Just Not Drinking Enough...

Ollivander110 · 10-08-2009, 08:16 PM

I wouldn't go as far to say that my dog (3 year old Lab mix) is dehydrated... for the most part she is healthy.

I might add that I adopted her a year ago, when she was very thin, and has successfully gained a healthy weight.

My one concern is that she isn't drinking enough water - and sometimes it seems like the may go over a day without drinking water. I make sure that she always has fresh, clean water, because she prefers very fresh water. She will always drink out of a hose, but living in MN hinders the ability to drink out of a hose from basically October - April, and it is impractical to be providing her with a hose to drink out of 24/7 during the summer months.

With my horses, I add salt to their food as a supplement, which basically makes them thirstier, therefor they drink more. When a horse gets sick, you add more salt to increase their water intake. Easy enough. Could I try this with my dog? I've read that adding a "splash" of skim milk helps. I've tried adding ice cubes, but my dog just takes them out and moves them all over my house leaving little ice cube puddles.

Any ideas would we amazing. Like I said, she isn't dehydrated (no symptoms: her eyes are bright, skin is taught, nose is wet, etc.), I am just concerned about the amount she drinks.

- Lexi

p.s. She has a 4 Qt water dish that, if left to her own devices, she will finish in maybe 2 or 3 days. She has constant access to it.

Reina · 10-08-2009, 09:27 PM

What do you feed her? Dogs that are fed canned or raw diets require less water, dogs that have dry food diets need more. Have you done a turgor test on her? If you pull her skin up, and it takes a while to go back down, she's dehydrated. Some dogs require less water than others.

If she likes drinking running/fresh water, you can get her a doggie fountain which would cycle the water, and possibly make it more appealing. I would also start adding water to her food or supplementing her diet with raw meat or things like apple chunks, carrot or even watermelon (everything in moderation though).

Leroy&Lucy'sMom · 10-09-2009, 04:12 PM

Add some chicken broth to the water and she should want to drink it.... otherwise, yes, maybe purchase a pet fountain...
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...m?pcatid=5864]

Binkalette · 10-09-2009, 04:23 PM

If you feed dry kibble you can also just add some water to her food to help her get enough.

Kathyy · 10-10-2009, 02:29 AM

I estimate 44 pound Sassy needs a quart of water a day. Sounds like how much your dog is getting. Probably just enough and no more. http://www.mycockerspaniel.com/h2o.htm

Sassy gets home cooked food and when I add 1 cup water to each of her three meals some breaks away and makes a nice soup she enjoys. If I fed kibble a spoon of good quality canned dog food and water would be just as appreciated I am sure.

Not crazy about adding stuff that can spoil to water that is going to sit out for hours and the drinking fountain wasn't a hit.

Ollivander110 · 10-10-2009, 08:57 AM

This all helps a lot - Reina, it doesn't really help for me to test her hydration level by pinching her skin. We believe she has some sort of blood hound in her, because she has skin, skin, and more skin. If she was smaller, I might even say Shar Pei!

She gets dry food (Solid Gold, Wolf King - the best we can find), about 3 1/2 cups a day, and we do give her apples and carrots as treats (she LOVEEEEEEEES them).

Kathyy, it was really reassuring that your 45lb dog only needs one quart... Nilla is about 60 lbs and usually drinks about 1.5 quarts.

Maybe I'm just being worrisome

I guess I'm just so used to my horses drinking several gallons a day!

OldDalFan · 10-12-2009, 03:26 PM

I have a 15 year old Lab/Shar Pei mix. She was the runt of her litter, and weighs in about 37 pounds. Her siblings were much larger, and could easily have been 55-60 pounds. The AKC gives a size range of 45 - 60 pounds, so it is possible that Nilla does have a Shar Pei ancestor.

Our Dalmatians gulp water like it was made of food, but Baby is not so enthusiastic. She visits the water bowl once or twice daily, where she has a few sips and then moves on. As she has gotten older, we've started adding water to her food, to increase her intake and to help her digestion. If Nilla shows no signs of ill health, and your vet finds nothing unusual in her urine tests, I'd relax and let her decide how much fluid she needs.

Michiyo-Fir · 10-19-2009, 01:39 PM

1. Add water to his kibble and soak it for a bit
2. add chicken broth (salt free!) to the water. Easiest is just to boil some chicken bones yourself and throw away the bones, let him drink the broth.
3. Make him run! I make sure Nia gets at least 1 very tiring run a day whether it be fetch or chasing other dogs or whatever so she drinks a lot right after that.