 My puppy could drink an entire pool.
#280980 - 06/22/2010 12:44 PM |
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Reg: 04-17-2010
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Can you guys explain to me how much water to give my dog based on his weight? I know how much time outside and working out changes it, but just as a general rule. I don't leave food and water down for him. He gets everything in his kennel from me.
The problem is that he will drink drink drink until he will throw up, then more often than not he will eat his throw up. This is always the case. I could give him tons of water and the next time I set more water down he drinks like that again.
So is that normal? I just don't understand why he is drinking so much because it seems way disproportionate to his size.
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Re: My puppy could drink an entire pool.
[Re: Spencer Martin ]
#280982 - 06/22/2010 01:07 PM |
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I might schedule a vet appt.
Excessive thirst could be a ton of things. But living in Arizona in June could also be the cause, I guess. 
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Re: My puppy could drink an entire pool.
[Re: Spencer Martin ]
#280985 - 06/22/2010 01:12 PM |
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I really don't know about the qty of water that should be consumed based on weight. Interesting question but I don't think there is one unless there is a medical reason to restrict. Maybe someone else knows and we both learn something!
Mine will drink in excess, I don't restrict water so my solution has been to put smaller amounts in the bowl and let them drink and have a rest period and then will put in a little more, etc. If they are really hot or after exercise, I will give them some ice cubes to work on until they settle down and then offer the smaller amounts of water per drink. Your guy is young so I doubt this would apply but there are some disease process that create a cycle of drinking (diabetes...) but something to consider regardless of age!
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Re: My puppy could drink an entire pool.
[Re: aimee pochron ]
#280986 - 06/22/2010 01:16 PM |
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Maybe because the water isn't available all the time he is "hoarding?" Limiting access to it might have made it unnecessarily high-value to him. What if you just gave him access to all the water he wanted, all the time?
(This suggestion assumes the vet finds no medical reason for increased thirst.)
ETA: I've noticed this kind of behavior in my own dogs, which is why it occured to me. When we take the dogs RV camping, it's not convenient to keep a bowl of water in the RV sloshing around while we drive. So on those 2-week trips, the dogs only get water a couple of times a day. At these times, they act like water hogs and do the same thing you're describing--drinking way more than they really need and way too fast. Not, IMO, because they are extra thirsty but because the water is now a novelty.
When they are at home and the water bowl is down all the time, they hardly every stop for a drink. (Mine are raw-fed, and the food's mostly water, so they don't drink much ordinarily.)
Cinco | Jack | Fanny | Ellie | Chip | Deacon |
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Re: My puppy could drink an entire pool.
[Re: aimee pochron ]
#280988 - 06/22/2010 01:19 PM |
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I have been around a few dogs like this. I had a pitty foster that would pee WHILE drinking. I did like Aimee said and just put a small amount of water in his bowl several times a day.
I attributed it to an obsessive compulsive behavior. The vets found nothing wrong and he could be redirected and trained to leave it.
My current Shepherd pup was like this when we brought her home from the breeder. Not drinking to the point of puking but I think it was because I didn't let it get that far. After her switch to raw, the problem was gone. Even on Orijen, there was so much salt in the food.
What do you feed your dog?
If it's kibble, what brand?
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Re: My puppy could drink an entire pool.
[Re: Tracy Collins ]
#280989 - 06/22/2010 01:22 PM |
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Maybe because the water isn't available all the time he is "hoarding?" Limiting access to it might have made it unnecessarily high-value to him. What if you just gave him access to all the water he wanted, all the time?
(This suggestion assumes the vet finds no medical reason for increased thirst.)
Ditto.
What is the reasoning for not leaving water out for him all the time?
Some dogs drink a lot on their own, some hardly any (I happen to have a camel :grin  . I'd be curious to know, on a cool, low activity day, how much your pup would naturally drink if he had free access to water... I assume you've tried this?
You could try giving him free access to small amounts of water, say, a few cups at a time, refilled within an hour of finishing. Or you could try giving him ice cubes, which, while Oscar's dentist says are as bad as rec bones to chew on, both melt slowly for licking at, or provide "bite-sized" servings of water.
Have you tried any of the above yet? The throwing up is definitely not good if it's a regular occurrence, but assuming it's not health related, you might be able to still give him more water without the risk of excessive intake by either giving him all the access he wants, or just "serving" him differently.
~Natalya
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Re: My puppy could drink an entire pool.
[Re: Niomi Smith ]
#280991 - 06/22/2010 01:25 PM |
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After her switch to raw, the problem was gone. Even on Orijen, there was so much salt in the food.
What do you feed your dog?
If it's kibble, what brand?
That's a great question. My raw-fed dog that really only drinks after exercise on a scorching hot day will drink almost immediately after a training session using kibble as treats (they make the perfect sized bits for marker work).
~Natalya
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Re: My puppy could drink an entire pool.
[Re: Natalya Zahn ]
#280996 - 06/22/2010 01:32 PM |
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Not sure how old your pup is---but I DID limit access to water after, say, 8:00 p.m. when my pups were really little (under 5 months old.) This helped with the pup sleeping through the night instead of having to pee at 2 a.m. Aside from that I see no reason to limit a dog's access to drinking water. Food, yes--that comes at mealtimes, from me. But water's free.
Cinco | Jack | Fanny | Ellie | Chip | Deacon |
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Re: My puppy could drink an entire pool.
[Re: Michael_Wise ]
#280997 - 06/22/2010 01:33 PM |
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Reg: 09-28-2009
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Loc: Alaska
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When my older dog had kidney problems it was useful to measure the actual amount the dog was drinking every day to see if what you're observing as a 'ton' of water actual measures out that way. Urine output is another thing to consider. Large amounts of clear looking urine may be an indication of kidney issues, but not always.
There are plenty of other medical issues that could result in increased water consumption including thyroid issues.
However, if he's perky and eating well, he may just be over-eager at the water bowl. I'd suggest limiting the amount of water you make available for each watering, and increasing the number of times you offer water per day.
Or let him free water unless you have a good reason you are not doing this.
I've definately seen very thirsty dogs throw up from drinking too fast- especially if the water is cold.
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Re: My puppy could drink an entire pool.
[Re: Tracy Collins ]
#281001 - 06/22/2010 01:51 PM |
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Maybe because the water isn't available all the time he is "hoarding?" Limiting access to it might have made it unnecessarily high-value to him. What if you just gave him access to all the water he wanted, all the time?
Well, that is a good point and I definitely thought about it being a psychological problem. I actually started that today. This morning I was talking to my wife and I suggested that we give him continuous water until he stops drinking. Then in a couple hours do it again. And again. To say the least he has drank a crap ton of water, excuse my wording but wow. I think he has drank his body weight <---exaggerating. I'm going to try this for a couple of days and see where it takes us.
As some of you might know we are SERIOUSLY considering feeding raw but for now we are feeding Solid Gold. He just went to the vet yesterday to get his rabies shot (had to in order to register him!) and it came with a free exam.
The vet said he looks great, teeth are awesome, heart and lungs good! I had decided before we left for the vet I was going to base a lot of my opinion about him on whether or not he supported raw and he did! He just said to do my research and supplement well! Cool huh?!
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