Beanietoes Q&A: How to get dog to drink more water?
“How to get dog to drink more water?” is a common query for pet parents, and it’s an important one. In fact, many domesticated pets are actually dehydrated and their owners don’t even know. This is often because they are normally fed dry foods which are devoid of moisture, and many pets don’t actually drink enough water to make up what they have lost by eating these dry foods. Therefore, if you really want to up your dog’s fluid intake, then the best place to start is by offering them a higher-quality, wet food. However, there are of course ways to get them to drink more water on their own as well, and we’ll be covering them in this article.
First though, how much should a dog be drinking? Many pet parents don’t even know how much water their pups are consuming, and it might be a good idea to try and measure their intake. A good rule of thumb to follow is that a dog should be drinking one ounce of water per pound of body weight every day. If you’re concerned about your dog’s fluid intake, then you could use a marker to mark the water level on the outside of a clear bowl. Fill up the bowl, and as they drink you’ll be able to see how much they’re getting into them every day.
Ways to help your dog to drink more water
If you’ve found that your pup is not getting adequate fluids, then there are several methods available which can help you to get more water in them. You can use one or all of these methods to try and help your pup get more water. Remember, proper fluid intake is important and it can help to fight off medical ailments like bladder stones or struvite crystals before they take hold and negatively impact your dog’s health. While the human body is over 60% water, a dog’s body is over 80%, making it even more important for them.
Get your dog a pet fountain!
Animal’s love running water. If your dog likes to drink from the toilet, then this is likely the reason. Toilets are constantly being flushed, and the water is fresh. While that seems pretty gross to us, to a dog it’s a source of new water that has not been sitting around stagnating. Pet fountains are quite affordable, and they provide your dog with much the same premise. These devices constantly circulate the water, and they even have filters inside of them that up the taste factor, encouraging your dog to drink.
The PetSafe fountain pictures above features a long-lasting stainless steel design, replaceable carbon filters to improve the taste of the water and it holds 128 oz, making it large enough for multiple pets to use. A pet fountain also comes with the added benefit of keeping bacteria and mold from growing in your water, since the constant motion makes it so this can not happen. Click here to read reviews for this great product.
Add some flavoring to their water!
If your pup needs more liquids in their diet, then it might be easier to get them to comply if it were tastier. This can be accomplished by adding some broth to their drinking water, but in many cases grocery store chicken broth is not safe for pups, because they normally contain onions and garlic which are poisonous to dogs. However, Honest Kitchen does sell bone broth mix which is specifically made for dogs and will serve the same purpose. Just mix this dog friendly bone broth mix with some water and offer it up to your pup. Chances are, your dog will happily lap this up and you’ll be adding more fluids to their diet. They’ll just think they’ve been an extra good boy or girl and are getting a special treat – sneaky! Click here to get some.
Offer them a food with more moisture
If your dog normally eats dry foods, then you could very easily increase their liquids by offering them a high-quality wet food diet instead. A fresh food or canned diet provides a ton of great liquids to your dog’s diet, and their health will always be better because of it. Our top pick for healthy dog food is from NomNomNow, a fresh dog food company that offers exceptional canine nutrition. These fresh food formulas offer your dog much needed moisture that he just will never get from kibble foods.
“How to get dog to drink more water” – Answer – Offer better quality liquids to your dog. If you can find out why your dog is displeased with his water, then getting more fluids in them will be a breeze. However, it’s important to remember that dogs are different. Some of them may be reluctant to try flavorings or they may be reluctant to drink water at all that’s not in their food. You may need to try a few things before you get a real answer here.
