- Make sure that your dog always has access to fresh, clean water. Water helps to dilute your dog’s urine, which keeps the minerals in the urine suspended in fluid. Drinking enough water also makes your dog urinate on a regular schedule, which helps to flush the minerals in the urine from your dog’s body.
- Change your dog’s water every day and clean his bowl a few times a week to minimize bacteria.
- Give your dog the right amount of water every day. The amount of water a dog needs every day is related to its body weight. A dog needs about an ounce of water per pound of body weight per day. For example, an 8 pound dog will need a cup of water per day and an eighty pound dog will need 10 cups of water a day.
- Keep in mind that if your dog is physically active, pregnant, or nursing, then he will need more water.
- Provide extra water in hot weather. Provide your dog with a reliable source of clean, fresh water at all times, especially during hot weather.
- Provide unfrozen water in cold weather. Dogs cannot obtain the amount of water they need from eating snow or ice. In fact, eating snow and ice requires more body energy to melt the snow/ice which makes the dog’s body require even more water.
- Add water to your dog's food if he is not drinking enough water. If your dog is a fussy drinker or you don’t think he is consuming enough water during the day, you can try adding warm water to your dog’s food until it reaches a stew-like consistency. You can also add wet canned foods to your dog to get more water in his system.
- Just make sure that you provide fresh, clean water for your dog, even if you are feeding your dog a wetter food.
- Allow your dog to go potty often. A healthy adult dog must have the opportunity to relieve itself of urine every 6-8 hours.
- Smaller dogs, puppies, or dogs with medical problems of the urinary tract will need to urinate more often, at least every 4 hours.
- If you are cannot take your dog out as often as he needs to be, you may want to consider installing a doggy door so that your dog can access an enclosed back yard, training your dog to use potty training pads in the house, or hiring a dog walker to walk your dog a few times a day.
- About once per week, observe your dog as it urinates. If the urine is a dilute yellow color, then his urine is normal. If your dog’s urine is brown or red and/or if your dog has trouble urinating, then you should contact your dog’s veterinarian right away.
