Dehydrated And Won't Drink!

[greyhead]

Spencer had a dental yesterday, lost two molars, but has been doing great since he came home. Except he's really dehydrated and won't drink. He drank a lot last night in the wee hours, apparently, but hardly anything since. He has even been on two walks and isn't drinking when he comes home!

 

What can cause this? Seriously, I want to know.

 

I'm concerned enough that I got a bag of fluids from the vet, since we're heading into the weekend and I don't want this to turn into an e-vet event. She agreed. I'm mixing lots of water in with his canned food, but it's not nearly enough. I took his water bowl to him and asked him pretty-please to drink, and he took one lap just to be polite, and then he kind of choked on it as if it had gone down the wrong way. So I'm hesitant to syringe water into his mouth too. Some of you may recall that his liver values have been significantly elevated lately, probably from the meds he takes for IBD. So leaving him dehydrated doesn't sound like a plan, and I guess I'll have to give the sub-q fluids, but I wish I understood why he's not drinking water. Especially since he's drinking Ensure just fine! (He just can't have too much Ensure in one day or it messes with his digestion.)

 

Thanks for any ideas you may have to share.

ETA: He had a bile acids test that showed his liver functioning fine, though he's probably lost some cells from his drugs. AND I should mention that I had to give him sub-q's (500 ml over a weekend) about a month ago when he also was dehydrated and not drinking water. So this isn't just an artifact of the dental.

Edited June 11, 2011 by greyhead

[Guest TheDoggfather]

Don't want to assume anything, but, do you know for sure and how to check to see if he IS dehydrated?

[greyhead]

Don't want to assume anything, but, do you know for sure and how to check to see if he IS dehydrated?

I've been lifting the skin around his neck, and it's staying elevated for five or more seconds. (I haven't checked his gums to see if they're tacky.)

[Guest TheDoggfather]

That's why I didn't want to assume anything

 

 

 

yeah, it'd probably be best to bag him

[Time4ANap]

I have used Gatorade mixed 50/50 or 40/60, 30/70 (less Gatorade - more water) when I couldn't get Rocket to drink and he was obvioously dehydrated. Vet said it was ok to do this to get him to drink, but not to keep adding Gatorade, just add water to the bowl as he empties it. Rocket has a sweet tooth, so he liked the flavor and the sweetness. Only one bowl of water this way - don't keep giving Gatorade over time. A little is ok, too much is not good.

 

Make sure he actually is dehydrated before you do this.

 

Edited to add - I was typing this while you and Doggfather were responding above. Doggfather knows best - forget the Gatorade for now.

Edited June 11, 2011 by Time4ANap

[JJNg]

Can't really answer your question of why he doesn't drink when dehydrated, but have you tried adding a little flavor to his water to encourage him? If he likes Ensure, you could use that. Or chicken or beef broth. I wouldn't leave a full bowl of flavored water out for too long, though, so it doesn't spoil. I like the idea of trying the Gatorade too, and that might be ok to leave out longer.

[Charla]

When Carl had HGE and wasn't eating or drinking I could get him to drink low sodium chicken broth mixed with water as described above. He did end up getting 2 L of fluid, but only once.

Edited June 11, 2011 by Charla

[greyhead]

That's why I didn't want to assume anything

 

yeah, it'd probably be best to bag him

From my experience with CRF cats, I'm warming the bag in a basin. I hope i'm correct that greyhounds would prefer water warmer than 70 degrees too. They didn't warm them when the vets administered fluids a month ago, and he didn't like it!

 

I'm wondering if having his B vitamins washed out with the fluids during the dental affects his perception of his thirst. He has intestinal malabsorption, for which he gets a B-12 shot every 2 to 4 weeks. There are definite neuro deficits that ensue when B-12 is low, as I noticed before he was diagnosed and the shots started. So maybe that's what it is, and his thirst-regulating mechanism isn't working right because of it. I'll shoot some B-12 into the drip line, in any case, and hope everything's better tomorrow!

 

Thanks so much, guys, for your suggestions! Nothing lonelier than having a punk puppy on the West Coast late Friday night!

