How much should my dog drink? This could be the most common question in the lives of new puppy owners. But you would be mistaken if you think that the veteran owners don’t sometimes wonder about the same thing! Corgis will, just like all other dogs, make you wonder about this on a day-to-day basis.
Sometimes it seems as if there’s no rule of thumb whatsoever. Our dogs drink like they found an oasis one day, and you kind of go along with it. But the next day, they barely break the surface tension of the water! So what’s the deal?
Well, we plan on figuring it out. We’ll focus on over-drinking rather than under-drinking. We’ll do this simply because it’s a more common issue. So if you found yourself asking the question: “Why does my Corgi drink so much water?” worry not – we’re here to help.
There are many reasons for your puppy’s drinking to go to an extreme, and we plan to cover them all. The article’s point is to give you a good grasp of the situation, so you don’t have to wonder if there’s something wrong every time your dog starts changing down a full bowl of water.
Drinking too much water could be a sign of something serious! Possible conditions could include cancer, Cushing’s disease, Diabetes, etc. But it could also be nothing.
And that’s the main problem – it could be a sign of something serious, but it could also just mean that your dog’s thirsty. It’s the nuances that matter. So let’s try to teach you how to spot other things that could be related to over-drinking. Ready, set, and off we go!
Do Corgis Drink A Lot Of Water?
There are many reasons for your dog to drink too much water. There are also many factors that you need to drop into your equation to get an accurate answer. Your dogs’ age, level of activity, and the weather are just some of those factors.
Health issues can be a factor too, but that’s a different story. We’ll get back to that in a minute.
Age
Young puppies tend to drink a lot more water than the older parts of the family. They need more water; that’s a pretty simple answer. But there are situations in which your older dog needs to drink a lot too! So when should you start worrying?
Well, if you see your dog’s behavior suddenly change – it’s a clear sign. And, sure, it doesn’t always mean that it’s terrible. But it can usually be bad if your dog is older. See, when at a certain age, your dog has kind of settled in. He doesn’t mind the routine, plus he doesn’t plan on going through a midlife crisis. As long as he has that routine, he’ll be just fine.
Your puppy’s body is acting in the same way. It gets the same food, drinks the same amount of water, and gets the same amount of exercise. When there’s something wrong, though, that routine gets broken – and you need to know how to notice that break in the pattern.
Your dog could be suffering from some health issue, or there could be some other factor. All in all, it’s important to notice it.
Weather
We all know that a hot summer day makes you thirsty. Logic tells us that our dog’s body works in the same way. But what many people don’t think about is that cold weather pretty much has the same effect.
It’s essential to stay hydrated, no matter the weather. Let’s get that out of the way. But your dog needs to have a fresh bowl of water available at his disposal at all times. The reason for this is that he can’t go to the kitchen when he’s thirsty.
But just because he can’t do that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t know how to regulate his thirst. Keeping his bowl full at all times means that your Corgi can go in for refreshment whenever he feels like it.
This is crucial on a hot summer day (or a cold winter’s one). You see, during the summer, your Corgis body needs water to cool off. The first effect that the cold water has, after all, is to cool off the body using entropy. But you might have heard that your dog doesn’t have sweat glands. So how does it work?
Well, your dog doesn’t have the perfect cooling system installed. We sweat to cool off; the water we have in us goes out the sweat glands, which cool our skin and our bodies.
But dogs just kind of get prepared for the hot days by shedding off the extra fur that they had on during the winter. Corgis love this more than a lot of other dogs since there’s a lot to shed. The point of this all is that the water is there to help your puppy’s body function naturally, and that’s about it. Because of this, it is very important to keep the bowl full during winter since it’s going to need the fuel to stay warm!
Not Having Access To Water
If your Corgi drinks water like you’re never going to give him another drop again – he probably doesn’t have regular access to it. It’s quite an accusation, we know, but let us explain.
Remember how we said that your Corgi knows how much water it needs? Well, we weren’t kidding! If your Corgi came back from a nice exercise on a hot day and didn’t have the amount of water he thought he needed waiting for him – he’ll assume it will always be like that.
Well, that’s a bit dramatic, but the point is this: If your Corgi feels the need to empty a whole bowl of water in one take, you need to let him do that. You can’t spoil him with water, no matter how young your puppy is. He needs to learn how much is enough. If your puppy is somewhere around half a year old, he needs more water anyway.
But even besides this need, young puppies frequently drink too much water. This results in them having a little bathroom accident, but they’ll get the hang of it eventually.
One thing to note is this: you need to be careful. If your puppy is young and is drinking too much water, give him some time to figure it out. But if it keeps happening, consult with a professional.
If you want to know how much is too much, calculate 1oz to 1 pound per day. If you like, split that into 3.3oz parts and leave it out three times during the day. If it’s empty shortly after you leave it out, you have a problem on your hands.
If your dog has just been outside running out in the sun, don’t worry about it. He just needs a little extra hydration. Corgis don’t have a lot of space in which they can keep all that water. Worst case scenario, your puppy will throw up a little.
