Water, Alcohol, Sports Foods and Artificial Sweeteners and Your Dog and You

Hydrate First: Healthy Choices for You and Your Dog

Before we lace up our sneakers, pick up a weight, or settle onto the mat for doga, there’s one basic need we shouldn’t overlook: water.

As Freedom and I prepare for some fall running once my back has recovered, I’m looking at the everyday habits that support us both. Hydration belongs at the top of that list.

Adult human bodies are up to about 60% water, and veterinary calculations commonly estimate a dog’s total body water at roughly 60% of body weight. Those percentages vary, but the message is clear: water is essential to how our bodies function.

Make hydration an everyday habit

Water helps regulate our temperature, supports normal body functions, and prevents dehydration. It also has no calories, making it a useful replacement for sugary drinks when we’re working toward a healthier weight.

Keep a water bottle within reach and drink regularly throughout the day. Don’t leave all your drinking until you’re heading out for a run.

For people, six to eight cups or glasses of fluid daily is a general starting guide, rather than a rule that fits everyone. Activity, heat, illness, and individual needs can change that amount. Food and other drinks also contribute fluid. Follow any fluid guidance prescribed by your healthcare professional.

Our dogs need reliable access to fresh water, too. A common starting estimate is about one fluid ounce per pound of body weight each day. A 40-pound dog, for example, might drink around five cups.

That is an estimate—not a ration. Exercise, weather, health, and the moisture in food affect how much a dog drinks. Never limit water to that calculated amount.

Fresh water needs a clean bowl

Dust, fur, food crumbs, and drool can collect in a dog’s water bowl. Check it throughout the day, replenish it before it runs out, and replace dirty water promptly.

Wash the bowl daily with dish soap and water, rinse thoroughly, and refill. Simply topping it up doesn’t clean the surface underneath.

A pet fountain can be an option if your dog enjoys moving water and it fits your budget. But circulation doesn’t make water automatically clean. Fountains need water changes, washing, pump maintenance, and filter replacement according to their instructions. A clean ordinary bowl works well, too.

Watch for possible dehydration signs in dogs, including sticky or dry gums, unusual tiredness, weakness, or sunken-looking eyes. Contact your veterinarian if you suspect dehydration; collapse, persistent vomiting, or suspected heatstroke need immediate care.

Alcohol: extra calories for us, a hazard for dogs

Alcohol adds calories to our diets, and mixers can add more. Cutting back or choosing an alcohol-free alternative can help reduce those extra calories. Alcohol isn’t something we need to add to a fitness routine.

For dogs, the rule is straightforward: never offer alcohol. Alcoholic drinks and foods containing alcohol can cause vomiting, stumbling, breathing problems, coma, and even death. Keep glasses and spills out of reach.

Sports foods: useful for some workouts, unnecessary for others

Protein bars, sports drinks, and energy gels are designed for human nutrition needs. They aren’t automatically necessary just because we exercise.

Carbohydrate products can help fuel prolonged or demanding activity. For brief exercise under 45 minutes, extra carbohydrate during the session generally isn’t needed. Duration, intensity, and conditions matter when deciding what to use.

Read the label and consider the serving size. A bar or sports drink still counts toward your daily intake. Using one deliberately to fuel a demanding workout is different from adding it out of habit.

Ingredients such as whey or soy protein isolates, glucose syrup, and brown rice syrup have different jobs: some provide protein, others readily available carbohydrate. The word “sports” doesn’t make a product a weight-loss food.

Human sports products should stay out of our dogs’ diets. Some contain xylitol, chocolate, raisins, or caffeine, and concentrated electrolyte supplements can cause dangerous imbalances if enough is swallowed. Large amounts of protein powders or bars can also cause significant vomiting and diarrhea.

For ordinary walks and runs, give your dog fresh water and an appropriate, complete diet. Human sports drinks aren’t a substitute for veterinary treatment when a dog is dehydrated.

Artificial sweeteners: check the whole product

For people, replacing a sugary product with a lower-calorie version can reduce calories in that choice. But “sugar-free” doesn’t guarantee a nutritious food or lasting weight loss. The World Health Organization advises against relying on non-sugar sweeteners for long-term weight control. That recommendation concerns weight management, rather than declaring all approved sweeteners toxic.

For dogs, xylitol is the urgent concern. It may also be called birch sugar or wood sugar. It can cause dangerously low blood sugar and liver damage.

Other substitutes, including sucralose, aspartame, sorbitol, and maltitol, don’t carry the same poisoning risk, but can cause digestive upset. Dogs don’t need sweeteners added to their meals or water.

If your dog may have swallowed xylitol or another hazardous ingredient, contact your veterinarian or ASPCA Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 immediately. Don’t wait for symptoms.

Build the routine around the basics

As we ease into fall activity, the goal is consistency: sensible portions, nourishing meals, appropriate movement, and regular hydration.

Water supports that routine, but it doesn’t replace meals or make weight disappear. And a dog’s weight-loss plan should come from their veterinarian—not from sharing our diet products.

For our next walk, our preparation can be simple:

✅ Fill the water bottle.

✅ Check and refresh the dog’s bowl.

✅ Pack water and a portable bowl for the outing.

✅ Plan breaks and build activity gradually.

✅ Keep human supplements and snacks safely stored.

What helps you remember to drink water—and check your dog’s bowl—throughout the day?

One foot, one paw, and one healthy habit at a time.

Until next time have a happy and healthy tail wagging day,

Pam and Freedom