[greyhead]

Jennifer and everyone, Spencer can't have anything chicken-based because of his IBD. He can't have anything bug venison and white fish. IIRC, I'm not even supposed to give him Gatorade, and I'm just lucky that he can handle Ensure! Earlier today I mixed water in with the Ensure, but he has already gone past his quota for that. (He gets big-D with too much.) So I'm just going with the sub-q's.

 

Thanks again, though. Those are great suggestions for anybody but Spencer and his IBD buds Kelly and Beau! These guys can't even have chicken-flavored tooth-paste!

[Guest TheDoggfather]

It wouldn't hurt at all to add some B12 if you have some in liquid form...just inject it into the main bag, let it mix up and he'll get it that way, too... and even still, if all you've got are B12 tabs, just go ahead and put a couple down his throat. And no, warming the bag won't hurt at all... then again, giving it to him at room temperature isn't that bad, either.

 

 

Nevermnd me.. guess I shou;d've read the entire thread. I'll betcha he'll be just fine once he has his bag.

Edited June 11, 2011 by TheDoggfather

[greyhead]

It wouldn't hurt at all to add some B12 if you have some in liquid form...just inject it into the main bag, let it mix up and he'll get it that way, too... and even still, if all you've got are B12 tabs, just go ahead and put a couple down his throat. And no, warming the bag won't hurt at all... then again, giving it to him at room temperature isn't that bad, either.

Nevermnd me.. guess I shou;d've read the entire thread. I'll betcha he'll be just fine once he has his bag.

Yup, he had 200 ml of fluid, 1 cc B-12, hunkered down for a little over an hour, then asked for food. Mixed water into his food and gave him half a Tramadol (for pain from his dental) and, after a trip outside, he came in and drank a respectable amount of water! Yay!

Now I can sleep!

[kudzu]

From my experience with CRF cats, I'm warming the bag in a basin. I hope i'm correct that greyhounds would prefer water warmer than 70 degrees too. They didn't warm them when the vets administered fluids a month ago, and he didn't like it!

 

I'm wondering if having his B vitamins washed out with the fluids during the dental affects his perception of his thirst. He has intestinal malabsorption, for which he gets a B-12 shot every 2 to 4 weeks. There are definite neuro deficits that ensue when B-12 is low, as I noticed before he was diagnosed and the shots started. So maybe that's what it is, and his thirst-regulating mechanism isn't working right because of it. I'll shoot some B-12 into the drip line, in any case, and hope everything's better tomorrow!

I warmed my dog's sub-q fluids the same way I did my cat's. Also, you can get fortified B vitamin injectable from a livestock supply store. It has a high B12 content. If you are worried about his other b-vit levels you can also get the regular b complex injectable. That combo did my dog wonders. After his fluids I would inject the vitamins sub-q into the fluid bubble. You can also inject them straight into the fluids if you have a port in the line. Some inject them into the bag of fluids but not is not my preference for multiple reasons.

 

Hope he is better soon.

[Guest sja5032]

Don't want to assume anything, but, do you know for sure and how to check to see if he IS dehydrated?

I've been lifting the skin around his neck, and it's staying elevated for five or more seconds. (I haven't checked his gums to see if they're tacky.)

 

I wouldn't use the skin around the neck to test, most dogs have a lot of extra skin there that will stay up even when perfectly hydrated. I always check further down the back which is more reliable. Also keep an eye on the color of his urine to be sure.

[Guest june]

Glad he is doing better. It is always so scarey when something like this happens.

june

[Batmom]

If he had gotten fluids during his dental and then drank more overnight, it's not terribly likely he'd be dehydrated. Mine usually don't drink much the day after surgery.

 

As sja5032 notes, clearer picture if you test on some skin that's normally pretty snug to the dog rather than neck where skin tends to be loose. Also check gums -- nice and slippery, probably not dehydrated; tacky or sticky or dry, could be dehydrated. Urine is a decent gauge as well -- dog peeing on a regular basis, urine is clear and fairly pale, probably not dehydrated; dog not peeing often, urine is dark / vivid yellow /amber, could be dehydrated.

 

If the dog is dehydrated, you can often get them to drink by offering water with something else in it -- whatever the dog can tolerate. A tablespoon of honey, molasses, or canned food per cup, a 50-50 mix of water and milk, apple juice, low sodium broth ....

