Help Needed! Not drinking water

[Susie]

Should I be concerned. My Howie started eating homemade dog food fir the past 2 weeks. I have been noticing that he hasn't been drinking water as much. He has gone days nit drinking. I had tried the ice cube trick but he got smart. The homemade food he has been eating has been mushy. Is thus normal?

 

[izstigspunks]

I think she should be fine. My boys only drink in the evening just once if they don't play. They eat raw and it's very normal. I can imagine that home cooking is the same.

To entice Susie, put a little broth in her water. That usually does the trick for my boys.

 

[Vikinggirl]

Hi, I'm not sure if this is normal for all bullies that are fed home cooked or not, but I often feel that my two guys don't always drink enough water, so I have always added some warm water, about 1/2 cup to their kibble. It makes a kind of gravy in their kibble, and also makes it softer to eat. They really like it, and I feel better because they are getting a little extra water each day.

 

[Baxter Tiberius]

Yep just add water to the food. You can't really give them too much, but keep in mind, wet food has lots of water.

I still think they should have more though. Think about how much we would drink if we were never told its beneficial to our bodies?

I swear I might have a glass of liquid per day some days if I didn't know better. So thats probably what they're doing. Bare minimum. More is always better.

 

[Susie]

Thank you, folks, for the wonderful advices. I guess I am so use to have him drinking water constantly when he was eating kibbles. But now I have to trick him into drinking water. He didn't touch his water bowl all day yesterday. He's still active and has normal BM and pee.

 

[Marine91]

Hi, I'm not sure if this is or all for bullies that are fed home cooked or not, but I often feel that my two guys don't always drink enough water, so I have always added some warm water, about 1/2 cup to their kibble. It makes a kind of gravy in their kibble, and also makes it softer to eat. They really like it, and I feel better because they are getting a little extra water each day.

The other good thing about adding water to the kibble is that it will already be expanded when they eat it so there will be less expansion in their tummys.

 

[ddnene]

Winston LOVES ice cubes, so I was going to say add that to the water… but he's too smart for that!!! LOL As long as he's acting normal, I wouldn't worry about it...

 

[bullmama]

Thank you, folks, for the wonderful advices. I guess I am so use to have him drinking water constantly when he was eating kibbles. But now I have to trick him into drinking water. He didn't touch his water bowl all day yesterday. He's still active and has normal BM and pee.

Kibble has salt in most brands (not so much the good ones) so if you add a bit if salt to the homecooked, not much, it may make him more thirsty.


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[Susie]

Instead of salt, can I use basil? will that work?

 

[anatess]

The cool thing about home-made diet is you are in complete control of your dog's nutritional intake. So... water. Kibble is dehydrated. You can see the percentage of moisture in the back of the bag. Usually it's at a maximum of 10%. Raw food is about 50% moisture, so 5 times more than kibble. Home-made food would depend on how much water is absorbed/evaporated in the cooking process.

In any case, if your dog is cooperative, one of the easiest ways to determine if your dog needs water is by inspecting his gums. If the dog's gums are dry, it's not a good sign. Also, if you push your finger on his gums, it would leave a pale mark (blood is pushed out of that area) but when you release your finger, the red color should come back immediately. If it takes more than 2 seconds for it to come back, it's not a good sign. You can also see it with the eyes. If his eyes look sunken, it's not a good sign.

Hope this helps.

 

[2BullyMama]

agree with all theothers.... when feeding raw or homemade foods... they ten to drink less

 

[Susie]

The cool thing about home-made diet is you are in complete control of your dog's nutritional intake. So... water. Kibble is dehydrated. You can see the percentage of moisture in the back of the bag. Usually it's at a maximum of 10%. Raw food is about 50% moisture, so 5 times more than kibble. Home-made food would depend on how much water is absorbed/evaporated in the cooking process.

In any case, if your dog is cooperative, one of the easiest ways to determine if your dog needs water is by inspecting his gums. If the dog's gums are dry, it's not a good sign. Also, if you push your finger on his gums, it would leave a pale mark (blood is pushed out of that area) but when you release your finger, the red color should come back immediately. If it takes more than 2 seconds for it to come back, it's not a good sign. You can also see it with the eyes. If his eyes look sunken, it's not a good sign.

Hope this helps.

Hell Anatee, I just dud the test and his gum looks very healthy and no sunken eyes. So that's a good sign.

 

[Susie]

Winston LOVES ice cubes, so I was going to say add that to the water… but he's too smart for that!!! LOL As long as he's acting normal, I wouldn't worry about it...

Hi ddnene, I now put a chunk of frozen mango into his water bowl. That gets him going. Thank you for the advice.

 

[ddnene]

Hi ddnene, I now put a chunk of frozen mango into his water bowl. That gets him going. Thank you for the advice.

Absolutely!!! Hope he starts drinking now... Lol


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[Libra926]

I was going to suggest pinching the skin to see if it stands upright or goes back down. When my cat was dehydrated, the skin would stay in the pinched state. I have to giggle because ......how would you determine it with the amount of extra skin a bulldog has? So I guess my advice isn't a good one.