Summary
Ensuring your dog stays hydrated is crucial for their overall health, supporting everything from kidney function to digestion. If your pup is a bit reluctant to drink plain water, you can try a few enticing tricks.
Offer flavored ice cubes made from low-sodium chicken or beef broth. You can also add a splash of this broth to their water bowl to make it more appealing. Another option is to moisten their dry food with water or add a bit of canned food, increasing their water intake during meals. Using a pet water fountain can also encourage drinking with its moving water. Experiment to see what your dog finds most irresistible!
Why Should a Dog Drink Water?
Keeping the body hydrated is very important for a dog’s body to prevent dehydration. Dogs risk much higher hydration as the heat release from their body is very low.
The sweat glands in dogs’ footpads help the body release heat to a greater extent, but it is not enough to cool the entire body. That is why dogs shall be provided the required amount of water daily.
How Much Water Does a Dog Need to Drink in a Day?
As per research, there is no scientific evidence based on which you can limit your dog’s water dosage.
A dog might drink water as per its requirement, but one ounce of water per pound per body each day is required to keep its body hydrated. The owners must provide this much water to the pet every day.
However, if the dog wants to drink more than that, then it is also acceptable because the above amount is only to prevent the pet from dehydration. The pet might get thirsty and require more water for extra playing sessions, workouts, etc.
Why Sometimes Do Dogs Refuse to Drink Water?
All dog owners might have gone through this point where their canine friend continuously refuses water.
The below-mentioned points can be the main reason your canine friend refuses water.
- Change in the Water Source
The most probable reason behind your dog refusing to take water can be the change in the water source. For example, if you have been providing your dog with tap water for the first time, it will not be able to drink distilled water so that the pet will refuse it.
- Liquidity of the Food
If your dog is drinking less water, it can also be because of the type of food it is eating. If the owner provides dry foods like dry kibble to the pet, it will require more water as the dry kibble consists of less moisture, whereas if the dog gets food with maximum moisture like canned food, it will require less water.
- Oral Disease
If your dog drinks less water, oral diseases can also be responsible. This is because if the dog has a broken tooth or a certain kind of tumour in the mouth, water consumption can be very painful. After all, it can refuse water.
- Viral Diseases
The dogs might often refuse to drink water if suffering from some viral infections. For example, suppose a dog suffers from a viral disease named rabies.
In that case, the pet will refuse to drink water as there is a stage in this rabies virus where the affected animal loses the capability of sensing the water requirement in its body.
- Weather Change
The dogs often use to drink less water during weather changes. If the weather changes to a cool temperature and the dog lacks exercise, the pet will not get thirsty as the energy is not released.
How to Trick Your Dog into Drinking Water? – How to Get Your Dog to Drink Water?
If your dog has not been drinking water for a long time, you can consult your veterinarian to check for any serious problems. If the condition is general, you can follow the steps below to make your dog drink water.
- Add Flavor to Your Dog’s Water
Sometimes, the dog may be fed up with the taste of the water, and because of this, it starts to avoid drinking water. In this condition, the owner can add some flavour to its water-like meaty flavour or a meaty aroma by making some meat extracts using a recipe.
- Add Ice Cubes to the Water Bowl
As per research, the majority of the dogs find water with ice cubes more tempting and love to drink it. So, if your dog refuses water intake, add some ice cubes to its water bowl.
- Adopt a Raw Diet
Suppose your dog is suffering from some oral disease and is facing difficulties in water consumption.
You can only feed the pet food with more moisture to fulfil the water and food consumption requirements. You can start giving your dog a raw diet to maintain a balance.
- Always Clean the Water Bowl
Sometimes, the dog might refuse to drink the water due to a dirty bowl, so the owner must clean the bowl frequently.
- Feed the Pet with Fruit Slush
If your dog is not drinking water and you want to keep him hydrated by avoiding water, you can prepare some fruit slush by strictly avoiding other food materials.
A fruit slush does not require any different type of flavour. A mixture of various fruits is enough to prevent your dog from dehydration.
- Always Reward Your Dog
To grab a dog’s attention towards drinking water, the owner can reward the pet every time it drinks water. It will make him understand that drinking water gets him a treat, after which the pet will start drinking water to get the treat.
- Put Multiple Bowls
You can also make your dog drink water by putting different bowls in other places in the house. This act increases water availability, prompting the dog to drink more water.
- Give More Workout Sessions
If your dog refuses to drink water, you can increase the timing of their workout sessions, which will make them thirsty, and eventually, it will lead to the consumption of water by your dog.
