My dog won't drink much water, seems tired, and has bad breath. Why?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This depends on a lot of factors including if she is otherwise exhibiting any symptoms of sickness, if she is eating canned food which already has water in it, how much water she is actually having, among other things. If she is not drinking anything especially if having other symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite and/or lethargy, she should be evaluated as soon as possible to prevent dehydration and to investigate the cause. If she is otherwise doing well and is eating canned food, it would be ok to monitor her for another 12-24 hours and if not improved to have her evaluated by a veterinarian then. Hopefully she returns to normal and there is no need for a veterinary visit. Have a great day!

Poor Sister. Unfortunately there is no picture attached to your post, so I can't see her gums. Rotten breath could be due to something like dental disease. It's good she is eating, but I'm concerned she isn't drinking. I'd take her into a vet now to get checked out.

It's odd that it improved when the [Giardia](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/giardia/) was treated. My first suspicion for the ongoing odor is that she may be licking at her anal glands or eating her own (or someone else's) poop. Ideally, have her examined by a veterinarian just to make sure there are no wounds, irritation, etc in her mouth or throat that maybe contributing. You r vet can also check her anal glands to see if they seem full or irritated which could lead t her having a tendency to lick at them a lot. If her anal glands are fine, and her mouth is fine, use a daily product for dental health. [CET products](https://us.virbac.com/cet-veggiedent-fr3sh-dental-chew-for-dogs) contain chlorhexadine which kills bad breath causing bacteria. [Water additives](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zymox-oratene-water-additive) are great too. I hope thats helpful for you. Thanks for asking PetCoach! Good luck!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You can try and add in chicken broth to the water to see if this entices Miaya more to drink water. You will have to regularly change the water as the broth will spoil. I would change it out every 3 hours if you are going to do this. If she continues to not drink water, I would recommend having her examined by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Poor Ellie! This could be from teething or just a little tired if she didn’t sleep well or played too hard yesterday. It could also be due to certain viruses or parasites. Usually you would see other signs like loose stool or not eating but not always. If she continues to be lethargic I would have your vet take a look at her Your vet will be able to do a fecal and even blood work to ensure everything is okay. They will be able to give her some meds if needed. I hope this helps!

Poor Layz! If her breath smells terrible and is eating less than usual, I would suspect that she may have a dental problem. Dogs need regular dental care just like humans, and if they don't get it, they can develop severe gingivitis, a tooth root abscess, or a rotten tooth among other conditions. She would be eating less because it's painful for her to eat. I would give your vet a call today to set up an appointment for her. The vet can examine her mouth, and if they feel that there is a dental problem, will want to do a dental scaling, cleaning, and polishing. It's best for her health to have this checked out as soon as possible, as dental problems that are left untreated can lead to further health problems such as abscesses on the liver and heart infections. Best of luck!

It sounds as Buddy is suffering from a gastrointestinal condition, possibly an infection. it could also be due to ingestion of a foreign body material. i would recommend taking him to the vet the first chance you get, he will need to be checked first, if the vet thinks it's a simple gastrointestinal infection he will need an anti nausea injection (lip licking is a sign of nausea), antibiotics and a special food for a few days in order to get better.