Dog Not Drinking Water And Lethargic

What Else Should I Monitor If My Dog Has Increased Thirst

4 Reasons Why Your Dog Has Stopped Drinking Water

If your dog is experiencing polydipsia, it is important to watch for other symptoms as well. When dogs have excessive thirst, it is usually because of an underlying condition. This can be especially true in our beloved senior dogs. Keep an eye out for these other symptoms that sometimes accompany increased thirst:

Increased urination
Dry, sticky-like gums
Delayed skin tent

If you notice any of these symptoms and/or increased water consumption, promptly make an appointment with your vet. The sooner you figure out why your dog is drinking so much water the sooner your vet can start treatment.

My Dog Is Acting Lethargic: Causes & How To Help

Old Age Disorientation Depression

Dogs who just get older become calmer and calmer and if theyre lethargic but still drink and eat normally, everything might be okay with your dogs health charts.

Disorientation, restlessness, or paranoia are serious symptoms and should be addressed.

If your senior dog is not only lethargic but stares at random points inside the house, is disoriented and circles a lot, you might look into canine dementia.

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Is Obesity To Blame For Lethargy In Dogs

One of the biggest causes of exercise intolerance in dogs and lethargy is obesity. Dogs who are carrying too much weight are at greater risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes, as well as debilitating life-limiting conditions including arthritis.

Being obese is a serious impediment to your pets welfare. However, all is not lost if you’re concerned about your pet. Many daytime vet practices will provide free weight checks and give advice on diet and exercise.

Puppies need a lot of rest. On average, they will sleep for between 15 and 20 hours a day and this is essential to their healthy development. But, during waking hours, puppies should be full of energy. If you have a puppy who is constantly tired and listless, you should contact your vet straight away as this is almost certainly a sign of an underlying problem. Lethargy is a symptom of a wide range of illnesses that can affect puppies, including parvovirus, pneumonia, anaemia, fever, congenital heart disease and malnutrition.

Why Won’t My Dog Eat Food But Will Eat Treats

Chances are, your furbaby is spoiled or picky. Some dogs are skipping meals and waiting for treats because they just prefer the taste of treats.

Treats are delicious and can be a handy way to reward and praise your precious pooch. When given too liberally, however, treats can become far more appealing than actual food, causing some dogs to turn their nose up at their regular food and demand only treats.

It might also be that your pup is bored with their food or doesnt much like it. In these cases, it might be time to look at a new brand of food. Aim for the best quality you can afford, and maybe drizzle some warm water over it to release those tempting odors.

Change In Water Source

Many dogs are sensitive to the taste of the water that they are commonly offered.

For example, a dog that has always been offered tap water from a municipal water source may find drinking well water off-putting if the family moves to a new home in the country.

Likewise, if your dog is accustomed to drinking distilled or bottled water and you switch to tap water, he may drink less than he should.

In these situations, try to help your dog gradually adjust to the new water by mixing the two types and slowly phasing out the old water type until your dog accepts the new water.

Metabolic And Organic Diseases

Congestive heart failure is a frequent health issue affecting the elderly, but dogs go through the same problems as they age. The symptoms become more noticeable as the condition worsens. Lack of oxygen will make the dog tire easily, so your pet will appear weak and lethargic. As the dog doesnt exercise much at this age, his need for water decreases. The condition is not curable, but drugs can alleviate the symptoms and sustain heart function.

Diabetes is a condition that usually affects middle-aged dogs, and is more prevalent in female overweight dogs. Although diabetes first presents itself with excessive water consumption, in many cases owners wont notice somethings wrong with their pet until the dog becomes weak and lethargic or when the dog goes blind, as the disease causes cataracts.

However, with the right medication and dietary changes a dog can lead a pretty normal life and die of old age.

Hypoglycemia is the opposite of diabetes, causing low blood sugar. It also causes weakness and seizures.

Liver disease is another health issue causing symptoms like weakness, loss of appetite, and lethargy. Depending on the cause, the disease might require medical treatment, dietary changes, or even surgery.

Other health conditions causing lethargy in dogs include tumors, anemia, trauma,

and pain. The might might also refuse to drink if hes been poisoned or bitten by a snake.

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Story #1 Adopted Dog Not Drinking

We adopted a Shih Tzu thats about five years old. Its out first time owning a dog and we have been super excited about her joining the family. Its been about seven months since and I am concerned because she isnt drinking as much water as we think she should be drinking. I currently use a standard dog water bowl that sits in a holder. I tried using different bowls in the past such as a bowl that sits on the floor and also tried filling up the bowl to various levels. None of this have changed my dogs drinking behavior. She does drink water when we accidentally spill it or have the faucet running. She just doesnt drink that much from the bowl.

My Dog Refuses To Go Out For A Walk

How to Make a Dog Drink Water (When He Doesn’t Want to)

Arguably the most worrying canine behavior of all is refusing to exercise. If your dog lays and stares at you when you call for walkies, take action.

