Water is the origin of life on planet Earth, an essential liquid for all beings, both animals and plants. Your pets need it as much as you do, and dogs are no exception.
For many dogs, water is not only a complement to their diet, but also a main element in their play afternoons in the garden, where they enjoy the action of the jet with a hose or irrigation sprinklers. Sometimes, your pet may refuse to take advantage of this precious liquid or considerably reduce its consumption, so in this article our site explains why your dog does not drink water
How much water should a dog drink?
Water not only quenches your dog's thirst and helps him regain his strength on a hot day or after a day of exercise, it is also responsible for transporting toxins out of the dog's body, while allowing you to regulate your body temperature. Hence the importance of its intake and how dangerous it can be if your dog does not want to drink water.
To know if your dog is drinking enough water or not, you first need to know what are the adequate amounts required by the dog's body. However, this is not something that can be calculated exactly, as will depend on your dog's breed and size, physical activity, weather changes and the food you provide.
Small breed dogs and those that are not very active generally drink less water, but it is evident that the quantities increase if it is summer, for example, or if the feed they consume is Very s alty.
Although it is not possible to make an accurate calculation, a small or medium-sized dog that plays outside the house drinks water about 2 or 3 times a day, which represents about 350 milliliters On the other hand, a large breed dog doubles this amount, dividing the intake at different times throughout the day.
If you go running with your dog, your dog may need a break every 10 minutes during the exercise to drink water, which represents a few extra milliliters. Dogs that present symptoms of diarrhea or vomiting, in addition to bitches that are breastfeeding, also drink more water than usual. For more information, do not miss the following article: "How much water does a dog need to drink?".
How do you know if your dog is drinking enough water?
If you suspect your dog isn't drinking water properly and you don't know how to check this assumption, here are some quick tips to tell if he's dehydrated:
- Examine his skin. Place your fingers on the skin between his shoulder blades and pinch lightly. The normal thing is that the skin returns to its place quickly; if not, it means your dog is dehydrated.
- Check his gums. Press any area of the dog's gums with your finger, it should return to its original shape and recover the pink color in a few seconds.
- Observe their behavior. Lack of water or dehydration is usually accompanied by other symptoms such as weakness, excessive tiredness, concentrated urine, dry skin, breathing problems and lack of appetite.
- Take him out for a walk. Any dog will go to his water bowl after a long walk, so if this doesn't happen you should worry.
Dehydration puts your dog's life at risk at breakneck speed, so if you suddenly stop drinking water for 24 hours, don't wait any longer and go to the vet. In addition, if any condition that your dog already had is added to this situation, such as suffering from diabetes, nursing, vomiting or diarrhoea, or if it is an old dog, the risk to his life increases considerably.
Why doesn't your dog want to drink water?
There are various reasons that cause your dog to reject water, so here we present the most frequent ones. Knowing what's causing the problem is the first step to solving it:
Stress
Stress is one of the dog's worst enemies, since thanks to it a multitude of symptoms and he alth problems can be unleashed that, if left unattended, easily increase in severity.
There are many reasons that produce stress or anxiety in a pet dog: death or estrangement from a family member to whom the dog was attached, a move, the arrival of another pet or a baby, sudden changes introduced in your routine, changes in diet, tense environment at home, among many others.
Virus
Some diseases of viral origin count among their symptoms the absence of thirst. Among them it is possible to mention rabies, distemper or leptospirosis, among others. Obviously, all these conditions are accompanied by other signs, so it is important to remain vigilant for any change in your dog's behavior.
One of the greatest dangers of this lack of thirst is dehydration, since the canine body decompensates in a few hours due to lack of water, putting the dog's life in danger.
Dental problems
The discomforts that characterize dental diseases usually cause the dog to stop not only drinking water but also eating, in order to avoid the pain and discomfort caused by carrying out any activity that involves your teeth or mouth movement.
These types of problems range from a bacterial infection to a damaged tooth. Only the vet will be able to provide an exact diagnosis.
Strange objects
Anyone with a dog at home knows how likely they are to bite everything in their path, especially if they don't you have trained them correctly and if they do not have toys that serve as adequate stimulation.
Bitting shoes, destroying a ball, chewing on table legs, plastic, or whatever your dog can think of can get a piece stuck between his teeth, gums, or even attached to the walls of the mouth, and that the dog stops drinking water to avoid the discomfort that this causes. Likewise, if your furry companion has not yet reached adulthood, and you wonder why your puppy does not want to drink water and, in addition, chews everything he finds, this is probably the answer.
They don't take him out for a walk
If this is the reason your dog won't drink water, then it's a wake up call for you. It is evident that the more water he drinks, the more times he will need to go to the bathroom. This fact, of course, should under no circumstances be a reason to limit your dog's water supply.
On the other hand, when the dog is used to being taken for a walk to relieve itself but takes a long time to do so, may avoid drinking water if he knows that must hold until you get home.
All these reasons will be accompanied by other symptoms, such as fatigue, lack of appetite, lack of elasticity in the skin and a certain level of hostility, which the dog will show trying to be alone.
Why isn't my dog eating or drinking?
When the dog's lack of appetite is added to the lack of thirst or apathy towards water, it is not uncommon for you to despair. Dogs love food, so when they stop eating it's time to set off the alarms.
The reasons why your dog does not want to drink water or eat are varied. Among them it is possible to mention stress, especially if it is caused by a change in the household routine, which generates anxiety in the dog. Similarly, sadness and nervousness, regardless of their causes, can plunge the dog into a level of apathy that makes him lose interest in food.
It is also possible that the dog does not like her foodor is bored with it, especially if you are used to serving her always the same. Most of the feeds have a slightly s alty taste, so it is not strange that if the dog has stopped eating he does not feel the need to drink water either.
Finally, the same diseases that cause lack of thirst cause loss of appetite, especially if they include discomfort in the mouth (dental diseases, objects caught in the teeth, etc.), or have to do with kidney or liver failure
How to make your dog drink water?
As we said, dehydration caused by refusal to drink water will quickly affect your dog's he alth if you don't do something in time. Therefore, we point out some recommendations to help you in these cases:
- Keep your dog's bowl filled with fresh clean water at all times. Remember to change the water at least twice a day, make sure there are no leftover food or other waste, and wash the container every time you renew its contents.
- Never leave the bowl of water in the sun, prefer room temperature.
- Locate several bowls in different places in the home but always in the same places, so the dog will know where to look for them and can drink water in any time you want.
- Some dogs are not motivated by the way the water looks in the bowl. If this is the case with yours, consider the possibility of buying a dog water fountain Before doing so, get good advice on the operation and maintenance of the model you choose.
- Try moistening the dog's dry food a little with water, or even a broth prepared with beef or chicken, no s alt or seasoning.
- If he refuses to drink, try offering him ice cubes, many like to lick them.
- When you take him out for a walk, always take a bottle of water and a bowl for the dog with you; remember to take breaks during the walk to hydrate it.
If after trying all these rabbits the dog still does not want to drink water, go to the vet immediately.
