Your pet’s water intake can be a very important indicator of health. Many factors can cause normal variations in water intake like food type (dry vs canned or home cooked), exercise, ambient temperatures and medications (steroids, diuretics). Many very serious diseases can also be to blame such as kidney failure, diabetes, adrenal gland dysfunction, cancer, urinary tract and uterine infections.
Normal water intake in dogs and cats is â…“ to 1oz per pound of body weight per day. This means your 10lb cat should drink between 3 and 10oz per day, and your 50lb dog should drink 15-50oz per day. In standard cup measurements, a normal pet should drink around 1 cup or less per day per 10lb of body weight.
If your pet regularly drinks more than this per day, or if you notice a sudden increase in their water intake or urine output, please schedule an appointment with your veterinarian right away.