# How to get Shoni to drink more water??



## Furbaby's Mommie (Jul 10, 2004)

Shoni has really concentrated urine. How do I get him to drink more water? I told the vet I thought his urine was so concentrated that I was worried about crystals and stones. She had me bring some in and called today and says "WOW, Shoni's urine in really concentrated!!" He has sturvite crystals also. He has clean filtered water but hardly ever drinks more then a couple of laps. I clean and refill it every morning and there is hardly any gone.

If I take him walking and he comes home panting, he doesn't even go to the water then. I can't figure how to get him to drink. :w00t:


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## momtoboo (Jan 30, 2006)

Dee, does Shoni like to eat crushed ice? Boo & Hannah love to munch on ice. Hard to imagine him not wanting water,I have to fill the water bowl multiple times a day. Didn't the vet have any suggestions or a possible reason why he won't drink water? Has he always been that way or just recently?


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## Furbaby's Mommie (Jul 10, 2004)

QUOTE (momtoboo @ Oct 2 2008, 06:12 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=644370


> Dee, does Shoni like to eat crushed ice? Boo & Hannah love to munch on ice. Hard to imagine him not wanting water,I have to fill the water bowl multiple times a day. Didn't the vet have any suggestions or a possible reason why he won't drink water? Has he always been that way or just recently?[/B]


He likes to knock a tiny ice cube around on the kitchen floor, crunch it, no. He did drink more when he was a puppy. However I have never had to refill the bowl during the day. The bowl is tiny, maybe a 1/2 cup. He does drink the water in his kiddy pool on the deck when playing in it, however I think playing in water season is over here.

The only suggestion the vet had was try flavoring it. How, with what, I haven't figured out. I don't want him having sweet or salt. Maybe a tiny bit of sweet? Our water is not hard, it is snow melt, so doesn't have a strong flavor, and I filter it to remove chlorine.


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## precious paws (Jun 7, 2006)

This may sound crazy, but I would try putting his water in a coffee cup. This has worked for many of my friend's dogs, including one that came home from the hospital very sick. She wouldn't drink. I suggested the coffee cup and it worked. lol. Silly doggies!


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## coco (Sep 20, 2006)

I have the same problem with Coco. I worry all the time because she just doesn't drink enough water. Thanks for the tip on the coffee cup. I'll try the coffee cup. That's a great idea. Thanks!


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## momtoboo (Jan 30, 2006)

Does Shoni like apples? Maybe you could smoosh a bit of fresh apple juice into his water. Boo & Hannah love apples. Is Shoni on a special diet? I don't want to suggest anything that might interfere with his tummy or diet. And as mentioned above, try another type bowl. Boo used to drink out of a stainless steel bowl until Hannah arrived with her ceramic donut bowl, then he would only drink water from that bowl.


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## Toby's Mom (May 7, 2004)

I just went through this problem with Toby a few months ago. I actually bought a syringe and was forcing him to drink water. He was not a happy camper about that! LOL 

What ended up working for us, was to buy some canned dog food (we used Merricks) and mixed water with the food! OHMIGOD, it was so much easier than trying to force him to drink water and Toby was thrilled with the food/water combo; he never knew the difference!


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## jen_hedz (Mar 5, 2008)

I'm glad I read this thread. Neither of my 2 drink much water at all. I guess I never realized it could be a problem, I just figured they would drink when they were thirsty. After reading this I now know I have to try to find a way to get my fluffs to drink more water. So I'll be trying the suggestions too.


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## oiseaux (Feb 16, 2008)

Some things I do that help with water intake:
- I try to praise Uno each time he drinks water and usually say "Drink water...good boy." He drinks out of a Lixit water bottle with a rollerball at the end. I also use to interrupt play from time to time and suggest a water break so he doesn't forget to stay hydrated if he's super excited from playing. Now he does the breaks on his own and will stop play as needed to go in to pee or to drink water and then he comes back and we resume whatever we were doing.
- I sometimes add water to his food.
- I give him fruits and veggies with high water content throughout the day.
- On hot days, I leave a small bowl out with cool water as well.


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## bonniesmom (Jun 2, 2008)

Just a thought or two - try changing the water every few hours so it's always cool and fresh. Eloise refused to drink water
that had been sitting out for too long - she would just walk away from the bowl, but if I went and filled it with cold fresh water,
she would lap it up. Bonbon is not quite so picky, but I do refill it three or four times a day, and when she sees me refill the
bowl and put it down, she'll often go to it and drink. You could also try putting an ice cube in the water and see if he finds
that interesting. I guess these kids can be as finicky about their water as about their food! :smpullhair:


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## 08chrissy08 (Sep 19, 2008)

Jazz is a good drinker, but Rocky wasn't. The water had to be really fresh and it had to be running. I got one of those water dishes that constantly runs the water through it. He seemed to like that a lot.


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## Harley & Dakotas Mum (Jun 11, 2005)

QUOTE (PRECIOUS PAWS @ Oct 3 2008, 11:55 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=644394


> This may sound crazy, but I would try putting his water in a coffee cup. This has worked for many of my friend's dogs, including one that came home from the hospital very sick. She wouldn't drink. I suggested the coffee cup and it worked. lol. Silly doggies! [/B]


I was going to suggest trying a different container for his water also.

I have 2 water bowls inside, which Dakota uses all the time, and I also have an indoor small watering can with a small opening at the top (to fill it) - and Harley prefers to drink out of this! I keep a small watering can for him outside also. He likes to drink from a small opening - go figure!! He would also drink out of the hose pipe until he burst if I let him! I realise its probably not the right time of year for you to try that though.

So maybe try a few different types of containers, and see if any of them take his fancy?


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## Maidto2Maltese (Oct 19, 2004)

You could try adding a tiny bit of low-sodium chicken/beef broth ( or use 'home-made ) . Naddie doesn't drink enough for my liking and going on the assumption she is part Bichon ( who tend to be proned to crystals/stones by breed) I really want her to 'flush" . 
I do add a bit of water to her food so she gets "some" that way. 
Sometimes I put a small bit of water in her dish and add a few drops of tuna water into the water....letting her lick a bit off my finger and see me put the tuna water into bowl will usually get her to drink.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Get a flowing water fountain bowl. The cat-sized one works perfectly. My dogs love to hang out and play with the water. 

No-sodium chicken broth is also a good way to encourage drinking. 

Feeding canned food also increases water intake.


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## susie and sadie (Jun 22, 2005)

I've had the exact same problem with Susie & Sadie. It all started when I switched them to a home cooked diet. I guess the extra moisture in the food made them feel like they didn't need to drink water, and their urine became dark and concentrated. They drink almost no water on their own now, so I add a little to their food plus I give them some throughout the day with a few drops of organic, unsweetened apple juice added to get them to drink it. 

I Hope you find something that helps. I know how frustrating it can be when they won't drink!


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## Furbaby's Mommie (Jul 10, 2004)

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I tried putting his water in a teacup last evening and he actually drank half a cup of it in the couple of hours we were watching TV. (Cons--we got up and took him out to potty at 5 AM  ). That same cup may not work today---but I think putting water in something different is what got him, so I'll try different cups or containers. 

I'm going to look for the kitty water fountain. Since he likes to lick any flowing water outside it should be good. He has been eating some canned food every day, and doesn't like canned food that is runny so I don't think mixing water in it will work.

Really some good ideas!!


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