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Water—It's Essential
Why
is it important?
In Teacup Maltese Puppiess, as in people, water makes
up the majority of the body about 80
percent. By allowing substances to
dissolve and be carried through the
body, it provides a basis for nearly
all of the processes and chemical
reactions that keep the body
running, including digestion and
circulation. It helps the body to
filter out waste, and it regulates
body temperature through
evaporation. Dehydration, a lack of
water in the body can cause serious
problems, including kidney and heart
damage.
What should I do?
As vital as water is, it's
relatively easy to provide. Just
make sure your Teacup Maltese
Puppies has a clean bowl
(or bottle, in the case of some
smaller animals) of fresh water at
all times. A general rule of thumb
is that most animals should have
about 28 milliliters (or one
fortieth of a liter) of water per
pound of body weight per day. A
forty-pound dog needs about a liter
of water every day; a ten-pound cat
needs about a quarter of a liter.
You don't really need to spend time
crunching the numbers, though most
healthy animals that have access to
clean water will drink enough to
keep them hydrated.
If you're
worried that your Teacup Maltese
Puppies isn't drinking
enough, or you see signs of
dehydration like depression, sunken
eyes or dry gums, take your little
furry guy to the veterinarian. If
your Teacup Maltese Puppies's dehydrated, your
veterinarian can give him
intravenous fluids and find out what
caused the problem.
Common pitfalls
Though water seems like a simple
enough subject, a few common
problems can leave Teacup Maltese
Puppiess high and
dry:
- The water bowl or water
bottle needs cleaning every day.
Bacteria that you can't see can
grow in a bottle or bowl, giving
the water a funny taste and
discouraging your Teacup Maltese
Puppies from
drinking. Even worse, some kinds
of bacteria can make animals
sick. Develop the habit of
giving the bowl a quick scrub
with dish soap before you fill
it in the morning. Pocket Teacup
Maltese Puppiess'
hanging water bottles can be
particularly hard to get clean;
you may want to buy a long,
narrow scrub brush that can fit
through the bottle's neck and
clean the inside.
- Dogs and cats that are left
alone for long periods can
easily knock over their water
bowls. Try buying a bowl with a
wide, weighted bottom. You may
also want to leave more than one
bowl around the house: one in
the bathroom, for example, and
another in the kitchen.
- Water evaporates faster than
you may realize, particularly on
warm days. Check water bowls a
few times a day, especially in
the summer. If your Teacup
Maltese Puppies's
outside on a very hot day, check
the water every hour.
- You may think you're helping
your Teacup Maltese Puppies out by setting out a
big bucket filled with water,
but once the bucket's half
empty, he may not be able to get
to the water anymore. Cats and
small dogs could even fall in
while drinking. Before you use a
water bucket, make sure your
Teacup Maltese Puppies's neck is long enough to
allow him to drink from the
bottom of it.
- Dogs that are chained up can
easily wind the chain around a
tree, a post, or even their own
legs. With a tangled chain, they
can't get to their water bowl.
If you have to leave your Teacup
Maltese Puppies
chained outdoors, check him
often.
- Lots of dogs and cats see
the toilet as a big water
fountain. Keep the toilet lid
closed, because the bacteria in
toilet water can make animals
sick
and, as with large buckets, cats
and small animals can fall in
while drinking. Even the best of
us can forget to close the lid
every once in a while, though,
so don't use drop-in cleaners
that release chemicals into the
toilet bowl. These chemicals may
be toxic.
- Some exotic animals,
particularly amphibians like
frogs and salamanders, can't or
won't drink water from a bowl.
These guys need a drip watering
system, which drips or sprays
temperature-controlled moisture
into a cage for a few hours at a
time. To select the right
watering system for your exotic
Teacup Maltese Puppies, consult your veterinarian.
- Reptiles often need a long,
shallow dish of water in their
cages. They use this water both
to drink and to soak in, so it
needs to be checked several
times a day for dirt or fecal
matter.
- Just like you,
Teacup Maltese Puppiess need
more water when they're
exercising. If you take your dog
out for a long walk or run,
bring along some water for him.
Most Teacup Maltese Puppies stores sell light,
collapsible travel water bowls
that are easy to carry.
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