Pedialyte For Dogs – Dosage And Ultimate Guide

Pedialyte is a popular drink that’s used to treat dehydration and mild diarrhea in people. But what if your dog is dehydrated? We know it’s safe for humans, but is it safe for dogs? Are there any side effects of Pedialyte?

Below I’m going to answer these questions as well as what it actually is, and recommended Pedialyte dosages for your canine.

Can You Give a Dog Pedialyte?

Yes, it’s completely safe to give your dog Pedialyte to help replace those much-needed electrolytes and fluids. Fluid and electrolyte loss can come from diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, or just poor diet. Pedialyte is a great and easy way you can make your dog feel better faster by replacing those minerals.

It’s good to let your dog drink Pedialyte anytime you feel that they’re dehydrated whether it’s from being outside too long, mild diarrhea, vomiting, or poor diet. Dosage for Pedialyte in dogs is usually weight-based which I’ll go into detail below.

If your dog is suffering from bad diarrhea, or they’re lethargic and look unwell, they might have eaten a poisonous plant or have an underlying health condition. If this is the case, it’s best to contact your vet for advice.

What Is Pedialyte?

According to Wikipedia and Pedialyte’s website, it’s a unique drink designed and made to replace the body with much-needed electrolytes such as Sodium, Potassium, and Zinc to help the body recover from sickness and dehydration.

What makes it special is its higher concentration of these electrolytes and much lower sugar concentration compared to traditional sports drinks such as Gatorade.

This makes it a better choice to give to both humans and dogs when it comes to fluid replacement. Believe it or not, the amount of sugar in Gatorade is just as high as soda!

Pedialyte, unlike other popular sports drinks, does not contain sucrose which is known to draw fluid and electrolytes into the intestines causing further dehydration.

Below is the nutrition label of what ingredients are inside the drink.

As you can see, it’s generally a healthy alternative to other drinks when it comes to hydrating your dog.

How Much Pedialyte Should You Give a Dog?

Although Pedialyte is safe for your dog, it does contain sugar and electrolytes such as potassium, which if given too much of could cause problems. So to make sure you’re giving them the right amount, let’s go over the typical dosage.

Most experts advise you to go off your dog’s body weight. You can safely give a dog 10-15ml of solution per pound, per hour.

You can measure this out by using a syringe or measuring cup. To make it easier, I’ve added some common dog breeds, each with recommended dosage:

Dog Breed	Weight (avg)	Dosage (ml)
German Shepherd	70lb	700ml
Labrador	65lb	650ml
Beagle	30lb	300ml
Boston Terrier	20lb	200ml
Yorkshire Terrier	5lb	50ml
Chihuahua	5lb	50ml

You can always give them more later on depending on your dog’s level of dehydration.

If you have a puppy that you suspect is dehydrated enough to give them Pedialyte, it might be best to call your local veterinarian to double check what is causing your puppy dehydration and to see what they recommend.

Overall, Pedialyte is safe for puppies as long as it’s given in safe amounts. The best way to give puppies the drink is by a syringe and over an hour’s time span so you don’t shock their system all at once. You may want to even dilute the solution in some water as well.

How Much Pedialyte For A Dog With Parvo?

Parvo or Parvovirus is a potentially deadly virus that causes severe vomiting, bloody diarrhea, lethargy, and most importantly severe dehydration. It’s usually a virus that is contracted by puppies from 6 to 12 weeks that have not been vaccinated. This is why it serious as small puppies are able to combat dehydration as well as adult dogs.

That’s why Pedialyte is important because of its ability to safely rehydrate dogs without any negative side effects.

Although the acceptable dose of Pedialyte in dogs is 10 ml to 15ml, because of the seriousness of Parvo and the dehydration caused by it you could give them more than usual. I would start off at 15ml to 20ml given slowly over an hour and maybe 3-4 times a day evenly spaced out.

Remember this is not Veterinarian advice and I would strongly consider consulting with your local veterinarian if you think your dog has Parvo due to the seriousness of it.

Pedialyte For Dogs With Medical Diseases

You may be wondering if Pedialyte is good for dogs with medical conditions such as Kidney Disease, Bladder Stones, CHF,  Diabetes, and Pancreatitis. Overall you can give it to your dog even if they have the above medical conditions.

Kidney Disease

A dog with Kidney Disease or CKD will experience dehydration more often than dogs without kidney disease. Giving Pedialyte to dogs with kidney disease can be beneficial if given in small amounts every so often.

If your dog has advanced CKD then you may want to consult with your Veterinarian since it may be harder for them to get rid of excess Potassium compared to healthy dogs.

Pancreatitis

A dog with Pancreatitis will experience pain and vomiting due to the condition whether it’s chronic or acute. Pedialyte is good for dogs with Pancreatitis since they can become dehydrated due to the hormone imbalance and vomiting.

The extra electrolytes and minerals could help your dog get over their episode of Pancreatitis. As always consult with your local veterinarian for further information about giving them Pedialyte.

Bladder Stones

A dog with bladder stones can have occasional drinks of Pedialyte but due to its high levels of sodium, you may not want to give them too much of it.

Although this really depends on the cause of the bladder stones which can be caused by multiple things. You should probably talk to your Veterinarian in regards to Pedialyte for dogs with Bladder Stones.

How To Give a Dog Pedialyte?

Now that you’ve learned a little bit about what Pedialyte is and how it’s beneficial for your dog, you may be wondering how do I give my dog Pedialyte?

There are several ways to administer it to your dog. For adults, you can simply let your dog drink Pedialyte straight from their dog bowl.

For puppies, you may want to dilute the solution in 50% water prior to giving it to your dog. It’s best to give puppies Pedialyte using a syringe over 1 hour to ensure that they don’t get too much too quickly which could cause an upset stomach.

Final Thoughts

In Short, yes dogs can drink Pedialyte when they’re dehydrated by almost any cause. It’s best to give them it slowly over 1 hour and be sure that they don’t have any bad reactions to it.

It makes for great electrolyte replacement in dogs. If your dog is not showing signs of improvement after giving them Pedialyte, then you should contact your vet as there might be other problems.

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