Mary Allen
In summer, as in winter, it is often difficult to persuade a four-legged friend to drink. Especially on hot days, it is important to protect your chosen one from dehydration with the help of water. Your dog should also drink enough fluids during the fall and winter. There can be several reasons why a dog refuses to drink. We introduce you to the most famous reasons for refusing water.
Giving Up Water Can Be Physical and Psychological
Sometimes your loved one may not like drinking because something has changed. Maybe you are giving him other food, it is stressed, or has just returned home from surgery. These are just a few examples of why your four-legged friend no longer visits the bowl of water. Therefore, it is important to know how much the dog should drink per day. Its water requirement also depends on various factors. Outside temperature, activity level, weight class, and type of feeding play a significant role in your pet’s water needs.
If you do switch from dry to wet food, your dog will also need less water. Wet food has high water content. It could also be that your loved one is sick. After diarrhea, your four-legged friend may become very weak and just want to sleep. Because of diarrhea, your loved one loses a lot of fluids, so he definitely needs to drink. Food allergies can also cause water rejection. Here you should show your pet to the veterinarian in order to exclude a possible disease.
After vaccination, your pet may suffer from vaccine injury syndrome and thus feel less thirsty. If you suspect such damage, it is best to show it to your veterinarian. He will then give you advice on how you can deal with the problem in the future. After surgery or anesthesia, your furry nose may not be thirsty. Maybe he is in pain or is still dizzy from the anesthesia. In this case, you should ask your veterinarian when your pet will be able to drink water again.
Stress can also lead to water withdrawal. Dogs can also feel bad. Estrus in females can also play a decisive role in drinking behavior. This is why they often abstain from food and drink when they think only of the dog they love. Mental stress can also arise if another dog dominates your chosen one and this “forbids” your fur nose to drink. Thus, the refusal to drink water can have physical and psychological reasons.
With These Tricks, You Can Make the Water Taste Good for Your Loved Pet Again
You should definitely watch the behavior of your furry friend, as well as how active your chosen one is. In no case should milk be used as an alternative to water. Many dogs lose the enzyme that breaks down lactose during their lifetime and therefore can no longer digest milk without problems. But there are other ways to make the water a little tastier for your dog.
For example, you can squeeze liver sausage into water or add some sausage water from a glass. But make sure that the sausage is not too salty. Even fruits in water, such as blueberries or cranberries, can make your dog’s drink more interesting. When your pet tastes fruit to fish out the water, he automatically drinks. But be careful: make sure the bowl of water is not overfilled and that your dog drinks a very large amount of water at a time because it tastes especially tempting. You can also add water to your four-legged friend’s food. Therefore, he inevitably has to absorb water if he wants to eat something. Another option is a water dispenser. He engages the dog and at the same time gives him fresh water.
If your dog still refuses to drink water, you should definitely contact your veterinarian. Organ failure can occur if the dog does not drink for two days. This is a life-threatening situation for your furry friend.