You’ll be happy to hear that giving your dog Pedialyte can make a lot of sense when they refuse liquids or are otherwise dehydrated.
Water deficiency (or low electrolytes, like potassium or sodium) is a serious problem for pets.
Insufficient fluid intake, diarrhea and vomiting all contribute to dehydration. You obviously want to prevent this from happening to your dog.
Here’s the deal:
While there are many treatments, one works great to restore lost electrolytes and fluids.
You guessed it: Pedialyte!
It is a safe and effective solution, and a popular choice.
Pedialyte Works For Dogs Too
Though primarily made for humans, when necessary it can also be given to four-legged friends.
Pedialyte is a replacement therapy. It basically replenishes important minerals including chloride, sodium and potassium.
An electrolyte formula, it is a fantastic re-hydrating treatment for when a dog is on the verge of dehydration.
We witnessed it first-hand when our oldest was sick last year — turns out he has a love for bubble gum-flavored Pedialyte!
Dosing Pedialyte For Dogs
There are several different products.
Some are already diluted (you may or may not need to mix the contents with water). Be sure to check first.
In any case…
Exact Pedialyte dosing is open for debate. Play it safe and go with an amount that factors in your dog’s body mass.
Half a cup of diluted Pedialyte, every hour or so, is acceptable for a 40-50 pound canine. Don’t exceed 4 cubic centimeters per pound of weight.
Other than water, avoid mixing with other fluids. Sugar additives could worsen your dog’s condition by drawing out more water from the cells.
A syringe ensures enough Pedialyte is consumed. That, or a flavored-version to encourage drinking, may be necessary.
Signs of a Dehydrated Dog
Your dog is made up of approximately 60% water.
H2O is critical for good health, dissolving foods and eliminating toxins. A deficiency is dehydration and serious indeed.
Symptoms include:
- Sunken eyes
- Decreased elasticity of the skin
- Abnormal panting
- Dry nose
- Dry eyes
- Dry mouth
Again, Pedialyte is an excellent remedy (particularly in the early stages).
Watch this video!
Caution: You really must visit a vet if your dog is already severely dehydrated.
Reasons For Dehydration
Dehydration occurs quite easily.
Aside from illness, a hot or dry environment is a big factor when combined with insufficient fluid intake.
Fever, diarrhea, vomiting, diabetes, viral or bacterial infection, kidney disease and panting or drooling will worsen your dog’s condition.
These signs may also indicate an underlying medical issue. But, whatever the reason…
Persistent dehydration is a real concern.
Get professional help if Pedialyte isn’t working. It may not be the solution you are seeking.
When to Get a Vet’s Help
Moderate dehydration is usually when you don’t observe your dog vomiting.
This can be remedied with Pedialyte given orally (either by syringe, bottle or drinking bowl).
More serious cases require aggressive replacement of fluids.
Some owners use Pedialyte for dehydration resulting from Parvos virus, but your dog may need something more for such dire circumstances.
Application of IV fluids could be vital. A vet may need your dog to stay overnight or until they’ve clearly recovered.
The Bottom Line
Dog dehydration can be serious (especially left untreated).
Pedialyte is safe for animals and extremely useful. It is proven effective for rehydrating dogs.
Speak with a vet and follow their Pedialyte dosing recommendations.
And if your dog has problems that persist, or worsen, bring them in ASAP.
I have a 9 year old Yorkie. She has been suffering from loss of protein for a year now. She had been on Prednisone 5mg- Metronidazole 50mg- and Actigall 300mg.
They put her on a low fat diet due to vomiting and diarrhea. Her vitals went up and she was doing well. But, all of a sudden, she stopped eating and was drinking tons of water.
I brought her back to vet and he claimed all vitals were up. But kidney problems occurred. So he is giving her fluid shots under the skin for seven days. She is starting to eat better now.
I am making her homemade food and giving a little Pedialyte to help her along. They say we are going day by day, but she seems to be doing okay to me.
