- Why does my dog urine smell like ammonia?
Your dog's urine smells like ammonia because it has ammonia in it. It is normal for it to have a slight whiff of ammonia. It will smell stronger if your dog's urine is stronger which would suggest that your dog is dehydrated and you should try to encourage your dog to drink more.
If it smells unusually strong you should consider taking your dog to a vet who can establish whether or not your dog is sick or there is a medical condition leading to the strong smell. If you are taking your dog to the vet, do your best to get a sample of the urine and take it with you so the vet can sample it or tell you whether or not is smells too strong.
Urine is a sterile liquid so although it is not nice collecting a sample of your dog's urine, it will not harm you if it touches you.
- What should I do if my dog is dehydrated?
It can be very difficult to encourage a dog to drink and usually they will naturally drink plenty and you do not need to worry about dehydration. If you believe you dog is dehydrated you should take it to a vet to check that there is not another problem that is leading the dehydration.
One way to encourage your dog to drink more is to allow them to drink from flowing water as they usually enjoy this. You could let them drink from the tap of the hose pipe and they will usually drink plenty.
Do not drag your dog to a water bowl or splash them with water as they will not enjoy this and it is unlikely to encourage them to drink.
