When your furry friend gets sick, they might not know exactly what they need to do to feel better.
It can be painful to treat a sick dog. Watching them suffer is bad enough, but when it feels like there’s nothing you can do to make them better, you’ll feel like a horrible pet owner. They need to eat and drink to keep their energy up so they can beat their illness, whatever it may be.
In this post, we’re going to give you a few crucial tips for how to get a dog to drink water when sick. They may not feel like hydrating, but keep reading and you’ll make sure they’re at least getting what they need to live.
Looking for Dehydration Signs
The first thing you’ll need to do is monitor your dog’s water intake and keep an eye out for the signs of dehydration. If they’re avoiding drinking any water at all, then you may have to get involved. Also, if you see any of the following signs, then you may have to take more drastic measures:
- Excessive panting and sweating on the paws and body
- Dry mouth and nose
- Low energy
- Vomiting and/or diarrhea
- Saliva is thicker than usual
Place a Bowl In Front of Them
First, place a bowl in front of them, wherever they’re sitting or laying. When dogs become ill or start aging, they lose some mobility. You can take a look at supplements to help them, but you should also start bringing their water to them if you need them to drink.
The water and the bowl should be clean. If the water isn’t appealing to your ill dog, it could be because the bowl is dirty. Wash the bowl once per day to make sure that there’s nothing keeping your dog from drinking.
Put Ice Cubes In the Bowl
When your dog is sick and dehydrated, they tend to get hot. If the weather is hot in your home, they may seek cool, dark places to lay down.
They don’t know this, but water is one way to cool down. Make it more enticing by placing a few ice cubes in the bowl to chill the water. The colder the water, the better they’ll feel when drinking it.
Add Water to Dry Food
You can get crafty if they really don’t want to drink. If you feed your dog dry kibble, try adding water to it to create a kind of dog food soup.
Chances are, your dog prefers eating to drinking, but with this method, they’ll get at least a bit of water as they’re lapping up their food.
50-50 Broth and Water
Another thing you can try in dire circumstances is flavoring the water with something tasty. Fill the bowl with 50% meat broth and 50% water.
The broth will give the water a salty, meaty flavor that dogs just love. Gradually put less and less broth in until they’re only drinking water once again.
Know How to Get a Dog to Drink Water When Sick
Now that you know how to get a dog to drink water when sick, you’ll see your little pup come out on the other side of its illness. Hydration is the most important thing for all mammals, so you have to make your dog drink even when they don’t want to. These tips should make it easier.
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