Do you agree that it’s just a matter of time before I loose her? The vet says it’s a slow process, but she isn’t showing bad vibes like not walking and not going up steps. What do you think?
What kind of fluid shots? I have a similar situation going on with my dog and we haven’t found a cure. I’m really afraid of loosing my 4 year old dog. He is experiencing similar symptoms including no appetite, lots of vomiting and diarrhea.
I failed to recognize the symptoms of dehydration in my dog. He had CHF for over two years and was very stable without obvious signs of decompensation. I misinterpreted, unfortunately, my vet’s advice on diuretic administration on and gave my dog daily diuretics for 2 months.
Dehydration signs and symptoms gradually ensued including leathery/weakness, loss of appetite, restlessness, confusion, stumbling or losing balance, more sleeping than usual and excessive thirst. All three vets within 4 days attributed his demise to old age, 14 years – 8 months, and his medical condition as the cause.
One vet recommended euthanasia which was done. My dog’s initial symptom when he was diagnosed with CHF was dry cough. He only coughed occasionally during the subsequent 2+ years for which I gave short-term low dose Lasix. He never coughed, exhibited SOB or panting subsequent to that vet visit.
Posthumously, something just did not feel right to me so I researched as much online veterinarian information as possible. Everything pointed to dehydration. No lab or diagnostic tests were performed during those final evaluations. My wife and I are just devastated with loss of our beloved dog.
Be absolutely sure that your veterinarian knows every symptom of your pet. No one knows your pet better than the owner. You have to be informed through research of symptoms and be sure there’s good communication with your vet. You have to be the voice because your dog has no voice.
We have an older dog and she has a big abscess near her bottom. We have given her antibiotics and she has lost so much weight. Today she hasn’t eaten anything so I have been given her pedialyte. We’re watching her closely. I even have to carry her today. I’m so worried about her.
My dog is 12 years old and recently lost his companion to cancer. He refuses to drink anything and we can’t afford a vet again. I’m really worried. Can I give my dog water and chicken broth or Pedialyte in a syringe? If so how often and how much?
I went on a trip for 2 days and when I came back my dog was really sick. He won’t eat but he does drink a bit of water. When I came back from the trip he wouldn’t look me in the eyes. I fell really bad. What can I do?
Take him to a vet immediately. It could be Parvo which is deadly if not treated aggressively.
My 18 pound Dachshund threw up her food from this morning’s breakfast. It looked undigested. The dog has since thrown up 2 more times. She’s drinking a lot of water but still acts lethargic. Should I give Pedialyte and if so how much? Alternatively, should I just try to treat her for upset stomach?
Lots of urination is a sign of renal failure. She needs fluids, antibiotics and anti-nausea meds. Take her to the vet ASAP. You should be able to take home a bag of IV fluids and inject subcutaneous fluids everyday, for awhile, to rehydrate her.
I have a 6 month old German Shepherd. He’s been throwing up and has had diarrhea for 24 hours now. Can I give him Pedialyte?
With a 6 month old, I’d go straight to a vet. I am having the same problem with my 9 year old Bichon. I did give him some Pepto Bismol (which helped with diarrhea) but that’s my choice and I’m not a vet.
Pedialyte will help with electrolytes. Perhaps call a vet school clinic. I hope your puppy is doing well now.
We have a 5 pound Yorkie who has not been feeling good and acting a bit strange. We had him to the vet for two different blood tests. The first test brought us to the second test for Addison disease. Because his electrolytes are low, we want to give him the Pedialyte for humans but we’re unsure how much to give him. Do you go by the amount prescribed for infants or less? How do you administer it, eye dropper? Any help would be appreciated.
Start with 1/3 of the children dose. This is 2/3 water and 1/3 electrolyte. If he does not get better use 1/2 dose. This would be 1/2 water and 1/2 electrolyte.