[Guest Swifthounds]

I agree with the suggestion to use something enticing and tolerated with the water to encourage drinking. For us, that's something like a capful of ensure in water.

 

Sub q fluids are ok, but of negligible help in dogs. They work much better in cats. If I couldn't get a dog to take fluids by mouth, I would do an IV cath and do fluids that way.

 

Did you ask about fluids during the dental or request them? Some practices don't do fluids for dentals if there aren't major extraditing involving bone issues. Of those that do use fluids routinely, sone don't start them before the dental or continue them in recovery - so the dog only gets fluids for 20-25 minutes.

[DesiRayMom]

Hope all is well this morning.....best wishes to Spencer!

[Guest Stripeyfan]

Not had the chance to get on GT for a few weeks so I'm only just seeing this - glad Spencer's finally drinking! If he needs more, could you flake some of the food he CAN have into a small amount of warm water? This is what I do for Kelly when he's having a flare-up and needs more fluids, as he is a sod for not drinking enough just when he most needs it.

 

BIG hugs to Spencer, really glad he came through the dental okay (we've been thinking of him even though I haven't been able to get on here!) and sending good thoughts for his continuing recovery. Here is a and a for your beautiful boy!

[Guest d0ggiem0mma]

Glad he's feeling a little better and drinking some for you. After anesthesia it's pretty normal for them to not want to drink because it makes them feel kinda yucky. In normal conditions (resting, normal temps, no fluid loss like diarrhea) it usually takes more than a 1 day to get dehydrated. I bet he didn't really need the subQ fluids but the b-12 sounds like it helped.

[Sorcha]

Have you tried ice cubes?

[Hubcitypam]

Sub q fluids are ok, but of negligible help in dogs. They work much better in cats. If I couldn't get a dog to take fluids by mouth, I would do an IV cath and do fluids that way.

Interesting. When Poodle was so sick the vet used mutiple subq specifically to avoid doing an IV cath.

 

OP -- Glad he's better!!!!

[Guest Timo]

When Timo had gastroenteritis, he refused water. He even refused it with beef broth added. And after long walks, he tends to refuse water as well. Not sure his reasoning. He seems to drink a lot during times when he "shouldn't" be thirsty, and doesn't drink at all when he "should" be extremely thirsty.

[Jerilyn]

I have discovered that my Lila is obsessive about licking a wet washcloth or towel. I don't know if that is a common dog thing or if she is just weird.

It wouldn't get massive amounts of water into him, but it might be enough to 'jump start' him drinking.

[Guest sheila]

this may not be of value to the OP but I'll throw it out there anyway. When one of my dogs went on a water strike after a procedure at the vet I tried several things. The one thing that worked best is very simplistic but it really did the trick. I merely tossed a handful of kibble into a bowl of water and the dog drank most of the water trying to get at those pieces of kibble. After doing this for a day the problem resolved itself. I once suggested this to another GTer and she reported that it worked like a charm for her dog as well. At any rate, it couldn't hurt and might help.

[greyhead]

Thanks, everyone, for the good wishes and very interesting replies.

I wrote a reply an hour ago, a random flick of my touch pad lost it , and then it was time to walk the dogs. But I'm happy to now be able to report that Spencer continues to do well today, though not drinking much until we did the walk. After the walk he drank an appropriate amount. Yay!

 

For those who wondered, I assure you he was given lots of fluids during and after his dental Thursday and was nonetheless distinctly dehydrated last night. But since the fluids and B-12 he has been much better, just slightly dehydrated. (When I said "neck" earlier, I meant down where it joins the shoulders. I don't care how much extra skin might be there, it shouldn't stand up in the air for more than five seconds! ) He probably should have gotten fluids ahead of time too, so I'll ask the vet about that. But of the five dentals Spencer has had, he came out of this one the best by far! He was able to jump into and out of the car unassisted two hours after the procedure, was able to eat soft food four hours after that, and had no digestive or stomach distress at all. Also no whimpering, whining or restlessness except the slightest hint when he needed a little Tramadol. The refusal to drink has been his only issue, and it seems like he's not the only hound to do this.

 

Have any of you given Pedialyte? Do you use it straight or mix it with their water and food? A local friend suggested it but didn't specify that.

 

Thanks again!