Have you ever noticed that your Australian Shepherd drinks a lot of water? It’s a common issue among Aussie owners, and as a fellow dog lover, I’m here to provide you with a helpful article on the topic.
In general, Australian Shepherds may drink a lot of water due to various reasons, such as dehydration, improper diet, activity level, seasonal effects, age, health issues, or medication. It’s recommended that Aussies drink one ounce of water per pound per day, along with an appropriate diet plan, while avoiding the effects of air conditioning.
It’s important to note that excessive water intake can occur due to both normal and abnormal circumstances. Therefore, having proper awareness of all the potential causes is crucial for keeping your Aussie healthy and happy. By staying vigilant and monitoring your furry friend’s water intake, you can ensure that they stay hydrated and avoid any potential health issues.
Reasons why some Australian Shepherds drink a lot of water.
Usually, Aussies are a highly energetic and active dog breed. So, they always love to run all over the backyard and enjoy their freedom. So, drinking water quite often is kind of a normal thing for them.
But, as I mentioned earlier, this excessive drinking could occur due to both usual and unusual circumstances. So, let’s figure them out in detail.
- Dehydration.
- Wrong diet.
- Seasonal or weather effects
- The activity level
- The age
- Health problems.
- Medication.
Your Australian Shepherd may drink a lot of water due to dehydration.
If your Aussie suddenly started to drink a lot of water, one of the main reasons could be Dehydration. Even though we can expect this situation from matured dogs, often nursing, older, young dogs prone to dehydration.
To confirm if it has dehydration, you got to check if the dog exhibits the following symptoms.
- Panting
- Lethargy
- Sticky, dry gums
- Loss of appetite
- Weak rear end
- Dry nose
- Dark urine
- Loss of skin elasticity
- Dry looking eyes
- Relatively thick saliva
- Less energy level
If so, your Aussie is suffering from dehydration. Consult a vicenarian as soon as possible.
But, you got to understand the reasons why this problem could occur. So, here are the main reasons.
- Excessive panting.
- Lack of food intake.
- Lack of water intake.
- Overworking.
- Potential health problems.
- Perspiration.
- Overheating.
Wrong diet.
Have you ever felt excessive thirst after eating salty or calcium-rich foods? The answer is probably yes. So, it also can be applied to canines as well.
Because some types of food could be caused to occur excessive thirst in your pup. The result is your Australian shepherd will end up drinking a vast amount of water continuously.
So, preparing a suitable diet plan just for your Aussie is crucial in order to avoid such kinds of problems. In fact, It helps to keep the dog in good health.
The problem here is, though, most people used to feed human foods to their furry friends. It can be too dangerous since some humans foods are poisonous to dogs.
Always seek the help of professionals to create a diet plan for your Aussie.
Seasonal or weather effects
When do you drink a lot of water? In the summer or in the winter? Obviously, the answer is summer. So, this point is true when it comes to dogs. Your Australian shepherd will drink loads of water during the summer compared to winter.
You know what, there is one important fact that most people don’t recognize. Which is the air conditioner in your house can make your Aussie dry. So, he will end up drinking so much water.
So, you have to ensure that there is a water bowl always filled with water. If you buy an auto-filling water bowl, you don’t wanna worry about refilling the water bowl anymore.
Your Australian Shepherd may drink a lot of water because of the high activity level.
Obviously, Aussies are an extremely active dog breed. 30 minutes of leashed walking session won’t satisfy them. So, letting them run here and there throughout the backyard is one of the easiest ways to burn off their energy.
Having an Australian shepherd with good off leash capabilities is so beneficial. So, We can expect a high amount of water intake from these dogs without any doubt.
Of course, if this is the reason you don’t wanna worry too much. But you got to create a proper exercise schedule for your dog.
The age
The amount of water intake of your Australian shepherd can be varied according to its age. Aussie puppies tend to drink loads of water if the water bowl is in front of them.
Usually, puppies tend to sleep several hours in a row. So, having an excessive thirst is a normal fact. So, you got to supervise your Aussie to drink water as you feel he missed it for a long time.
The amount of water intake is increases as the age increases. So, usually, adult Australian shepherds drink more water. Because of that, giving excellent supervision is a must.
Your Australian Shepherd may drink a lot of water due to health problems.
This is one of the main reasons why this problem can happen. Usually, the dogs that have diseases like,
- Diabetes
- Cancer
- liver diseases
- Fever
- kidney disease
- Infection
- Diarrhea
- Cushing’s disease
tend to drink water more than usual. So, if your Aussie exhibits excessive thirst with symptoms of illness, probably it’s time to consult a veterinarian.