Make it easy on you and your Yorkie. Fill a bottle with an eye dropper and then let him sit on the table. Put your arm around him and hold his head gently. Open his jaw and apply the eye dropper in his mouth. I position the dropper towards the throat, not at the front of the mouth.
If he is scared just talk to him gently. My Yorkie peps up within an hour and starts to run around. Good luck!
I use Pedialyte when my dog has the runs. She is a 12 pound mini Pinscher. I do about a teaspoon of Pepto in a syringe and about 2 tablespoons of Pedialyte in a baby syringe. My sister is a vet tech and after talking to her boss, he uses similar methods for dogs with Parvo. It can only help when your dog isn’t feeling to well!
I have a 6 1/2 year old Cairn Terrier. He weighs 25 pounds and he has had very loose stools for the last 2 days. Can I give him Pedialyte and see what happens and if so how much do I give him?
It won’t hurt him and it will prevent dehydration. I use a baby syringe dropper. At 25 pounds, probably use a full dropper. If my dog gets runs, I use a little Pepto and Pedialyte.
My 11 year old Pug is a newly diagnosed diabetic with diabetic ketoacidosis. He’s been in the hospital since Tuesday and is on 1-2 units of insulin BID. We had to bring him today due to inclement weather and financial concerns. Is it okay to give him Pedialyte since there is no glucose in it? I didn’t ask my vet before the clinic closed. He also has a UTI and is on a cephalosporin.
My rescue Dog, Buddy, is a Terrier mix who weighs 26 pounds, approximately 11 years old and is blind. In the last 2 weeks he has been drinking an excessive amount of water even during the night and urinating often.
I live in Miami, Florida and attributed it to the heat 90+ degrees. In the last week he had 2 episodes of collapse/sort of seizure like that lasted about a few minutes while on short walks. He also starts the walks out panting, which he has never done.
This morning he got up from his kennel walked a few feet and collapsed again this time losing control of the bladder. The event lasted the same amount of time but he was lethargic about getting up and around. Blood work was done after the first episode and the only thing found was a slightly lowered level of kidney function.
The vet suggested low protein food which I have tried for 3 days. I believe that he becomes dehydrated. I am going to try Pedialyte. Do you have any suggestions?
Go see the vet and do a half and half, Pedialyte and water mix.
I have an 8 year old, very stubborn, German Shepard. For some reason in the last few years, he has become fearful of his water bowl. I cannot think of any incident that caused this. He has always been a little skittish about water bowls, but water from puddles, lakes, snow, glasses, and anything else that would not conveniently hold daily water for a dog is fine.
We have tried dozens of different bowls and we have one now he will use, but he still isn’t drinking enough. I’ve noticed a change in his urine since the snow and rainy season is over. Can Pedialyte be a daily, long term treatment? If he isn’t going to cooperate with drinking enough water, I need to find a way for him to get more out of the water he drinks.
My 2.5 pound Chihuahua wakes up choking, drooling and disoriented with loss of balance. She does not want to eat or drink water. Will Pedialyte help her?
My 3 pound Chihuahua puppy (we think she’s around 8 months) became lethargic, anxious, confused, disoriented, had a loss of balance and coordination, started excessively drooling, would blankly stare, and started pacing the perimeter of our apartment, along with other neurological issues developed over 3 days. The degree of severity varied, and not all symptoms occurred at once. She had suffered a Grand Mal Seizure 2 months ago, but recovered fully.
The vet put her on supplement to treat hypoglycemia and she was doing great until these symptoms gradually started. She quickly deteriorated and the vet ran a couple of simple blood tests which showed she has Hepatic (liver) shunt! Basically it means the liver is being bypassed and is not working, forcing kidneys to do all filtering in turn causing kidneys to now fail. Toxins are building up in body, causing seizures.
Unfortunately only surgery can cure this but can be managed medically with medicine and a special diet if caught early. Symptoms can be very subtle such as drooling, disorientation and loss of balance. You could save your pup’s life by doing simple blood test. It’s very scary but go to a vet ASAP! Good Luck.