I REALLY need help with this
 

I've tried everything. I mean it. New bowls. unsalted chicken broth. Unsalted beef. Almond milk, Kafir (although it's not for fluid so much) Pedialyte flavored and unflavored. Ice. Room temp water. Cold water. Metal bowl. Plastic bowl. Ceramic bowl. Clear bowl. Waiting her out, and she didn't drink FOR FOUR DAYS. She was drinking, finally, out of her bowl and then my daughter touched it.. and she stopped. Finally got her again, and then she got sick with this latest bout and stopped. I've told the vets. I've been told it's a behavioral issue, and to just wait her out. When she got sick the first time I posted this latest bout, I got the after hours ER docs, and I told the tech my fears, and for the first time insisted that I try the broth, and didn't get told to wait her out. Yeah, well, the doc yanked her off of any food but the I/d and boiled hamburger. Today I caved and gave her a strawberry and she was so dang thirsty she gulped it. Gave her an ice cube, one lick and that was it. Our trainer is aware. The problem is Chewie will drink from our water bottles in front of her only every so often, and stops for days. I don't know if intense therapy is what's supposed to happen or not. I'm rambling, but this really scares me. I know she needs only 4oz a day, but none is a not what she is supposed to be doing. Yes.. it's in her food. That's nice. She needs to drink. :( I am very tempted to go to whole foods, get strawberry juice, freeze it, and let her do that. I really need ideas.

I hear your fear... I just want to ask question. She will ONLY drink strawberry juice? She eats other food?

My last girl LOVED to drink water from a glass lol. I had no prob. with her drinking like your lil missy, she just LOVED it out of a glass lol. Do you have a short glass like a "over the rocks" glass, it should be short enough for her to get her lil mug in it. 4 days with no water would have me in a thither. I freaked out if mine didn't drink in 24 hours, we were off to the vet, fortunately I have a 24/7 Vet. Instead of canned chic broth why not try boiling a couple of chic thighs, let it cool, skim off the fat and put a teaspoon in a small amount of water. Canned stuff to me has a canned taste to it, maybe fresh she would like it better. Hope you get some answers on things you haven't tried yet, although it sounds like you tried everything.

She'll drink Kafir (never spell it right) But that's for her tummy. Almond milk, unsalted chicken broth natural chicken broth. However, we had to pull all of that. I added the strawberry against doctor's orders because she won't drink.

She'll eat anything you give her except kibble. Her tummy thinks otherwise and boiled foods or fromms is what we keep her on. This was before the allergy.

Matese: thank you,. That's not against doc orders. She did say boiled food was alright if I/D didn't work. I will TRY that tonight. I will remain optimistic because she does like broth.

When she does not drink does she show signs of dehydration?

What are the signs of dehydration in dogs?
Sunken eyes.
Dry gums.
Lethargy.
Loss of skin elasticity – use your thumb and forefinger to pinch a little skin on your pet's back or top of their head. ...
Weakness, collapse

I don't see my post so I'm not sure it posted but are you seeing signs of dehydration when she refuses to drink? Do you use a potty pad so you can count pees?

Oh there's my post, I see it now

Where are you getting the water from? Have you tried filtered and bottles water? Does her food have moisture in it or is she eating a dry food?

She pees a lot; not too much but definitely nothing to worry about. we have three pads out, and by the end of the night she has 3-4 spots (and not small ones) on each mat. I saw the post above. No, she's never gotten to that point. When she had pancreatitis, yes, that was a time she was dehydrated. She'll get to the point where she licks our hands and my hand is sticky. Then I'll cluck after her until she angrily drinks about an ounce. This might be from a variety of different things, and it's tedious. The last few days, I've added a few ounces of unsalted broth to her I/D food both meals and snack with some crumbles of boiled hamburger on top. I did it before vet permission, but soon after I posted on here, I saw her message from yesterday afternoon giving me permission to drop some in there. I saw the recipe from above and will probably do that one instead. She won't eat for husband and is NOT pleased with the consistency, but I'm getting the fluid into her that way. I'm very afraid that she'll refuse that and we are back to square one.

Her fromms isn't watered down. We used to give her water in kibble but, after that bout with pancreatitis, she will not touch dried food for meals. Fromms is snacks or when we are gone for the day and we'll feed her out of snack bags. She thinks it's snack and not "food" that way. However, her boiled food? I'll leave quite a bit of water in the bottom of the pot and pour it in there with the food. One in the carbs and one in the meat. I will then mix it together by hand to soak up the water. The I/D food in the post above, which I was asked to keep her on for at least another week has also has added moisture.
Water is definitely bottled. My son is severely autistic.. and, well, comes from a city with a hot spot of developmentally delayed children. We might have moved from there, but I'm firmly convinced that the perchlorate found in the Sacramento area and in the well water as a result (which the city draws from) is the cause. I have never since then touched anything but Bottled water. Filtered is for cooking. Call me paranoid.. but, I just can't risk it. Not Chewie, and not us. Not even guests in the home.

