How to Prevent Pet Dehydration with Pet Fountains

Do your pets get enough water during the day? To the surprise of many dog and cat owners, it isn’t enough to just leave an ordinary bowl of water out during the day, especially if you have a large dog. To the surprise of most dog owners, unlike humans’ 60%, their body consists of 80% water. To keep themselves hydrated during the day, they need 1 oz of water per pound of their body weight. For example, Rylie weights 68 lb, so she needs 68 oz of water a day. As you can guess, that is a lot of water for just one bowl! To help keep pets safer everywhere, the PetSafe® Brand is excited to help teach pet owners all about the importance of hydration and what you can do to make life even better for your furry family!

Why Does Proper Pet Hydration Matter?

Like humans, hydration is very important. Not getting enough water isn’t simply an inconvenience, but something that can very quickly become life threatening for both cats and dogs.  Having enough water helps regulate your pet’s body temperature and make sure they have enough energy throughout the day. Not getting enough water can eventually also lead to a urinary tract infection and urinary disease. Things can be even worse for pets on a dry dog or cat food, since it provides very little moisture (it is expected by their manufacturers that pets will have at least their daily recommendation of water elsewhere). Cats can easily have issues if they don’t get enough water since it can also lead to urinary stones and crystals that can cause urethral obstructions. Ouch!

Signs of Pet Dehydration

How do you know if your pet is dehydrated? Some of the common symptoms of pet dehydration include:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Lack of Energy
• Excessive, Ongoing Panting
• Loss of Appetite
• Sunken, Dry Eyes
• Dry & Sticky Gums
• Loss of Skin Elasticity

If you have reason to think your pet is dehydrated, make sure to see your veterinarian immediately. While it may seem overboard, this is the best way to verify, so that your vet can monitor the situation if there is a problem. Since dehydration can lead to urinary and kidney disease for them just like in humans, it is better to be safe than sorry. In a severe case, your vet may have to administer an IV for fluids. To see if your pet is dehydrated, you can check out the video below.

Why You Should Consider a Pet Fountain

So, why should you consider going with a pet fountain? In general, PetSafe Brand pet fountains encourage pets to drink more water. Most animals love circulated, moving water and many are drawn to it, something pet owners have likely seen when it comes to moving water in the sink, tub, or even outdoors. Best of all, fountains are healthier for pets since it offers them fresh, filtered, circulated water using Petsafe’s own unique Healthy Pet Water Station™ system. Overall, it keeps your pet’s dish and water cleaner, while encouraging your pet to drink. As well, pet fountains are:

• Easy to Clean
• Dishwasher Safe
• Hygienic
• Low Maintenance
• Affordable
• Stylish
• Designed to Filter Tap Water
• Prevent Bacterial Growth

In our household, our girls drink exclusively out of PetSafe Brand fountains. Not only do our girls drink more water, but it much easier for us to keep clean. The only thing I do suggest is marking on a calendar when the filters need to be changed (something that is super easy too!).

5 Best Fountains for Pet Owners

Want to know our personal favorite pet fountains? While the PetSafe Brand has a variety of awesome fountains, there are five fountains that our girls have tried over the years and found that our girls absolutely love! Our top 5 favorite PetSafe Brand pet fountains include:

• PetSafe® Drinkwell® Pagoda Pet Fountain — If you have a small to medium sized dog or cat, we think you will love this ceramic fountain. Not only is this fountain stylish (coming in four colors), it is extremely fun for pets as well, providing them with an upper and lower dish for drinking. With two free-falling steams, two pets have the chance to drink clean, fresh moving water throughout the day!
• PetSafe Drinkwell Outdoor Dog Fountain— Unlike most pet fountains, this one is designed for the outdoors, and made of high-impact, UV-resistant plastic. As well, it holds up to 3.5 gallons of water, making it perfect for dogs who want to spend quite of time roughhousing and playing outdoors, as long as the temperature is above 40°F.
• PetSafe DrinkwellEverflow Indoor/Outdoor Pet Fountain— Want a fountain for even the messiest big dog who love to splash? This indoor-outdoor fountain can be used to hold 1.5 gallons of water indoors, or connected to a standard garden house outdoors to give dogs’ access to water anywhere!
• PetSafe® Drinkwell® Stainless 360 Multi-Pet Fountain — Looking for a stylish fountain to keep your dog’s attention on drinking? The 360’s multiple streams has adjustable flow settings, and a circular design, allowing pets to drink from any angle. This fountain is perfect for multiple pet households.
• PetSafe Drinkwell^® Sedona Pet Fountain— When it comes to fashion and being trendy, nothing beats the Sedona Pet Fountain. This cutting edge fountain doesn’t just looks great, it holds up to 100 oz of water, making it great for large dogs or multiple pet households.

Excited to try one of these awesome fountains for yourself or someone you know? You can find all of these awesome fountains on the PetSafe Brand website, Amazon.com, or a pet store near you.

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About Susan Bewley

Susan Bewley is a professional writer who has been writing content online & in print format for over 10 years. As well, she is an alumni of the University of Louisville with a Masters Degree in Special Education. When not working as an online business consultant or ghost writing, she can be found writing on Budget Earth, on her own novel, or working with various entities in the pet industry.