All the above-discussed steps are mentioned after doing experiments on many dogs, so a dog owner can entirely rely upon these tricks to make their dog drink water in a brief period.
How to Make Flavored Water for Your Dog?
As we all know, the plain water flavour is the primary reason your dog does not drink water. Adding flavour to it can be the most excellent way, as discussed above. So, here we will discuss some flavoured water names and the process of making them, which will trick your dog into drinking water.
- Canned Food Cocktail Water
This is the most effortless process of making flavoured water for a dog. This is because all the owner has to do is take a tablespoon of the canned food mix of the pet, mix it in almost 16 oz of water, and then stir it until the chunks get fully dissolved in it.
- Frozen Dog Treats Flavored Water
As we know, many mixes are available in the market that can be used to make your dog’s favourite treat; the owner can mix a frozen mixture of the dog’s favourite flavour in the water bowl to make the water enjoyable.
- Liver Dust Flavored Water
Liver dust is a type of sprinkle available in the market to make the dog’s water flavorful. The dog owner can even refer to this sprinkle for making their dog’s water delicious.
The above-discussed steps effectively trick your dog into drinking water, so it is an excellent choice for all dog owners to make their dogs drink water.
How Can I Get My Dog to Drink More Water?
If you think your dog’s water intake is insufficient and needs to increase, you can go through the following steps to make your dog drink more water.
- Change the Position of the Bowl
Dogs develop more interest in doing the same activity in a new place, so you can adopt the technique of changing the position of a dog’s bowl to establish its interest in drinking more water.
- Mix Different Food with Water
To develop an interest in drinking water, the owner can also add different mixtures of food to enhance the taste of the water.
- Frequent Cleaning of the Bowl
Keeping the bowl clean every time can provide fresh water to the pet, which effectively develops its interest in drinking water.
- Change the Bowl
Changing the bowl and getting your dog an attractive bowl to drink water can effectively develop the dog’s interest in drinking water.
These steps were based on experiments done on different dogs, and a person can entirely rely on this to increase their pet’s water intake.
How to Get a Sick Dog to Drink Water?
Suppose your dog is suffering from a severe disease. In that case, it is suggested that the owner take the pet to a veterinarian to get it appropriately treated, as the pet’s recovery from the disease will also increase your pet’s water consumption.
If you want your sick pet to drink water at home, you can go through the following steps.
- Make Your Dog Feel Loved
A sick dog needs more love and care to recover from the disease instantly. So you can give your cuddle and hugs to your canine friend to convince him to drink water.
- Add Water to Dry Food
It may sound weird to humans to add lots of water to food. However, dogs do not have any problems eating their favourite foods floating in the water. So, if your sick dog refuses to drink water, add water to its favourite food.
- Give Tap Water to the Pet
Research shows that most dog breeds find tap water more flavorful than well or distilled water. So, a dog owner can also introduce tap water into the dog’s diet to make him drink water.
How to Hydrate a Dog That Will Not Drink?
Hydrating a dog that will not drink requires no other unique process. The owner can prefer the above-discussed steps for making a dog drink water.
This is because no other nutritious material can fulfil the requirement for water. To maintain the percentage of water in a dog’s body, a dog has to drink water. No other material like fruits and veggies can replace it as it provides some moisture to the body to keep it hydrated.
How do You Identify if a Dog Is Dehydrated?
To identify if your canine friend is dehydrated or not, you can go through the below-mentioned symptoms that usually occur in a dog’s body when it gets dehydrated.
- Loosening of the Skin Elasticity
Dehydration leads to skin elasticity loss because less water in the body absorbs the moisture from the epidermal layer of the skin.
- Loss of Appetite
The reduction in the blood flow and the volume of liquids in the body reduces the delivery of oxygen to the organs, which causes loss of appetite in dogs.
- Less Energy Level and Lethargy
Due to the imbalance in the amount of water per the body’s requirement, the dog’s body loses energy and gets tired frequently.
- Dry Nose
Sometimes dehydration in dogs also makes the dog’s nose dry as all the fluid substance gets absorbed.
- Thick Saliva
During dehydration, the loss of electrolytes from the dog’s body thickens saliva.
- Painting of the Dog
Excessive water loss from the pet’s body when suffering from dehydration makes the dog pant.
Affected and Sticky Gums: The gums also get sticky due to the loss of moisture from their roots, due to decausedoby
A person can refer to the symptoms mentioned above to check their pets’ dehydration. Some dog owners may be unable to detect a dog’s dehydration as it can be difficult to check the consistency of the pet’s saliva, so they must visit a veterinarian.
