Let's talk water

[agilitydog]

How much water a week do your dogs drink?
Do different breeds drink different amounts?

My mom and I were having a discussion, we feed the same food and she thinks she gives half as much water as I do a week.

I have a 5 gallon jug that is filled 2-3 times a week.
That is for 3 dogs weighing, 86,67,58 lbs. 2 labs and a shepherd.

How much do yours drink?

[Moo]

Holly drinks far more on any given day than Kirby does. At least double.

They have one mid-sized stainless bowl that I usually clean and fill twice a day.

[saluki-sue]

I believe that different breeds drink different amounts of water, then the dogs with in the breed may drink more or less. Most of the labs I know drink for the fun of drinking, my boys are on home cooked so they drink way less then most, but won't trun down the chance to stick their faces in a bucket of wanter just to blow bubbles.

my flat coat mix on the other hand drinks almost nothing and the APBT bitch who lives with me seems to drink a little bit of water after each meal, but I never see her go to the water dish any other time of the day.

[agilitydog]

Interesting. See I think mine drink simply for the pleasure too.

At a show, I can fill a bowl and Sampson will act as if he has never had water in his life. He isn't the same at home

His show drinking caused someone to make a comment making me wary and thinking to have him checked for diabetes or the like so now I am asking around to see what other drinking habits are like

[weezyNollie]

I have a 5 quart water dish. I fill it up every other day. That waters one cat and three dogs (15 lb, 23 lb, and 40 lb). All herding dogs.

I don't feel like my dogs drink a lot.. or at least I don't notice it. But I feel like they have to for me to refill that dish as often as I do.

[konadog]

It depends on activity level and weather around here. On hot days Kona will drink nearly a whole liter at the half way point of the afternoon ride. Penny might have a few licks, but never very much at all. When we get home Kona will stand in the hose spray and drink and cool off for 5 or 10 mins. and may drink another liter. Penny will get in the spray for a few bites at the water then too, but mostly because it's fun I think If it's cool and / or wet out, Kona won't drink much on the ride and Penny for sure none at all. Then before he sleeps Kona will drink a bit. We add water to their food as well.

[agilitydog]

Originally Posted by weezyNollie

I have a 5 quart water dish. I fill it up every other day. That waters one cat and three dogs (15 lb, 23 lb, and 40 lb). All herding dogs.

I don't feel like my dogs drink a lot.. or at least I don't notice it. But I feel like they have to for me to refill that dish as often as I do.

OK that is a great comparison. I do have two cats that use it too.

So a little over 7 gallons a week for you. And one of my dogs is approximately all three of yours,LOL, so I could reasonbly say 3 times that much, if my math is correct

[saluki-sue]

I wouldn't worry about him, he's a lab and I've not met a lab yet who can walk past a bucket, pool or anything else full of water and not stick their great big heads in for a good slopping. Half of the time my guys just blow bublles and come up with a mouth full of water that spills out all over the place. Besides at a show there are so many stange dogs who may drink up all of the water if he doesn't get it first.

Now if he was drinking all of the time(like the 5 gal bucket in one day on his own) at home and peeing all over even in the house I would worry about him. He's just a lab doing what they do best, get wet inside and out.

[agilitydog]

Originally Posted by saluki-sue

I wouldn't worry about him, he's a lab and I've not met a lab yet who can walk past a bucket, pool or anything else full of water and not stick their great big heads in for a good slopping..

See that is what I always thought and never really worried about it until someone said something about it.

A few times he has had an instance of suddenly having to pee, just outta nowhere. Not a lot of pee and not frequent. And not in the house, just wierd. 3 times in the past 2 weeks, but for him it doesn't seem normal so I am looking into other things.

I have him on antibiotics for a possible bladder infection and am going to see a chiro this week to see if he is outta whack and something is pushing on his kidneys.

But his sudden urge to pee does not correlat at all with the timing of drinking water.

[alimel]

It varies on their activity level. I keep their bowls half filled but I am constantly changing the water after they have slobbered in it. Neither one of my dogs drink excessive amounts of water.