5 Ways to Get Your Dog to Drink More Water

5 Ways to Get Your Dog To Drink More Water

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5 Ways to Get Your Dog to Drink More Water

Get your dog to drink more water.

Before you attempt to get them to drink more figure out how much they are actually drinking per day. Do you add water to their food at each meal? Are you feeding dry kibble or something that the liquid hasn’t been cooked out as much? Is your dog playing by a body of water that they can lean down and drink from? Are there puddles in your yard or standing water somewhere? Make sure that whatever water you are offering is as fresh as possible by changing out their water at least once or twice a day. /if they are sick change it more often to keep it fresh.
 

5 Ways to Get Your Dog To Drink More Water

 

1. Put water in with their food. It will help slow them down when eating and will help them get more water per day. Plus you control it. 

2. Sprinkle their water with a few blueberries or cranberries or other cut up fruit. They will drink some water while getting the fruit out. Plus they will get a special healthy treat for added vitamins and minerals no grapes though!. 

3. If they don’t like their Dog Bowls replace it. Who cares what they drink out of as long as they will drink on their own. Try one of your Cereal Bowls or find a new one. They come in so many shapes and sizes and depths that you are sure to find something to not only offer your dog what they need but match your decor as well. If you need to use your child’s beach bucket go for it. Getting and keeping your dog hydrated is extremely important. Switch it up make it fun for your dog. 

4. Buy a Water Fountain. Dogs love to drink fresh moving water heck they also love to drink out of the swimming pool and puddles. Give them what they want fresh water 24/7 with a Pet Fountain. If you have a water fountain and your dog used to love it but doesn’t anymore the motor might be too loud or it could be time to replace the Filter

5. If your dog is sick you can use homemade chicken broth by boiling chicken in some water or watered down carrot juice instead of water. Unflavored Pedialyte will help get your dog electrolytes. I never use the water alternative straight I always water it down a bit. 

If everything else fails and you are nursing a sick dog that has already seen the vet, ask your vet for a large syringe to get water or other liquid into your dog.

Looking for even more ways to get your dog to drink more? Check out this post on How to get your dog to drink more water!

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Comments

  1. I never thought of a water fountain. That is a good idea. My dog loves to try to bite the water coming out of a hose so I expect she would like a fountain too.

  2. We have a fountain – BEST THING EVER! It keeps our water nice and cold and clean and it's fun to make it splash!

  3. Thank you so much, Felissa, for answering my question. I like the idea of the berries in the water. A fountain won't work on the boat, and we are already putting water in with his food. We appreciate your help here. Rosemary and Nelson.

  4. I’ve not seen a fountain. It sounds very cool and what a nice way to spoil a dog with love.
    Grace Hodgin recently posted..The Cry of the American Zombie, We’re Here, We’re Dead, Get Use To It!My Profile

  5. My dogs LOVE water…they even try to lick it off the bathtub! I am glad that they love it so much! Thanks for the tips!

    Dawn

  6. HA! I was just thinking today that I need to start drinking more water. Too much coffee, not enough watery goodness. Never would have thought this would be something dog owners need to worry about for their little ones. Great tips. – Katy
    Katy recently posted..Scouting for Black SkinniesMy Profile

  7. i should forward this to my brother!!

    xo,
    Sandy
    Sandy a la Mode

  8. I need to get a fountain for my pets. I have tour blue getting them to drink their water and not the turtle’s water. I have tried everything else.
    Debi@TheSpringMount6Pack recently posted..Xbox Bundle Giveaway EventMy Profile

  9. Great ways to get your pets to drink more! Thanks so much for sharing!
    mel recently posted..Saturday Top Five Laughs- Come Join Our Blog Hop!My Profile

  10. I love these tips. We alway add water to Maggie’s meals to make sure she gets her daily water. In the summer we add ice-cubes that she tries to dig out and crunch. We use to have a cat that would only drink out of a cocktail glass by the window!
    Maggie recently posted..Pro Plan Duo Delice Giveaway…And The Winner Is!My Profile

  11. Be careful with your chicken stock. I fear that new dog owners will think it’s a good idea to use some chicken stock they’ve picked up at the store and that can have garlic or other things that are bad for your dog in it. Any chance you can put a caveat on number 5?

