Is your Samoyed drinking enough water?

It’s always a challenge to ensure that your Samoyed gets the right amount of water per day. Like a balanced diet, drinking water also forms an integral part of your dog’s daily necessities. This is because water is an essential component of the living cell, and without it, your Samoyed’s body will not be able to function properly. Therefore, monitoring daily dog’s water intake can instantly improve its health and reduce any illness chances. If dogs drink too much water, it can lead to electrolyte imbalance, stomach bloating, and Hyponatremia. On the other hand, excessive thirst in dogs may lead to kidney stones, dehydration, and sometimes even death.

How Much Water Does A Samoyed Need Per Day?

Samoyed water intake daily depends on the overall activity level, Samoyed age, size, and weather conditions. Generally, an average-sized Samoyed dog needs to drink around 8.5 to 17 ounces of water per 10 pounds of body weight per day. For instance, if your dog is 50 pounds in overall weight, it should be drinking around 42 to 84 ounces of water per day to keep hydrated.

Moreover, if a Samoyed is active, it will require more water. A dehydrated dog may suffer from dry eyes or sticky gums. Therefore, in the summers, when the chances of dehydration are high, it’s highly essential to ensure that your Sammy stays hydrated and healthy.

How Much Water Does A Puppy Need Per Day?

Samoyed puppies tend to be more active than their adult counterparts, so they drink more water to keep themselves hydrated. The five factors that determine the correct daily water intake for a Samoyed puppy are:

• Activity Level
• Puppy size
• Diet
• Metabolism
• Weather Conditions

You should remember that puppy’s hydration initially depends on their mother’s milk. But, when the mother stops producing milk, the puppy will require freshwater for hydration as it will start eating canned or dry food. The general rule is that a Samoyed puppy should be drinking ½ to 1 ounce of water per pound of body weight per day. For instance, if your Samoyed puppy weighs 20 pounds, it should be drinking at least 10 ounces of water per day.

Growing puppies will require more water, at least half-a-cup of water every two hours. Keep monitoring your puppy for some time to get a clearer picture of how much water it has consumed and if it needs more.

Do Samoyeds Like Water?

If sometimes you have thoughts like why your Samoyed is always thirsty, then note their thick coats. Samoyeds feel excessively hot during the summer. Even though they can live perfectly fine in hot weather conditions, especially if you have an air-conditioning system, they’re still dependent on water.

Sometimes, Samoyeds can drink a lot of water to prevent any chances of dehydration, as they have thick fur. Therefore, if your Samoyed dog is drinking water in slightly higher quantities than usual, there’s nothing to worry about. Over time, the daily water consumption will decrease as your Samoyed gets old, especially after being four months old.

How often to give water to a Samoyed dog?

It’s suggested that you first establish a feeding schedule for your Samoyed before opting to create a drinking water schedule. Generally, it’s always good to leave a dog bowl with fresh water every morning and evening. In case you’re in the process of housetraining your dog, and your Samoyed tends to overdrink, it’s recommended that you schedule the frequency and amount of water you provide to your Sammy. However, keep an eye on your Samoyed, and if it feels thirsty, give it water more frequently.

You can follow the drinking water schedule below to monitor how much water Samoyed is drinking:

•           7 AM – Fill a dog bowl half-way with clean water
•          12 PM – Rinse and re-fill the bowl half-way
•          6 PM – Rinse and re-fill the bowl half-way
•          11 PM (Bedtime) – No water

Dehydration In Samoyed Dogs

Dehydration is a life-threatening yet common situation for arctic dog breeds. These dogs, including Samoyeds, can suffer from dehydration if they don’t drink enough or don’t get enough water with food. Furthermore, if your dog eats dry food only, it also explains why your Sammy doesn’t get as much water as its body needs. If your dog is suffering from dehydration, it can lead to fever, vomiting, diarrhea, or excessive urination.  

Some of the primary reasons your Samoyed adult dog or puppy doesn’t drink water or refuse to drink it are:

·         Lethargy

·         Any underlying illness

·         Frequently passage of urine

·         Loss of fluids due to diarrhea or vomiting

The best way to go around the dehydration problem is to monitor Samoyed’s water intake and, thereby, take the following steps:

· Inspect the gums of your dog. If you feel the gums are sticky or dry, then your dog will require more water.

· Try to grab the scruff of your dog’s neck and thereby gently stretch it. If it snaps back into place, then your dog is hydrated. But, if it takes time or snaps back slowly, then it’s a case of dehydration.

