Dog Won’t Drink Water: Top 6 Reasons Why

If your dog has stopped drinking water, you have a good reason to be worried. Dogs need to drink in order to remain healthy. Your dog can get seriously sick very quickly if they stop drinking enough water. You will want to know some of the common reasons for your dog to stop drinking so that you can be sure about when it is time to take your dog to the vet.

Dogs don’t drink enough water for a variety of different reasons.  If you are ready to learn some more about why your dog is not drinking enough water, you need to keep reading.

Top Reasons That Your Dog is Not Drinking Water

Listed below are the top 6 reasons:

1. Bladder Infection

A bladder infection is one of the most common reasons that dogs stop drinking water. This can be a very painful condition, and dogs are usually also not hungry when they have a bladder infection. If your dog has been urinating in places that it should not be, or if they are urinating more often than normal, this can indicate a bladder infection. When combined with a lack of thirst and hunger, this can indicate that your dog needs to see the vet for additional workup to get rid of the infection.

2. Old Age

Older animals can show a declining interest in food and water. This can be due to a lack of appetite or disruption of the normal signals that lead to thirst. Dogs that are older often have underlying conditions that leave them not feeling very good, which can lead to nausea and pain of various kinds. This can lead to a lack of thirst as well as a lack of interest in food. There are medications that can be used to help your older dog to feel better, and your vet can also make sure that your dog does not have a more serious condition going on that is causing them to stop drinking.

3. Ingestion of Poison or Bad Food

When dogs get into something that is bad for them, they can make themselves very sick. This might be something poisonous, or it could simply be food that has gone bad. When your dog has eaten something it should not have, this can lead to nausea, which causes a lack of appetite and a lack of thirst. This is often the very first early symptom of this problem, and it will eventually be accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea, and other serious symptoms.

Poisoning cases are often on a very short timeline, so if you think your dog might have been poisoned, you will need to get them to the vet right away.

4. Dental Issues

Dogs with sore mouths are often not interested in eating or drinking. This can lead to other significant health risks over time, and you will need to address the dental issue that your dog is suffering from right away. This might be broken teeth, abscesses, or dental disease. Dental problems can also impact your dog’s heart health, which is a very good reason to take this kind of problem seriously.

5. Bad Smelling Water

If you have recently moved to a new place and the water is different than your dog is used to, they might think that it smells bad and be unwilling to drink it. If their water has been contaminated in some way, they might also be unwilling to drink it until it is cleaned. Not every dog is really picky about the smell of their water, but in some cases, even the change from well water to city water can make a dog stop drinking. You might need to use a safe flavoring agent for their water until your dog gets used to the water in your new locations. If the water is just not clean, you will need to make sure that it is cleaned up so that your dog can drink it safely again.

6. Anxiety

Some dogs are prone to being anxious and fearful, and this can lead to an unwillingness to drink or to eat. Dogs that have been sacred in some way while drinking might connect the fear with the act of drinking. Issues with fighting between animals in your home over food and water can also cause anxiety in fearful dogs. You can resolve this problem by helping your dog to be more secure in its eating and drinking location and by separating dogs who should not eat or drink together.

Getting the help of a dog trainer can also make it easier to resolve this kind of issue. Your dog might need a creative solution to feel safe when drinking or eating, and professionals can offer this kind of solution in most cases. Dog trainers can be very helpful with complex behavioral issues or issues rooted in fear.

Contact a Veterinarian if Your Dog Won’t Drink Water

If your dog has stopped drinking, you need to figure out why quickly. Dogs cannot go too long without drinking enough water without getting sick. This is essential for your dog’s well-being, and you need to figure out how to resolve the reason for their lack of thirst is essential to your dog’s health. Working with a vet is essential to resolving the reason for your dog’s lack of thirst.

You will probably only have a few days to figure out why your dog is not drinking. Dogs need to drink to be healthy, and you will want to be sure that you take your dog’s lack of interest in water seriously. For more information, contact EVCC by calling one of our locations. You can trust us to help you and your pet whenever you need us.