Refusing To Drink Water

[Guest verthib]

Any ideas on how to get my grey who 99% of the time just won't drink water? I have water bowls downstairs, upstairs and outside. I give her a ton of praise when she does drink. Nothing works. Very rarely she'll drink on her own but it's not often, probably a few times per week. Right now her primary water source is in her food. We started adding water to it because she isn't drinking enough. When pulling up on her neck skin, it doesn't go back down that quickly, which the trainer said is a sign of mild dehydration. Does anyone else have a grey who hates to drink?

[EnzaFerrari]

I've been told low salt broth, pediasure, or a splash of gatorade can get them to drink.

 

I've been told low salt broth, pediasure, or a splash of gatorade can get them to drink.

[JAJ2010]

Someone one told me that to get the correct test on a greyhound you have to do the pinch test between their shoulders, not on their necks. Do you feed kibble or raw? My two drink a lot less on raw

[Guest verthib]

I've done the broth thing and it worked temporarily but I can't keep her on that long term. The pinch test was between the shoulder blades/bottom of neck.

[Brindles]

Pull the skin up on the back, not the neck or shoulders. That's the more accurate test for a greyhound. A lot of folks think their greys are dehydrated when they really aren't.

 

The most accurate way to check for dehydration is the capillary refill test. Push your finger into her gums. When you pull your finger away, the color should return in 1-2 seconds.

[Guest verthib]

The vet did the gum test and said she was mildly dehydrated. She'll go for a long hike and be panting and her tongue is sticky and she still won't drink. I am hoping for suggestions on getting her to drink, or if other folks have experienced this.

[Brindles]

What kind of container is her water in?

 

How long have you had her?

[Guest verthib]

Stainless steel bowls indoors, plastic outside. We've had her for five months.

[TheFullHouse]

Do the bowls move easily and make any noise? Are they large enough. Sometimes if they move while they're drink they try and avoid them. Try a bucket. It's what they use in the turn out pen and see if that works.

[Brindles]

Mine get touchy about drinking water if it's out of a plastic bowl, or if I forget to dump and refill it every day. This is going to sound goofy, but have you tried giving her filtered water? It's possible she doesn't like the taste.

 

You could try mixing in some Dyne with the water. We give it to the racers and they love it as much as the race feed.

[tbhounds]

Here's a greyt trick. Buy chicken baby food- (the kind in the jars--think its called first generation?). Mix a teaspoon into water-- makes a yummy smelling tasty water!

[Guest verthib]

The bowls don't move or make noise. They sit in a raised thing we even tried putting them on the floor. We also bought little pouches for their tags do they don't clank against the bowls. Their outside bowl is actually a turnout bucket. She's stubborn I think.

[EnzaFerrari]

Have you tried giving her ice cubes? Enza likes to munch on them and it's a way to get fluids into her.

[Guest verthib]

As far as the Dyne. I would try that but it's high in calories. I guess I could try it for a bit but in not convinced she'll suddenly turn into a drinker. I should have done a poll on how often other greys visit the water bowl throughout the day. Lol

[Busderpuddle]

My girl won't drink either and has a mild kidney problem. I have tried everything and the only thing that will work is to put lots of water over her kibble each time I feed her. I tried a couple tablespoons of broth in her water dish and that didn't work. She just won't drink. Not interested in ice cubes. I put her 2 cups of kibble in the bowl and then cover it about 1/2" above the top and it works almost every time. It is really yucky though when she doesn't eat all her food. Her treats are usually things that have some moisture in them too like eggs or pumpkin. Vet said you can try to give them water with a syringe but it didn't work and scared her. Good luck.

Edited November 28, 2011 by Busderpuddle

[Time4ANap]

Try a little bit of gatorade in the water. WhenRocket was sick and not drinking, he practically emptied the bowl when I put Gatorade in with the water. He has a sweet tooth.

 

While it's not something you want to add long term, it may make her go to the bowl and drink. I initially mixed Gatorade and Water 50/50 when he was pretty dehydrated, but cut it back over time until I no longer needed to add it.

[Guest verthib]

Wow, another dog with the same issue, at least I'm not crazy.

[Yamaha_gurl]

What about some tuna "juice" or sardine juice mixed in water?

[Guest verthib]

I never thought of tuna juice! I will try that !

[GeorgeofNE]

My vet assumed my dog was drinking "too much," so I started to measure. He drinks EXACTLY two cups of water a day, which she says is well below average. But it's normal FOR HIM. If your dog's urine is properly concentrated, and her blood work is OK, I wouldn't stress about it too much.

[Guest verthib]

My vet assumed my dog was drinking "too much," so I started to measure. He drinks EXACTLY two cups of water a day, which she says is well below average. But it's normal FOR HIM. If your dog's urine is properly concentrated, and her blood work is OK, I wouldn't stress about it too much.

 

 

I would bet my house that Gracie doesn't even drink 2 cups. If she would drink that much I would be happy! lol She may take a few laps once or twice a day, and each lap yields only a few drops down the throat. Now that we're adding water to her food, she probably does get two cups, but it's from eating, not from her "free drinking". So frustrating!

Edited November 29, 2011 by verthib

[Burpdog]

Try filtered water and from ceramic or plastic bowl. Burp would only drink from a plastic or ceramic bowl -- no metal (and he drank gallons because of his stomach)

[Guest sheila]

if your dog is food/treat motivated toss a handle of kibble or treats into a bowl of water. The hound will lap up the water trying to get at the food. Sounds simple and it is. This worked like a charm for a hound that went on a 'water strike' here.

[Guest verthib]

Lol. I've tried that. No such luck. When I say 'stubborn'....

[JJNg]

I agree with GeorgeofNE. I don't worry too much about water intake in a healthy dog that is eating well and acting normal. If you want to make sure she's getting enough water, just continue to add it to her food.

 

Just like all the discussions on creating picky eaters by making a big deal out of mealtime, using all sorts of add-ins, etc, you can run into the same problem around drinking water. If you make a big deal out of it, drinking becomes a stressful ordeal for the dog, and she will be less likely to drink. Just make sure the water bowl is full and available at all times, and she'll drink when she needs it.