My puppy on antibiotics is drinking less water. When to call vet?

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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! How likely this is to happen depends on the exact medication you are giving. However, this is a possible side effect to medications like antibiotics for instance. I recommend that you contact the veterinarian who prescribed this medication to see how likely this is to see if it should be discontinued or at least the dose decreased or perhaps there is another issue going on. Also, if he is not drinking water, he may be getting dehydrated in which case a veterinary evaluation is indicated. Good luck and have a good night!

Hello Beverly! Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Abbi. I can understand why you are worried about her. The nose being warm and dry is not a sign of illness. A dog's nose can go from wet and cold to warm and dry just by laying next to a heat source or in the sun. Now it is concerning she won't drink water. Feed her canned food and add water to it. I would have her seen by a vet in the morning if she still isn't drinking water. Best of luck.

Canned food has a high water content, so it can be normal for dogs to stop drinking much water when they are eating canned food. You might want to talk to your vet about testing Sadie's urine specific gravity and urine pH after she's been on the food for a few weeks to make sure they are in the ideal range for a dog with bladder stones. If so you probably don't have to worry about encouraging her to drink more water.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Romeo. Wet food has a very high moisture content. So dogs eating this type of food drink less water than when eating kibble. If he is exercising less, this will cause him to drink less as well. As long as he is eating and acting normal, then you do not likely need to be concerned. You can always follow up with his veterinarian, but I suspect he is fine. I hope this information helps!

It could be that Remy is teething and that's why he's not eating as much. You can try soaking his food in gently warmed low sodium beef or chicken broth, or you try mixing together dry food and canned food. If he's still not eating much in another 48 hours, I would bring him back into the vet for a health check.

Your food has more natural water so his consumption will decrease. Cooked meat and fruit have a higher water content than dry food so he is picking up the extra there. As long as he is growing and playful I would not worry. I would look into adding a starch such as rice and potatoes though