If you’re wondering why Samoyed doesn’t drink water out of its bowl, then firstly ensure your dog’s water bowl is always clean. Once you’ve cleaned it, re-fill it with fresh water.

● Try to place the dog water bowl near dog’s bed or food. You can proceed to place it at a place when your dog generally hangs out.

● Try adding ice-cubes as dogs love to chew on them. Chewing ice-cubes is also a great way to increase water intake.

● Keep your treats handy and award your dog with a necessary treat once it drinks water from the water bowl.

● You can cook chicken broth or bone broth to ensure that your dog is getting enough liquid.

Major dehydration symptoms that you might notice are:

•          Dry gums
•          Weakness
•          Sunken eyes
•          Less elasticity of the skin
•          Frequent collapses

In case your dog has one or more of the above symptoms, you can test it for dehydration by following the below procedure:

1. When testing a dog for dehydration, use your forefinger and thumb to pinch a little amount of skin on the back or top of its head. If your Samoyed is properly hydrated, the skin will spring back quickly. Otherwise, it will move back to its place slowly. In severe cases, it might not spring back at all. This situation is known as ‘skin tent.’
2. It should be noted that severely dehydrated dogs may show signs of heat stroke and shock, which is why getting in touch with your veterinary doctor is recommended. In case the condition is mild, then you can proceed to provide your dog with sips of water at regular intervals.

Furthermore, to prevent dehydration, you can follow the tips below:

• Place several clean water bowls around your home so that your dog can drink water whenever he or she likes.
• Replenish your dog’s water bowl frequently.
• Opt for pet fountains or automatic water bowls.

Overhydration In Samoyed Dogs

Overhydration or otherwise known as water-intoxication, can similarly be dangerous for your Samoyed. It’s a condition where your dog will consume dangerously large amounts of water, leading to loss of Sodium ions from its body. As a result, it can lead to swelling in the brain and potentially damaging the dog’s CNS or Central Nervous System. You can detect whether your dog is overhydrated by checking the following symptoms:

• Nausea
• Excessive Salivation
• Lethargy
• Loss Of Coordination
• Bloating
• Vomiting
• Dilated Pupils
• Pale Gums

Since water-intoxication can progress quickly, it’s suggested that if your dog shows the above symptoms, you should immediately contact a veterinary doctor. Since veterinary doctors can offer medication and electrolytes, it can assist in reducing brain swelling, thereby leading to a faster recovery.

You can clamp down on the above problems by following the below suggestions:

● Monitor the amount of water that your dog consumes.

● Use automatic feeders, which open specific compartments at a particular time.

● To control water consumption at night, you can use a rabbit feeder.

Does a Samoyed dog need water overnight?

Generally, you should not be leaving drinking water at night near your dog’s crate or bed, especially if it’s a puppy. When you plan to potty train your puppy, keeping water near your puppy’s crate will increase the chances of any accidents.

Alternatively, the same applies to healthy adult Samoyeds as they don’t need water at night. If your adult Samoyed has access to fresh and clean water throughout the day, it should be enough to sustain them overnight.

Should I leave water out for a Samoyed all day?

Multiple experts have suggested that you leave the water for daytime for your dog to avoid dehydration. Dogs generally lose water from their body not only through urination or defecation but also through panting as they cool down their body temperature.

Therefore, it’s advisable to leave water out for your dog the whole day and try to change it once per day. Clean a dog water bowl daily and ensure that the container is large enough to hold a substantial amount of water.

Maintaining a healthy diet and giving your Samoyed clean drinking water every day, you’ll be able to keep your pooch in good and healthy shape. As Mark Twain once said, ‘Water taken in moderation cannot hurt anybody,’ the same applies to your dog as well. Samoyeds need constant access to water to avoid dehydration, but do ensure that you keep the water intake within acceptable limits.

Related questions

Q: Does Drinking Water Regulates The Body Temperature Of Your Dog/Puppy?

Yes. On a hot day, dogs keep their bodies cool and comfy by panting. The process of panting includes exhaling and thereby releasing water directly through respiration. The method of panting involves losing water with their tongue, thus lowering their body temperature.

Q: Does Drinking Water Improve The Sniffing Power Of Dogs?

Yes. Since drinking water keeps the dog’s nose moist, it will be able to pick up even the scantest scent. This is the reason why search-and-rescue dogs are provided with ample water daily. If a search-and-rescue dog isn’t 100 percent hydrated, it will not be able to do its job.