How to get my puppy to drink water after switching to soft food?

Hi and thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I understand your concern here. I also assume that the age you put on here is incorrect since it says that Louis is already 1 years old. A puppy is considered to be under 1 year. You can simply place water from the faucet into a regular dog bowl and offer it to him. He should drink readily and know what to do from there. If he doesn't seem interested at first, you can place a few drops on your finger and offer it to his lips for him to lick off. Do this a few times and he should begin to drink on his own. You can also give him canned puppy food in the beginning, just in case he doesn't drink an adequate amount of water initially, and this can help supplement his water intake. I hope this helps! Best wishes moving forward with your puppy. Take care.

Deuce is old enough at this point to start eating hard food. You may want to either mix it with some canned food initially or soak the kibble in some warm water for a few minutes before feeding it to him to help soften it for him. Be sure you are still feeding him a high quality puppy food. Best of luck.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If Chowder is eating and playing fine he likely is getting enough water. If you are feeding him canned puppy food that has a lot more water in it than dry puppy food. If you are still nervous about the amount his is drinking add water to his canned or dry food. He is very young at 1 month and doesn't require as much water as an older puppy yet. Be careful about how much water you add to his food though, you do not wanting him getting a full belly from just water and not food. I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Puppies should eat three times a day until they are 4-6 months old. The bag of dog food you bought should say how much dog food to feed per day. Split that amount into 3 meals. Dogs will drink when they are thirsty, they don’t dehydrate if they are healthy. If you are feeding canned dog food there is excess water in it so dogs drink less. I wouldn’t force water as Pepper will drink when it’s necessary. Kisses to Pepper!

The milk replacer is all the pup needs until he starts eating solid food. There is enough water in the milk replacer. You can place a small amount of water in a flat dish and dip your finger in it. Then offer it to the pup to lick. That way the pup will start to learn how to lap water. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you get answers to your veterinary questions.

At this point mom has generally begun to wean her puppies. Offer water, regular dry kibble, kibble soaked in warm water and canned food. This does need to be a large breed puppy formula for the food. There’s a brand that makes a food specific for weaning puppies called Royal Canin and I recommend to pick some up at the pet store or online. You may need to smear some of the food on the puppy’s mouth so that it gets the idea. Also allow him to see mom eating so that he has the desire to copy her. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Fendi can start eating puppy food. I recommend using canned food first then transitioning to dry puppy food. You may need to add water to the dry food to soften it up for her to eat. You can also add puppy milk to the food so she is familiar with the food. Once she’s on the puppy food you can switch to regular water. I would have it available now so she gets used to it. Kisses to Fendi!