Health Problems
So that was a kind of basic list of what could cause your puppy to drink too much water. But other more serious reasons could be at fault. Let’s go over some of these.
Diabetes
Your Corgi suffering from Diabetes is no different from you suffering from the same condition. Your Corgis body can no longer produce insulin, which causes havoc in its organization.
Symptoms of canine Diabetes are the following:
- Excessive water drinking and urination
- Weight loss
- Decreased appetite
- Cloudy eyes
- Chronic infection
The two symptoms that we will be focusing on are excessive water drinking and chronic infection.
Excessive water drinking is the obvious one, but infections generally cause even more of the first symptom. Because of this, Diabetes is often the first thing that vets check for if you tell them that your puppy is drinking too much water.
Corgis are not prone to Diabetes. With that said, they can still get it, and the chances of it are the same as in most dogs. It’s a severe condition but very manageable in this day and age. With proper medication and care, your puppy can live a happy and healthy life.
Cushing’s Syndrome
If your dog received a cortico-steroid while suffering from some other illness, there is a chance that he might have developed Cushing’s syndrome.
This condition causes your dog’s body to produce too much cortisol, a hormone that controls a myriad of operations in its body.
Cortisol controls blood sugar and pressure, manages weight and stress levels, and helps fight infections. All these things get affected if the body produces too much or too little of the hormone. The symptoms of the condition are the following:
- Your dog is thirstier and hungrier than usual.
- Excessive peeing
- Hair loss
- Potbelly
- Your puppy can get tired very quickly.
- Skin infections
Drinking too much water can be one of the first signs of the disease, so contact your Vet as soon as possible. Dogs with Cushing’s syndrome are in the same situation as diabetic dogs. They are drinking too much because of the condition, but also because of the infections that the condition produces.
Cancer
Canine cancer is the worst disease on this list; there is no doubt about that. Drinking too much water is a symptom, so we have to mention it. You need to contact a professional immediately if you feel that your dog is showing cancer symptoms.
These symptoms are sometimes obvious; but, sometimes they stay hidden. Some you can spot from a mile away, though, so you need to know what they are:
- Lumps under the skin
- Strange odors coming from any part of the dog
- Swelling
- Wounds that don’t seem to heal
- Sudden weight loss
- Coughing
- Depression
- Drinking too much water
- Executive urinating
You shouldn’t panic and think your Corgi’s suffering from cancer if the only clue is him drinking too much water. Even if you combine them with some other symptoms = it still could be a myriad of conditions that are not cancer.
Always stay in touch with your Vet, and keep them well informed about any changes. There are many factors that you need to include before making a diagnosis. This is why it’s essential to talk to a professional.
Always Keep An Eye Out
Drinking too much water can mean a lot of things. Your dog can’t tell you what’s wrong, so it’s important to always keep an eye out and realize a possible symptom in time.
It can be difficult to do so with something that is as general as drinking water. Try to think about all the things that we mentioned. If you have a young little puppy, it will need more water than an old 10+ y/o dog. But if your old veteran starts drinking like it’s been running for two days straight, start looking for other clues.
Those are the main takeaways that we have for you. Know when you should start worrying. If you’re looking for a disease, you’ll find one even if it’s not there. So always keep calm, inform yourself, and take care of your dog to the best of your abilities.
See Also: Do Corgis Hiccup? Why Does Your Corgi Hiccup?
Final Words
Just because your dog can’t tell you if it feels that something is wrong doesn’t mean that you can’t learn to read its body language; nobody expects you to learn what each and every possible condition looks like and what to look out for – but you can cover the basics!
In the end, your Vet is responsible for making a diagnosis and helping your dog recover with whatever it’s dealing with. But you are responsible for taking care of it at home and knowing how to recognize when something might be wrong. Don’t ever be afraid to call your Vet. There’s no such thing as a stupid question when it comes to health.
Here’s a summary of the useful tips and tricks when it comes to water consumption:
Mind The Weather
Your dog will need to drink more water when it’s extremely hot or freezing outside. With that said, always keep an eye out for other symptoms of a possible condition.
Old Pooch Vs. Young Pup
Young little Corgi puppy needs more water on a daily basis. If you have an older dog who is suddenly drinking more than usual amounts of water – contact your Vet.
Suppose you feel that your puppy’s drinking too much; give it 1 oz per pound of water a day. This way, you can figure out if it’s drinking more than it needs. Just don’t forget to include the weather factor!
If you do all these things, you should be prepared for anything! Make sure your Corgi always has fresh available water – and make sure it’s getting just the right amount.
We know that too much water doesn’t seem like a big deal – but it could be an indication of something more serious. Just keep your little friend happy and hydrated!
So do corgis drink a lot of water? Does the breed drink more water than other breeds? No, of course, it doesn’t. Any change in behavior or diet is an indication of something else. As long as you learn to spot whatever that might be, you’ll be just fine!
