Here in Colorado it can be really dry and I can't get Yoshimoto to drink enough water. Just learned that adding organic, low sodium chicken broth to her water does the trick. Not to much but enough for her to smell the chicken. I think her fluid intake will be much better now. Does anyone else have this challenge? What do you do to get you dogs to drink more water?
My Pomeranian doesn't like to drink in strange places, so we ran into this problem when we started going to agility trials. My trainer recommended either putting grilled chicken or a small amount of meat-flavored baby food into a bottle of water overnight so that the flavors seeped into the water. Sadie LOVES chicken water & I actually have to make sure that she doesn't drink too much now since she won't stop drinking until it's gone. Sounds like the same concept as the chicken broth :)
Soaking kibble up with water, adding wet dog food..
Feeding a raw diet helps. Raw has a lot of water in it Saya barely drinks compared to kibble fed Bella.. Saya does drink, but usually after a walk and her shiba 500 and before bed.
Coarse feeding a raw diet is a lot of work so just throwing the idea out there.
I know people who do kibble in am and raw pm with no issue though some dogs might get picky and choose one or the other..
Hope he stays hydrated.. He just doesn't drink much or you just need him drink bit more?
My dogs will drink if they are thirsty enough, it's never been a problem for them. If I feel they need water, I will soak their kibble (big dogs only, Shiba eats raw food/The Honest Kitchen) or make them a broth or tea type thing that I know they enjoy.
@Saya I am considering Raw. I have been studying for awhile and gathering recipes. What is a shiba 500? Just needed her to drink more. A bit dehydrated.
@ AWE46M3 That dog knows good water! Yoshi said she didn't like the water from last week. Said it tasted funny and the water previous was sweeter. Funny, the water we got from the spring was a bit cloudy. This week's water is much better. Clear.
Shiba 500 is when a shiba goes into race mode and runs all over the house like crazy. Saya does it after walks even after long 3hour hikes lol.
She'll zoom by if I try to catch her she'll make a grumble noise as she passes me. She goes more nuts If I run away from her then she chases me and yodels at me.
Most dogs are pretty good at drinking when they're thirsty. It's cats you have to worry about. Apparently cats that eat kibble only are in a chronic state of low level dehydration, which can lead to kidney disease later in life.
If you are really concerned about your dog's water intake, I would recommend getting a pet fountain, adding wet food to the diet, or switching to raw. Before feeding raw my dog would drink several times a day, but now he rarely goes over to the water bowl.