  12. My dog is eating good, but does not want water, I got her to drink milk… Will milk get her through this?

    • Milk is ok but will likely cause stomach upset. Try Goats Milk it is more gentle on their tummy. The Honest Kitchen sells a dehydrated goat milk product the you just add hot water to. Hope that helps.
      Two Little Cavaliers recently posted..Easy Spinach and Artichoke DipMy Profile

      • I just gave him milk this morn, loves it then hr later vomits, I’m going to keep trying the milk because he loves it! It’s also 1% so it’s really water milk! Lol. Thanks :). Oh sounds great, will try it! :)))

  13. Really interesting article!!! fountain for pets and it is new for me.i will get one for my pet soon.

  14. I had discussed this with my vet and he suggested wet food. I was always under the impression that the dry food, as well as dog biscuits were better for their teeth, but he had mentioned that dogs tend to just swallow the majority of hard foods. After hearing this, I paid close attention to my dog and he was right, he chewed very little of the food. Hard foods have very little to do with good dental health. He mentioned that wet foods were very high in water content and that they would derive quite a bit of moisture from it … this proved a good solution for a dog I had that was convalescing.

    • Snicker's Dad says

      Dry food manufacturers wants you to think that. Same people who say you should stick with the same food (theirs) and not switch.

  15. Please be careful with number two. Blueberries can be deadly for dogs.

    • There is absolutely no research to show that Blueberries are unhealthy for dogs let alone deadly. Blueberries are high in Vitamin C, low in fat and high in Fiber. Feeding Blueberries in moderation increase Antioxidants to help combat cell damage. Many high quality pet food and treats include blueberries for these very reasons. Like with anything else moderation is key but a few blueberries as a healthy snack is certainly not going to be harmful.

      I think you mean grapes are toxic to dogs.
      Felissa Elfenbein recently posted..Extraordinary Nutrition Redefined Love Your Pet Their Best #HillsPetMy Profile

  16. I started adding warm water to dry food to get my dog’s water intake up. I measure both the food and the water….that way I can track it. This is a dog that was found injured on the side of the road, so I am monitoring her closely until she is back to normal. She has a lot of challenges (hip dysplasia, etc.) but is so worth the trouble.

  17. Ideas are great, the fountain sounds perfect, this pup licks an eats everything, except for water Lol! Thanks 🙂

  18. My dog has been very sick after having anesthesia injection and she is not drinking nearly enough.
    I thought of the little trick to put some fluids in.
    Take a swab of cotton wool, the fluffy kind a soak it in water, open you dogs mouth, and slowly squeeze the water in.
    I have only just tried this, and hope it encourages her to drink some more soon.
    Hope this helps.

  19. Watered-down home-made chicken broth always worked for our guys. And fresh snow. For some reason they just can’t help themselves from getting water logged from it.
    Jana Rade recently posted..Cookie’s Plantar Paw Pad InjuryMy Profile

  20. Appreciating the hard work you put into your site and in depth information you present.
    It’s good to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same unwanted rehashed information.
    Fantastic read! I’ve bookmarked your site and I’m including your
    RSS feeds to my Google account.
    Gia recently posted..GiaMy Profile

  21. These are all good ideas, but when my dog is sick the only thing that works is ice cubes

  22. ANY BERRIES ARE ALLERGIC TO DOGS!!!!! DO MORE RESEARCH!

  23. I have a little chihuahua and she is not drink any water what should I do

  24. And she been sick for 3 days and not eat or drink any water what does that mean she has parvo because she’s been throwing up white stuff

  25. Pauline carsom says

    My dog has been recently 2 vet with stomach upset he id taking med about 20 min before food, but not drinking much. We are concerended as we have tyred 2 get him 2 drink but no luck. He is eating rice and chicken at min but is used 2 nuts and chicken.

  26. The best way is to add water to their food. They will consume more water in the process. But, if there is really something weird with the dog’s behavior, bringing it to a vet is a good solution.
    Meil recently posted..Best Homemade Dog Foods: How to make them?My Profile

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