I want to honor your love and concern for your dear pup, and I feel a bit remiss reading your post that I do not know the quantity intake of my own little lady- but I feel like perhaps I am missing something, if she is passing sufficient urine (like counting diapers for babies) then she is getting adequate water intake is she not? Are there other signs or tendencies in her behavior that indicate a cause for concern?

Of course! Let me explain. she's small and I understand how easily dehydration can set in. She's fed twice a day. One snack. So no matter how much fluid I put in, there are hours that she isn't Getting any. Before I'd give her a few helpings of fresh fruit, so she'd get some hydration from that. But, the fact that she gets close to the edge- sticky spit- is a huge concern. It concerns me a lot that she's peeing but no matter what happens, there are literally days that go by before she'll lap out of the bowl. I've marked it, that's how bad it's gotten. What happens when she suddenly refuses her I/D food or boiled food? This has happened in the past. I was told by a doc that if you are at the point where spit is sticky, then dehydration can set in VERY fast. Why, if she's not drinking water is she peeing? Those are valid concerns. Not drinking out of the bowl is a concern, but beyond all of that, dehydration is a big big issue. she will even tip the bowl over if it's ikn her crate for the night. so she wakes up SUPER thirsty and it really shows. Hang on, she's snapping at my daughter and eating the homework. not joke. I can add more later if you have more questions.

Have you thought about forcing small amounts of water with a syringe? Just a small amount is fairly easy to squeeze down the inside of the cheek. I've done this when my boy has been a little sick and refusing to drink. I'll give him a little every 20 mins or so just till I feel he's not dehydrated. They can get dehydrated very quickly and then require IV fluids.

I completely understand! Lol, also about having an autistic son and children whose homework is being eaten! How tiny is your little gal? It is hard how very picky these ladies can be! :eek: I have definitely spoon fed wet food and Pedialyte, I am grateful we are not on a medically restricted diet- what an amazing challenge you guys have. It sounds like you are doing everything you can to make sure she stays regulated and is in taking fluid and keeping a close and watchful eye on your baby- what a lucky girl! :yorkieg:

As far as the syringe... I'll try, but even now she's on Flagyl for her intestines, just in case of swelling from her bouts this past two weeks. She'll take it if it's in a spoon. Not in a syringe. She becomes a sumo wrestler and Chuck norris in one. Like a Steven Universe fusion. Syringes and her don't mix. It's a fantastic suggestion, though, and just maybe we can do it every four hours or so. Perhaps it will sink in to Her Stubbornejesty that drinking from the bowl is easier.

:). My Ky is doing a lot better, but it took him being in a home where everything is the same, and medical staff can handle his violent outbursts. He's not quite old enough for the second tentative dx, so, meanwhile, the staff is getting him to speak again and keeping him calm. My daughter is, lord bless her, a slob. We call her room the no mans land. She left it open, and chews grabbed her notecard for a project and proceeded to chomp on it. We stopped the snapping at daughter, but we told daughter if it wasn't on the floor, she wouldn't have grabbed it. I pried it out of her mouth the little she hung on to. Before that ,she found a nice treasure- a starburst wrapper and ran with it. Chewie can't ever stay at 5 pounds. I mean, no matter what. She's always between 3.8 and 4.3 at almost 11 months. I don't know about a few years from now, but right now she's sticking there. Funny about the pedialyte mention. Hubby and I were almost ready to buy flavored pedialyte, and still might do it. Hmm! Usually she will be offered unflavored, as all I can find is grape flavor. And artificial or not, I dunno that grape is the best. Walgreens has bubblegum so maybe we can try it

Why are you so concerned about how much water she is drinking? I have multiple pups and I honestly couldn't tell you who drinks what on any given day.

For the life of me I don't know why you are giving her all that stuff??!?!

They get dehydrated from being sick and having vomiting and diarrhea. Once that happens, giving fluids by mouth will not pull them out of it...they need IVs. Healthy pups don't need encouragement to drink. Leave fresh water out at all times and she will drink it if she needs it.

As for food...if she is going to stay on a low fat diet, I suggest you get her used to dog food. I think I mentioned Purina EN to you before...maybe ask your vet if you could use that? Otherwise, you are going to need to get her on a diet with supplements.

I have a 3.5 lb male and I don't know the last time I saw him drink water.
I never think about dehydration in my pups when they are healthy.

If she urinates enough, she is probably fine.

Since you clearly worried; however, have you considered something like this:

Dog Water Bottle, FATPET® 400 ML Pet Dog Water Bottle with Automatically Feeding Water Beige https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01827UTNK..._TqK1xbK5D38KW

The low fat diet when she isn't sick isn't because she needs it. I mean, yeah, the three times now she's been sick it's been boiled food or the I/D and believe me when I say, I give her two types of fruits, two types of veggies, the fromms and a boiled diet. Training treats at training time. That's it. It's because she very honestly does NOT like her food. When this is over I REALLY am hoping to just get her to eat the dang fromms with water. However, if we start her slowly back on.. let's say fromms, and it turns out it wasn't those treats I have it in my calendar to ask about the EN. Thank you, I'll take your suggestion seriously if the time comes.

