Won't touch his water

[dogger_woggers]

This has been an ongoing problem for a few weeks but has gotten especially bad lately since the temp has been in the 90s. We don't have air conditioning so Cricket mainly stays cool by playing in the hose and sitting in front of the fan. Lately he has been really stubborn about not drinking water. I've never had a dog refuse to drink before. I've tried changing the dish between a plastic and glass one, washing the dish several times, moving it to different areas in the house as well as giving him ice or even spoon feeding him the water. There has been little luck getting him to consume more than a few sips. He isn't urinating as much as usual and last night he had diarrhea in the house. I'm really worried he's dehydrated but I can't force the water down his throat. I'm going to buy him some bullion cubes to see if chicken broth is a little more appetizing. He still has a huge appetite and his nose and tongue are wet. Any ideas?

[waffles]

When I first got my dog he would not drink any water if we were not home. Didn't matter if he ran around in the heat or was away from home for the whole day. We found making chicken broth ice cubes and putting them in his water worked. Now he drinks just fine anywhere. If your dog is playing in the hose then he is definitely taking in some of that water. I would suggest calling your vet though and explaining the situation and see what they say. Sometimes if you put too much pressure on him to drink he won't want to, even if you think you aren't you may be fussing too much/too much attention on the water bowl and your dog is feeling your anxiety. You can also put some water in his food.

[Root Beer]

It might not be a bad idea to run this by your vet.

 

As far as getting him to drink goes, you could try putting about a 1/2 cup or so in a bowl with a splash of broth, or meat juice.

 

Speedy is supposed to drink extra water every day, so at each meal, I do this, and it works well.

 

You could also try adding a little bit of water to his food.

[juliepoudrier]

I agree with the other posters. If you're making a big deal out of the lack of drinking you could just be making it worse.

 

I always add liquid to my dogs' meals. It keeps them from bolting their food and it means they are definitely getting water in. Also if he's playing in the water every day, he may well be getting plenty that way. Diarrhea could result from the heat.

 

I also have dogs that like play with ice cubes and so will get some moisture that way.

 

If you go with boullion cubes or broth, make sure it's low sodium.

 

BTW, I'm not using a/c and it's in the mid-90s here. My dogs drink, but they aren't running for the water bowl constantly or anything. I have a couple of bowls in the house and the 9 dogs don't usually even empty them in the course of a day.

J.

[bcnewe2]

You say Cricket plays in the hose...mine do too. They consume enough water in the hose play that I don't see them drink much of anything else. If he's peeing and active I think I'd watch how much water he really is drinking while playing in the hose!

Other day Faye whinned at the door to go out, I was trying to finish what I was doing at the table. I did, and stood up to take Faye out, stepped right in the biggest puddle of pee I've seen in a long time. It was so huge cause she helped me water the garden in the morning thus watering herself plenty. Next times she whines I will be jumping up! But is was easy to see how much she really drank out of the hose cause it was all over my floor.

[OurBoys]

My Jake has always been notorious for not drinking enough water. (Even after being on sheep in 95 degree weather.) I used to put a little water in his kibble and give him an ice cube (or 2 or 3 or 4) thinking it was enough until I took him in for his annual checkup one year. When I found out his SG (kidney) number was low, I had to start giving him more. Nowadays he gets approx what would equal to 2 1/2 - 3 16 oz bottles of water with each meal. So far, his kidney numbers are normal.

 

The best way to find out if Cricket is drinking enough water is to take a urine sample to the vet. A sample from the first time he goes out in the morning after sleeping all night is the best. If it shows something, you can go from there. If not, it'll give you peace of mind (although I would let them know about the diarrhea too).

[mbc1963]

My guy's not a drinker, either. I swear he's part camel. In fact, if I notice him drinking a lot, I know he's sick.

 

Anyway, I supplement. I put water in his kibble with a little chicken to make it taste good. He sometimes will drink the milk from the bottom of my cereal. In very hot weather, I throw his treats into the lake to force him to take in some water while he's eating the treats. (Floating treats, mind you.)

 

I guess if he were dying of thirst, he'd drink more.

 

Mary

[dogger_woggers]

Thanks everyone! Cricket is doing much better today. I diluted some chicken broth in a large bowl for him and he drank the whole thing. I've never seen him pee so much. The diarrhea is better as well but I have been slowly getting him back on his dogfood after yesterday by mixing it with rice. He's been lapping up his water dish without me making a fuss. If this keeps up I won't need to call the vet.