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Dog Water Intake Calculator

The number matters less than the change — a sustained rise is an early sign of several diseases.

Clear
Daily water requirement1,200 mL1.2 litres, or 40.6 fl oz
From the bowl1,200 mLon an entirely dry diet
Per kilogram60 mL/kg/day
Level worth asking a vet about2,000 mLa sustained rise above about 100 mL/kg/day
In cups5
The number matters less than the change. A sustained rise in drinking is one of the earliest signs of diabetes, kidney disease and Cushing's, and it often shows up before anything else does.

The formula

about 60 mL per kg per day, or one fluid ounce per pound

A baseline, and a signal

Roughly 60 mL per kilogram per day is the usual figure for a dog, which is close enough to one fluid ounce per pound that the two rules are interchangeable. Wet food supplies a great deal of it: a diet of tinned food can cover most of the requirement and the bowl will look barely touched.

A change matters more than the number

What veterinary medicine watches is not whether an animal hits a target but whether its intake has changed. A sustained rise — polydipsia — is one of the earliest signs of diabetes, kidney disease, Cushing's and several other conditions, and it often appears well before anything else does. Above about 100 mL/kg/day in a dog is worth a conversation with a vet.

Cats drink less, and hide it better

Cats evolved from desert animals and concentrate their urine heavily, so a healthy cat on wet food may drink almost nothing visibly. That makes an increase easier to miss and more significant when noticed.

This does not replace a veterinarian

Every figure on this page comes from a published reference range, and a range is what it stays. The right dose for an individual animal depends on its kidney and liver function, on what else it is taking, on whether it is pregnant or very young or very old, and on what is actually wrong with it — none of which arithmetic can see. Use this to understand the scale of a dose or an exposure, and to have a better conversation with your vet. Do not use it to start, stop or change a medication.

If you believe your animal has swallowed something toxic, do not wait to see whether signs develop. Contact your veterinarian or an animal poison line immediately — in most poisonings the treatment that works is the one given early.