Confirm that your dogs refusal to go outside is not due to external factors. Many dogs loathe the rain, and refuse to walk in wet conditions.

Try to encourage your dog to go for a walk. Techniques for this include:

Change your command word. If your dog is disinterested in exercise, walkies will become an unwelcome word. Use a different term, like, lets go out.
Start small. If your dog is lethargic, a hike of multiple miles will be unwelcome and potentially traumatic. Re-introduce walkies with gentle strolls around the block, gradually increasing the distance covered.
Invite another, friendly dog on the walk. If your pet is social, this may be the encouragement they need. If walking means spending time with their friends, many dogs will start to enjoy it.

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Cost Of Refusing To Drink

The cost of treating a dogs refusal to drink depends on the cause. Making fluids more readily available to an aging dog costs nothing. Urinary tract infections might cost around $350 to treat. Tooth fractures, dislocation, or loss cost an average of $850. Tooth root abscess costs $1200 on average. The average cost of treating mouth cancer is $12,000.

Worried about the cost of treating your pet’s symptoms?

Pet Insurance covers the cost of many common pet health conditions. Prepare for the unexpected by getting a quote from top pet insurance providers.

Be Patient With Your Dog

The psychological reasons your dog is lethargic arent fixed in a day. It might take time to narrow down the root issues.

Once youve done that, your dog needs your time and patience to get through whatever is troubling them.

Dogs who refuse food can lose weight and suffer some health issues as a result.

If your dogs anorexia is pronounced, you might need to entice them into eating while the underlying problems get solved.

You can try tempting them with wet food or bone broth added to their kibble.

Of course, this runs the risk of spoiling your dog into only eating when those appetite enhancers are offered.

The trick is to only add small amounts of these treats to their meals, and dont take them away suddenly. Decrease them in small increments over a period of time.

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Stiffness Lameness Or Difficulty With Rising

Pets that suffer stiffness, lameness, inability to bear weight on one leg, or trouble rising from the ground may have hip or spine arthritis, disc disease, ruptured ligaments, or hip dysplasia. Tick-borne diseases, such as Lyme disease, can also cause arthritis.

In hip dysplasia, the hip joint develops abnormally, leading to degenerative joint disease. Big dogs, such as German shepherds, Labradors, and golden retrievers, are more likely to be affected. The larger dogs tend to have more problems with inherited joint problems, like hip dysplasia and shoulder and elbow dysplasia that can result in them developing arthritis as they age, Sawchuk says. A lot of little dogs also will get arthritis, but because they tend to be carried around a little more and pampered and not asked to do the same things that large dogs are, it may not be quite as evident to the owner.

Besides pain and stiffness, arthritis can result in other nasty consequences. For example, long-haired dogs that are unable to get up may urinate on themselves and end up with maggot infestations in their fur during warm weather, Meadows says.

When a dog has trouble getting up from the ground its one of those things that families just accept as a sign of aging, Meadows says. But we know dogs get arthritis in their knees, hips, and lower back, and we have so many tools to manage that and keep the quality of their life and the quality of their mobility really excellent.

News & Media

Dog Weakness And Lethargy: Common Causes And Treatments

A few of the more common causes of weakness or lethargy in dogs include the following:

Infection. Any kind of infection — including serious ones such as parvovirus, distemper, kennel cough, leptospirosis, and heartworm disease — can make your dog lethargic.

Parvovirus is spread through feces. Symptoms of parvo can include lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Treatment includes aggressive supportive care with fluids, anti-nausea medications, and antibiotics.
Distemper can cause symptoms such as fever, lethargy, discharge from the eyes and nose, and coughing. It may cause neurological problems. The signs of distemper are broad and vary from dog to dog. Treatment may include antibiotics, fluids, and anticonvulsants.
Kennel cough is a contagious respiratory disease. Its most distinctive symptom is a dry, honking cough. Dogs with kennel cough can be lethargic and feverish. Treatments may include cough suppressants, antibiotics, and bronchodilators.
Heartworm disease is caused by heartworms that are transmitted through mosquito bites. Symptoms of heartworm infection can include lethargy, depression, fever, and weakness. Prevention with oral or injectable medicines is the best option. Treatment for existing disease requires a series of injections and medications and months of strict cage rest.

Metabolic and Organic Disease. A wide range of chronic conditions can leave dogs weak or lethargic. That includes heart problems, liver problems, diabetes, and hypoglycemia.

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Why Is My Dog Lethargic All Of A Sudden

Like the conditions that usually trigger it, lethargy usually develops over time. A sudden change in your dogs behavior may be indicative of a sudden occurrence like a physical injury or poisoning.

Many normal household items that are safe for humans can be harmful to dogs for example garlic and medications like ibuprofen. If your dog appears listless all of a sudden, it may be worth retracing what she ate during the day in addition to her dog food.