If the owner wants to check the pet’s dehydration at home by following simple steps, he can go for the below-mentioned steps.
- At first, the owner has to pinch the dog’s skin in the area between the shoulder blades.
- After pinching, the skin must be pulled up gently and released after a few seconds.
- Then, notice the time taken by the skin to come back to the place.
If the skin takes a long time to come back to its place, you can say that the dog is suffering from dehydration.
Why Do Dogs Need to Get Enough Water as Per their Body Requirement?
An adequate amount of water consumption is necessary for dogs for the following reasons.
- Smooth Metabolic Activity
As we know, most bodily functions require adequate water to complete metabolic activities.
So if the dog does not get a fair amount of water percentage, it can get affected by severe diseases due to slow body functions like metabolism, catabolism, etc.
- Moisture to the Organ’s Tissues
The lack of water in a dog’s body for a more extended period can affect the body’s organs. The loss of moisture from the tissues of the organs makes the organs work slowly, and if it lasts for a longer time, the organs may even shut down, which can also lead to death. That is why dogs need their proper dosage of water per day.
- Easy Digestion of Food
Consumption of an adequate amount of water is essential for dogs. This is because water helps break down what their find to tit digestible and aids the digestive system to die digesting food.
An adequate amount of water consumption is also necessary because it aids the secretion of enzymes and the acid that helps the digestive system fully perform digestion.
Hence, the presence of the exact percentage of water in a dog’s body is essential to prevent it from diseases. If the dog refuses, the dog owners can adopt the techniques discussed in the article to trick them into drinking water.
FAQ’s
Dog drinking water? And how much does a dog need water
Importance of Water for Dogs:
- Hydration: Water is essential for maintaining hydration, supporting digestion, and regulating body temperature.
- Health: Proper hydration helps prevent urinary tract infections, kidney stones, and other health issues.
How Much Water Should a Dog Drink?
- General Rule: Dogs typically need about 1 ounce of water per pound of body weight daily. For a 30-pound dog, this would be about 30 ounces (or roughly 3.75 cups) of water daily.
- Factors Affecting Intake: Factors like diet (dry vs. wet food), activity level, age, and health status can affect water needs.
The dog is drinking water but not eating.
Potential Causes:
- Illness:
- Infections: Bacterial or viral infections can lead to loss of appetite.
- Digestive Issues: Problems like nausea, gastrointestinal upset, or parasites may cause reduced food intake.
- Dental Problems:
- Oral Pain: Dental issues or oral infections can make eating painful.
- Stress or Anxiety:
- Behavioural Changes: Changes in routine, new environments, or anxiety can affect appetite.
- Dietary Issues:
- Food Aversion: Your dog might be avoiding food due to a bad experience with the food or a preference for something different.
- Medical Conditions:
- Chronic Diseases: Conditions like kidney disease, liver problems, or diabetes can impact appetite.
Steps to Take:
- Monitor Symptoms:
- Observe: Look for other symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy, or changes in behaviour.
- Check the Food:
- Freshness: Ensure the food is fresh and not expired. Try offering a different type of food or a bland diet.
- Examine Oral Health:
- Check Teeth and Gums: Look for signs of dental issues or discomfort.
- Maintain Hydration:
- Encourage Drinking: Ensure your dog continues to drink water. Hydration is crucial, especially if they are not eating.
- Consult Your Veterinarian:
- Professional Help: If your dog continues to refuse food for more than 24-48 hours or shows other concerning symptoms, contact your vet. They can diagnose the underlying issue and recommend appropriate treatment.
When to Seek Immediate Veterinary Care:
- Persistent Anorexia: If your dog refuses food for more than 24-48 hours.
- Additional Symptoms: If accompanied by severe lethargy, persistent vomiting, or diarrhoea.
It is important to address the issue promptly to prevent dehydration and ensure your dog’s health.
Can dogs drink tap water?
Yes, dogs can generally drink tap water, but its safety depends on several factors. Tap water is usually safe for dogs to drink, especially from a well-maintained municipal supply. If you have concerns about your local water quality or if your dog has health issues, consider using a water filter or providing bottled water. Regularly check your water source and consult your vet if you notice any health issues related to your dog’s water consumption.
Can dogs drink water with electrolytes?
Yes, dogs can drink water with electrolytes, but it should be used cautiously and only in moderation. It is important to use products specifically formulated for pets and consult your veterinarian before introducing any electrolyte solutions to ensure they are appropriate for your dog’s health needs.
