My dog won't drink water after being sick. How to get him to drink?

She is going to drink less on that bland diet because those foods hold a lot of moisture. She is getting liquid and water through the food so her intake is less. You can add chicken broth or extra water to the food to encourage her to get more if she is eating well.

She may not have a drive to drink if she received iv fluids during her procedures and you are meeting what she needs through her diet. If she is otherwise happy with normal appetite and energy level and no vomiting or diarrhea you can continue monitoring. If any of these change in addition to not drinking then that would be more concerning as dehydration could ensue. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

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!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If the dental surgery was yesterday I would give it some more time for the interest in water to come back. I've seen this commonly post operatively where the patient does not want to eat or drink for 1-3 days after the procedure and is then fine after. If she is not taking in any water at all, you can syringe feed her some water throughout the day to ensure she is taking in enough water. Adding moisture to the kibble will give her water but likely not enough if you are only adding a small amount. I would add in 1/2-1 cup of water to the kibble and see how she does with this. If the decreased thirst continues beyond 2-3 days, I would call your veterinarian again and discuss this with him / her over the phone about what they would like you to do next. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you kindly!

Sounds like Thor had a major health issue. Poor guy. You don't need to give him anything special for hydration, just keep fresh water available at all times. If Thor was given fluids at the vet's office, he just might not need the water yet. I'd recommend putting out a fresh bowl now and measuring how much water you put in with a measuring cup, and checking what's left in 24 hours to see how much he's consuming. If it seems like less than usual, call your vet with an update and ask for their advice - he might need more treatment. If at any point he seems weak, pale, or lethargic, check in with you local vet sooner. I hope Thor is feeling better soon!

I would try feeding her boiled chicken, hamburger, or turkey and rice. You can also try feeding her things like scrambled eggs, low-fat cottage cheese, or chicken baby food. The other thing I would try is buying some canned puppy food for her and adding warm water to it to make it into a soup for her. Anything you can add some water to will help to keep her somewhat hydrated. You can also offer her low-sodium chicken broth for some fluids.

You can always try Gatorade, pedialyte or chicken broth to help give flavor and extra calories with electrolytes. If Chopper is not a fan of these options you can talk to your vet about how to give fluids under the skin (SQ) at home to help.