Why Is My Dog Not Drinking Water?: Reasons & Solutions

We all need fresh, clean water to live and stay healthy, and your dog is no exception. Without water to drink, they will become dehydrated, gradually the body will become weak. But unfortunately when you find out your dog refuses to drink water and you worry he will become dehydrated. This article will help you deal with that worry.

Why Is My Dog Not Drinking Water?

Firstly, let’s start with the reasons for the wonder “Why is my dog not drinking water?”.

If you’ve just adopted a dog, and it’s only been home for a few days, it’s completely normal for it to not eat or drink for a day or two…. There are three main reasons why your dog might not be drinking water.

– Your dog is less active.

– The dog is under stress. 

– Your dog is sick

If your dog doesn’t drink, or neither drinks nor eats, then give him 24 hours and if you don’t see any signs of improvement, take him to the vet immediately.

How Much Water A Dog Needs In A Day?

Not drinking water will lead to dehydration, and that is one of the reasons that adversely affect their health. So how much water is enough for a dog in 1 day?

It will be difficult for both humans and dogs to provide enough water for the body on hot days. Therefore, you should make sure that your dog drinks enough water, this is a must. Moreover, your dog can become dehydrated in cold weather. If your dog runs around and loves to play, it will need more water.

A dog requires approximately 60ml of water per 0.9kg of body weight every day. You should fill up your dog’s water bowl at the beginning of the day, so you’ll be able to control how much water he actually drinks in a day.

Tips To Help Dogs Drink More Water

As mentioned above, lack of water is very dangerous for the health of dogs. So how do dogs drink more water? Here are some tips to help your dog drink more water.

Add Water To Dog’s Food

If your dogs enjoy eating dry food, they will need more water because dry food makes them thirsty. You can add water to your dog’s diet, bone broth, or chicken stock (without salt, or it will backfire).

Regularly Change Dog’s Water

There are some dogs that will eat and drink anything. But really, quite a few dogs like clean water and maybe this is one of the reasons why your dog doesn’t enjoy drinking water! “Sweet” and cold water is best for dogs. So please change the water for it regularly.

Clean Dog’s Water Bowl Regularly

Cleaning the dog’s bowl should be done at the same time with changing the water regularly. If the water bowl is slimy and not clean, the water will be contaminated and dirty before you put it down and give it to your dog to drink. Therefore, you should wash the dog food and water dishes every day.

Change The Taste of The Water 

The owners can add some bone broth or chicken stock to their water bowl to engage their dog’s senses. However, they should not add sugary juice or other treats, because strange foods can make your dog sick.

Move The Dog’s Water Bowl To A New Location

Does your dog not like to drink water? It may be because it doesn’t like the current position of the water bowl. You should try to change the position of the bowl, maybe the dog drinks more water?

Give Your Dog Different Bowls To Drink Water

Try to place more water bowls in the house, because the more bowls of water, the more possible the dog will drink a lot of water.

Consider The Source of Water

Your dog can smell or taste impurities that you cannot and that makes your dog doesn’t like drinking water. You can also try giving your dog bottled water or homemade filtered water, and see if there is a difference.

Summary

Hopefully, the above article has answered the questions of most dog lovers “Why is my dog not drinking water?”, and assist you in taking the best possible care of your canine friend.

Check out how to keep your dog healthy and happy.