Due to medication.
Suppose your dog takes medicine for a particular illness or something else. In that case, we can expect a little bit of higher water intake from your Aussie.
So, When you take medicine to your dog, be sure to ask if the medicine can be caused to your dog to drink large amounts of water.
What can you do if your Australian Shepherd drinks a lot of water?
Now you have a good awareness of both normal and abnormal reasons why some Aussies drink a lot of water. Therefore, it’s time to figure out what you can do if this problem occurs.
So, you can do several things to avoid this problem.
- Adequate exercises are crucial.
- Minimizing the effects of the air conditioner.
- Create a proper diet play for your Aussie.
- Regular vet checkups.
Adequate exercises are crucial.
As we already discussed, Aussies are extremely active dogs. If you start to play fetch with him for several hours during the day, he may probably get exhausted and dehydrated.
You got to always keep in mind that even Aussies have limitations for their energy. So, creating an adequate exercise schedule is essential. By doing so, you can keep the dog from overworking.
In fact, always seek professional help beforehand to create an exercise schedule for the dog. Because it cannot be done on your own. Several important factors need to consider including,
- Health status
- Nutrition intake
- Gender
- Age
- The season
By the way, read this to understand the jumping height of Aussies.
If your Australian Shepherd drinks so much water, avoid the effects of dehydration from air conditioning.
Actually, earlier we have discussed this a little bit. But, there are several important points you really wanna be aware of. This dehydration could occur due to both summer air conditioning and winter heating.
So, you can do the following things to get rid of this problem.
- Maybe your house is a little too dry. So, this atmosphere in the home can be a bit awkward for your dog friend. This problem can be fixed up to some extend by keeping water bowls here and there.
- Bathe your Aussie frequently.
- Most importantly, supervising your Aussie’s water intake is crucial and make sure to keep sufficient water all the time with easy access.
- Keeping baffles over the heating and cooling vents could help.
- Open windows a little bit whenever it’s possible.
Create a proper diet play for your Aussie.
As we discussed earlier, several foods can make your dog extremely thirsty. Since we have discussed this a little bit in detail, I’m not gonna explain it again.
Anyhow, consulting a veterinarian is recommended prior to preparing a diet plan for your Aussie. So, If your Australian shepherd has a proper diet plan, he will not drink water excessively.
Regular vet checkups.
As we discussed above, several health problems can also lead to excessive thirst in your Aussie. You know some problems are deadly. So, These problems can be identified with regular vet checkups before they become dangerous.
How much water should an Australian Shepherd drink per day?
Having a good awareness of the amount of water that should be drunk by your Aussie is a crucial fact If you don’t have a clear idea about how you can tell if he drinks a lot of water more than he used to be.
In general, Aussies should drink around 1 ounce of water per pound of body weight every day. So, I recommend you use the table below!
| Gender | weight (pounds) | Ounce | Cups |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 55 – 70 | 55 – 77 | 6.5 – 9.5 |
| Female | 35 – 55 | 35 – 55 | 4.5 – 6.5 |
Things to be aware of.
I wish now you have a good understanding of whether Australian shepherds drink a lot of water. But, it’s not sufficient because you have to consider several other things. So, let’s figure out what they are.
Clean your Aussie’s water bowl regularly.
Cleaning its water bowl on a daily basis is crucial in order to keep it from growing algae or disease-causing bacteria. So, you got to rinse it’s outside and inside and use a brush to ensure the bowl is completely clean.
Don’t limit your Aussie’s water intake.
This is a really important factor. When your Australian shepherd drink water, don’t try to link it. Besides several health issues, in general, canines have an excellent sense of the amount of water they should drink.
When your Aussie plays outside, keep a water bowl.
Make sure to keep this water bowl under a place where there is shade. In fact, it should be easily accessible. Let the dog know where the water bowl is. If the outside is too hot, put some ice in the bowl.
Place the water bowl inside the crate.
Suppose the crate is your dog’s one of the favorite places to spend its time. (Actually, it should be) By doing so, you can encourage your Aussie to drink water if he is taking less amount of water.
Don’t let your Aussie drink water from water bowls that are located in dog parks
Because those water bowls may contain bacteria and viruses that are possibly harmful to the dog.
Conclusion
Most Australian shepherd owners are curious to know if they drink a lot of water. Drinking too much water could happen due to both normal and abnormal circumstances. So, this whole article is entirely dedicated, for that matter. I hope you found this helpful. Have a nice day.!