I'm giving her that stuff because she came to us not drinking and not eating. Take her food- she is in a ready to flee position while eating even now. She stretches and looks skittish like she'll run at any point. She IS thirsty when she wakes up ,and refuses to drink at all. I watch her all morning and nothing and in the afternoons I'll watch her, but not as much. It's why I now mark it. This is why I actually brought it up. You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that OTHER dogs do this. I have looked and looked and looked for months. I get what to do if they don't eat. Drinking seems to have very little resources. Honestly, I should have brought this up months ago. It's like a huge freaking weight is off of my shoulders. If her saliva is sticky, well, I certainly put fluids into her food, and her food is wet. I do want to bring up that we live in AZ and it's quite dry here. Yes... if it's dehydration fluids from doctor. I don't want her at that point. Your blunt comment actually made me a happy person. :D.

Mazoo, yeah, heh, we might just cave and get that. I'm guessing that it can't hurt and probably will be more fun for her.

Again, lol, thank you. Honestly, this is why I actually brought this up. It's driving me batty. I had BIG dogs growing up and they drank like camels. I asked other friends with little dogs. One has four maltese, and one a yorkie mix. each said, uh, they just go to the bowl and drink. NO information and puzzled looks. I specifically asked if you ever saw them drink regularly. The one with the multiple dogs said her dogs are especially eager to drink in the mornings. I've also tried for the last two months to google this. I finally just threw my hands up and said I"m DONE. I have to ask someone who has experience.

I could tell...LOL. Trust me, when I am blunt it is not to be mean...it is simply the way I see it. I am trying to let you know you can RELAX a bit! :) You say she is thirsty in the morning...you don't know that. Stop checking her spit! The only time I have ever checked my pups for dehydration was when they appeared to be ill and that is done by touching their gums or by lifting the skin on their backs. If running around and eating and playing, I leave them be.

She is getting water in the foods you give her...even if you don't see it. Little dogs simply don't drink like big dogs ... the bigger they are the more they need and it is more obvious with the big ones because it is a larger volume of needed water.

When my son was in first grade, someone told me to have another. LOL that was so I would stop focusing so much on him. Maybe you need another pup? :p:D:);)

She is lucky to have you as a mom! I mean none of this to say otherwise...you care so much and that is obvious! :thumbup:

Poor you, it's so worrying when they don't drink. I've done the same with my girl using a syringe, a spoon, a small glass, sometimes dipped my finger in the water and let her lick it or even just dampened around her mouth and she hasn't been able to resist licking her chops! Would you be able to try goats milk or small spoon of natural yoghurt?

Wishing you well

I guess it's good that she will not eat Kibble. It's important that she eat moist food. You might add some extra fluid to whatever moist food she eats. Using a syringe to give fluids is also a good idea. Just give her a few drops at a time and let her lap it up slowly.
Don't give up. Hydration is important to rid the body of toxins.

Seriously....is this pup sick or healthy? How does her blood work look? Does your vet think there is something wrong with her?
Please....if not...then let her be a dog.... she will end up neurotic. Syringing water into a healthy dog? I have not ever done that...and honestly if you need to syringe water into a pup it is sick and probably needs to be in a hospital.

Sorry to disagree with a few of the posters here, but I hate seeing people read this kind of stuff and overreact and do things that just are not necessary...AND that won't save the life of a pup that IS dehydrated...if they dehydrate they don't need to be at home!!!! Period.

OH...and as for kibble...I have pups who eat kibble daily. Each of my pups is on different foods and none of them are dehydrating. The only time they have, they have been ill.

Always provide fresh and clean drinking water...when they need it, they WILL drink it.

Then she is getting water in her food so she's probably ok unless your vet seems worried.

I would be extremely careful doing this because they could breathe it in and end up with pneumonia.

Seriously, I can't thank you enough. Chewie has always been a laid back dog, but she very definitely has energy and plays.

LOL about the pup. Right?! I could use this as an excuse. :D And, thank you for your kind words. I know chewie isn't my "child" but I love her as if she were, and my family has fallen under her spell, too. :)

No, she got water with kibble. It's been like this since the beginning, so it's the first thing I did.

Thank you for your encouragement. I've decided to take Lady Jane's advice to a T. Not only because she has a lot of common sense advice, but it's because she really DOES know what she's talking about. If she gets sick, I'll worry at that point. Today, after this post, it's like she can read my mind. I was talking to daughter and she just as calmly as you please walked up and drink half the bowl as my mouth hung open. She got praise and she looked at me like, listen, mommy, you're a weirdo. Not a big deal. I wiped her beard for her and she just trotted off and dropped her favorite lovey at my feet. I had to laugh.