will be able to administer intravenous fluids to avoid further dehydration and replace body fluids.
When away from home, it’s a good idea to take along one of those commercially made, collapsable dog dishes that folds up and is easy to carry along in your pocket or pack with the water. (Do not fill your dog’s dish with lake or stream water as the majority of our lakes and streams are polluted to some degree and may contain nasty microscopic vermin that neither you nor your dog should ingest.)
While on the subject of water, if you decide to cool off after your walk with your dog by going boating, canoeing, kayaking or fishing out on the lake, the same basic rules apply to activities on the water as on land.
It is important to take into consideration that not only are you exposed to the heat of the sun directly, but also from the sun reflected from the surface of the water.
Also, in small watercraft such as a canoe or 12-foot aluminum fishing boat, there are few places for a dog to escape the heat, so it is absolutely imperative to have cool, fresh water onboard.
One thing that I did was adapted a fly from an old tent and rigged it up in the bow of the boat to provide sone shade for my old dog when we went fishing. However, when it got really hot outside, we usually just stayed indoors and slept.