Symptoms of Dehydration, Severe Dehydration

08.28.2008 by Dr John Anne in Health Care

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Dehydration is a condition when the amount of water leaving the body is greater than the amount being taken in. The body is very dynamic and always changing. This is especially true with water in the body. We lose water routinely when we: breathe, as humidified air leaves the body, when we sweat to cool the body, and when we urinate or have a bowel movement to rid the body of waste products.

Symptoms of Dehydration

There are some usual symptoms of dehydration and that are dry, sticky mouth, Sleepiness or tiredness. In some cases children are likely to be less active than usual, Thirst, Decreased urine output sometimes fewer than six wet diapers a day for infants and eight hours or more without urination for older children and teens, Few or no tears when crying, Muscle weakness, Headache(also read about what causes headache), Dizziness or lightheadedness.

A physical examination may also show signs of such as low blood pressure(also read about how to lower blood pressure), blood pressure that drops when you go from lying down to standing, Rapid heart rate, Poor skin turgor the skin may lack its normal elasticity and sag back into position slowly when pinched up into a fold by the doctor; normally, skin springs right back into position, Delayed capillary refill , Shock.

Dog dehydration

It is an excess loss of bodily fluids. It most often involves the loss of water and minerals such as sodium, chloride, and potassium; collectively called electrolytes. Dehydration in dogs can be caused by illness (especially if the dog has a fever), exposure to extreme heat, and a number of other factors. A dog’s natural act of panting causes a loss of fluids and can result in dehydration if they are not replaced. Remember that dogs lack sweat glands to keep them cool. They pant in an effort to regulate their body temperature. A panting dog is a hot dog.

Severe dehydration

It is a decrease of more than 5% of body weight due to fluid loss. A 10% or greater reduction in body weight is extremely serious. If not treated immediately, this level of dehydration can be life threatening. Hospitalization and an intravenous drip may be necessary to restore the substantial loss of fluids.