How do I get my rescue dog to drink ?

[Kirky]

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I have had many dogs over the years but never had one that won’t drink water She is a rescue 5 yrs old westie/shitzhu cross I brought her home Saturday and she has really settled but won’t drink water she turns away from any bowl I offer I’m wondering if she’s had a bad experience - so I am adding water to her already moist food until I solve the problem

 

[JoanneF]

That's good, it's possible she will get enough moisture from the food to keep her from getting dehydrated, but I agree; you want her to feel happy drinking.

I have found adding the water from a can of tuna in spring water (not brine) helps. If I need my dog to hydrate, about a tablespoon of that added to half a litre of water helps.

 

[Jacqueline Kirk]

That's good, it's possible she will get enough moisture from the food to keep her from getting dehydrated, but I agree; you want her to feel happy drinking.

I have found adding the water from a can of tuna in spring water (not brine) helps. If I need my dog to hydrate, about a tablespoon of that added to half a litre of water helps.

Thank you I’ll try that

 

[JudyN]

When my dog was ill and wouldn't eat or drink, I boiled up a couple of chicken carcasses, drained them, and gave him the broth to drink - that really did the trick, he loved it.

 

[Jacqueline Kirk]

Thank you

 

[Hemlock]

Also, what kind of bowl are you using? Shiny metal ones rattle, plastic can taste awful. Try an earthenware or toughened glass bowl if you haven't already.

 

[RGC]

This probably sounds ridiculous - will she drink fresh rainwater? I believe there’s a lot of it currently available.

 

[arealhuman]

Our rescue dog Rusty is similar - he won't drink as much water as our only benchmark, our previous rescue dog Jimmy. He will drink from his bowl (metal one with rubber bottom so it doesn't move around) but not as much. He eats raw food, and if some of that looks a little dry, we will add a little water. You can do this with dry food, too. We mentioned this to the vet soon after we had him, she wasn't concerned as he was drinking and would get water from his wet, raw food.

One thing to remember is a rescue dog may have had to get water from all sorts of places in its previous life, and there may have been risk involved in doing this, so water in a bowl may be a new, strange thing. Take time, keep the water available, and use the tips above (we did and they work!). If you feel your dog is becoming dehydrated, a trip to the vet is in order but you should be able to overcome this.

Well done for rescuing a dog, it's a great thing to do. Let us know how you get on.