All the other common causes of lethargy like illness, mental health, and infections can also cause sudden changes in your behavior. In some cases, the change might seem sudden to you when in fact, it has developed over time.

Your Dog Has A Gastrointestinal Infection

A gastrointestinal infection could be an issue and you should take your dog to the veterinarian if you suspect its an infection. Many different digestive disorders could cause an infection including colitis, pancreatitis, gastroenteritis, and malabsorption in the small intestines.

Infections could cause diarrhea, nausea, and other symptoms in your dog. A lot of digestive disorders clear themselves out within a couple days, but if you see other symptoms that arent clearing up, you should take your dog to the veterinarian. The veterinarian might prescribe some antibiotics or other medications to clear out the infections if they are lingering for too long.

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How To Check For Dehydration At Home

A well-hydrated dog is generally active with shiny bright eyes. Methods to estimate for dehydration at home include checking the gums, evaluating skin elasticity, and monitoring urine frequency and color.

Gums. To check the gums for hydration status, lift your dogâs lip to visualize and feel the gum tissue just above the teeth. The normal texture should be silky, shiny, and feel moist. Dehydrated dogs will have dull colored, sticky, and dry gums.
Skin. Loss of skin elasticity, also known as skin turgor, can be evaluated by pulling up on the dogâs skin over the shoulders and releasing it. Normal turgor results in the skin quickly falling back into place. The skin of dehydrated pets will lose this elasticity and fall back into place more slowly.
Urine. Urine in a normal, hydrated dog should be pale yellow in color. Dehydrated dogs with normal kidney function will have concentrated dark yellow urine and will urinate less frequently.

Practice these hydration tests on a healthy dog, so that you can better see the difference in a case of dehydration. Remember: these are rough tests. If you are worried about your dogâs hydration, see your veterinarian.

Cost Of Quiet And Not Eating

Your dog wonât drink water? Top 5 reasons why & what you can do

Treating a loss of appetite and quiet behaviors will depend on the underlying medical condition. For example, it can cost around $3,000 to treat your dog if he is not eating due to advancied diabetes and ketoacidosis. If an infectious disease is diagnosed, treatment can cost between $1,000 and $5,500, depending on the type of infection.

Worried about the cost of treating your pets symptoms?

Pet Insurance covers the cost of many common pet health conditions. Prepare for the unexpected by getting a quote from top pet insurance providers.

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How To Give Medicine To A Dog That Wont Eat

Giving medicine to a dog is a tricky business. While some dogs are more compliant than others, this is one element of pet ownership that can test the craftiness of most humans, made worse when the dog in question is refusing to eat, largely stripping you of all the sneaky hide-it-ham tricks you had up your sleeve.

Check out our helpful article on giving your dog a pill.

Why Is My Dog Lethargic

There are several reasons that could be causing your dog to appear tired and listless. The most common causes of lethargy in dogs are:

Infection, including parvovirus, distemper, kennel cough and leptospirosis
Metabolic diseases, such as heart problems, liver problems, diabetes, and hypoglycaemia
Medications, such as newly prescribed drugs or a new flea or worm product
Anaemia, which is often caused by parasites such as a flea infection or intestinal parasite
Poisoning, from toxic foods, such as garlic and onions
Pain, trauma, diarrhoea, hypothyroidism, tumours

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Will Your Dog Drink Water

If your dog will drink water but wont eat, it may be due to nausea, stress, or mouth pain. If they are able to keep the water down, that is a good sign. However, if they are vomiting after drinking water, they should be seen by a veterinarian right away, as this could indicate severe nausea or an intestinal obstruction. If they go longer than 24 hours without eating, even if they are still drinking, they should be examined by their vet to determine the underlying cause of their inappetence.

If your dog has not eaten or drank in 24 hours or more, they should be seen by a veterinarian right away in order to be assessed and treated for likely dehydration, and to investigate the underlying cause of their unwillingness to eat or drink.

Anything that can cause a dog to feel ill, such as kidney disease, pancreatitis, intestinal parasites, liver disease, cancer, infection, intestinal obstruction, etc., can lead a dog to refuse food and water. Like humans, dogs cannot go for more than a few days without water, so this should be treated seriously.

Could Your Dog Have Separation Anxiety

Why Does My Dog Always Lick Me After Drinking Water? (Explained ...

Many dogs with refuse to eat while their pet parent isnt home. Some dogs with separation anxiety even expect their loved one to be in the room while they eat, and will stop eating if their human leaves the room.

While this is not necessarily a health concern, it is a sign that your dog may have severe anxiety that needs to be addressed. Calming chews such as Composure or Solliquin may be helpful, and calming pheromone collars or diffusers such as Adaptil can be beneficial as well.

However, if you are concerned that your dog may have severe separation anxiety, consider consulting with a board-certified veterinary behaviorist for help.

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