Dog Dehydration

It can also kill your canine.

Here's a simple test you can do right now plus at home treatment options.

Canine Dehydration Test

This simple yet effective test is easy. Gently grab the skin on top of the neck.

For a small dog, use your thumb and a finger. For large dogs use your whole hand.

Pull up until the skin is tight but not painful at all to your pet. Now let go. If it springs right back, he is fine.

If it goes back into place slowly, its time to do it again and count. No need to pause between numbers. Count at a normal pace.

None of my dogs have ever been more than a 3, in which case I made them a healthy broth to give them back some salt and nutrition. I call this healing broth and you can find it at Fasting for Health and Healing Dogs.

Then I keep testing a few times a day to make sure we're getting back on track. If the dog is throwing up still, see Treatment for Vomiting.

If you get a 6 and your dog is lethargic, for heaven sakes he needs help right now. Any of us will die from dehydration before starvation, so please take this seriously.

If you can't get him to the vet for an IV or want to do something right now, here's what you need to do.

Dehydration Treatment

Give your dog an enema. Yup, I said enema. While we think about this for constipation, here's why it helps cure dehydration.

When a dog keeps vomiting, he or she loses vital fluids and salts. By giving warm water with salts via the rectum, it gets absorbed through the tissues of the colon.

I know what you might be thinking, but this is no time to feel squeamish about putting something in your dog's butt. This can literally save his life.

Giving an Enema for Dog Dehydration

Recipe:

• One pint (2 cups) pure water
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (or table salt for a second choice)
• 1/4 teaspoon potassium chloride (sold as a salt substitute at the grocery story

Warm the mixture about the same as a baby bottle and test on the wrist.

Amount and Tools Needed:

• One dose for a very small dog is about 2 tablespoons
• One dose for a large dog is up to one pint
• Plastic or rubber syringe, or
• An enema bag and nozzle with large dogs

Here's how:

First, lubricate the end of the syringe or nozzle with vegetable oil and, while someone else calmly and gently holds the dog while it stands on the ground or in the bathtub, insert the nozzle carefully into the rectum.

With gentle consistent pressure against the anus, so that the fluid doesn't leak out, slowly fill the colon. If the solution doesn't flow in readily, it could be that the syringe is up against a fecal mass. In this case, you'll need to pull back on the nozzle or syringe and adjust the angle a bit.

Since dehydrated animals will retain the fluid, you can give an enema every 2 - 4 hours until the fluid is no longer retained. You can do the test above to double check.






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