dehydration, how do you check?

After our trip to the vets today I was wondering how he knew about her state of hydration. He pulled up the skin behind her neck. Is it possible to do this yourself at home and what exactly should we be checking for?

You basically pinch the skin. If it's slow to return to shape, it's a sign of dehydration. :smt001

yup as Evie said you pinch (not nip) the skin whilst lifting away from the body, best done around the back or the neck area, if the skin stays pulled together and does not spring back straight away your dog prob needs more fluids, also if the skin is wrinkly or strange it can be a sign, guess its best to do it a few times when you know your dog is fine that way you will build up a picture of whats normal for your dog, any change from the normal should be moniterd.

Yes I do that with puppies to make sure they are getting enough milk.
Becky

I think it's also the colour of the gums isn't it?? Nice pink colour, not dark? Could be wrong, my vet always checks gums, first thing he does with mine?

The skin loses elasticity as it loses moisture. Pinch a little skin between your thumb and forefinger on your dog's back. When you release it, it should pop back into place immediately. (You can try this on the back of your own hand as an example) As the tissue under the skin loses moisture, the skin moves back more slowly. In extreme cases, the skin doesn't pop back.

The eyes appear sunken and lack moisture.

The mouth appears dry. Pull up your dog's lip and look at his gums. Place your index finger firmly against the gums so that they appear white. Remove your finger and see how quickly the blood returns to the gums (they will become pink in that area again). This is called capillary refill time. If you do this when everything is normal, you will have a basis upon which to compare. The gums of a normal dog refill immediately, the gums of a dehydrated dog could take 3 seconds or so to return to their pink state.

thanks for that. I knew about the gums but not in as much detail and the hydration thing will help me keep a check on her fluid intake whilst she is not well over the next few days.

the gums can show dehydration, but it's used often for checking capilary(sp) response, eg is the dogs blood pressure dropped, a sign of internal bleeding, I guess the gums show a whole host of poss problems,

Thanks for that! I knew it had something to do with gums somehow!! I used to have to do this on my horse, that's why I had gums on the brain!

Also, the gums should feel moist. When you check CRT, your finger should not stick to the gums, another sign of dehydration.