While not facing this exact problem, some dog owners might face the most troublesome of them all: getting their dogs to drink water slowly and calmly.
Drinking water quickly might seem harmless, but it can have adverse side effects that may affect your dog’s health in more ways than one might be able to count.
Fortunately, this article will deal with the adverse effects of drinking water too quickly or in large amounts and how to slow down a dog from drinking water too fast.
This way, one can ensure that their dog remains fit and in top shape regarding physical activities.
Negative Effects of Dogs Drinking Water too Fast
There are various reasons why a dog drinking water too fast can negatively affect their health—the top five reasons listed below highlight such.
Canine Bloat
Canine bloat may seem harmless and related to obesity, but un, fortunately, t is not. When a canine, aka a dog, drinks water too fast or devours food, it can consume large amounts of air or even gas; this can cause the dog in question to acquire the much dreaded canine bloat.
Canine bloat is one of the dogs’ most common causes of death, especially K9. If the situation is not dealt with by taking your dog to a vet, your dog’s health condition might just turn fatal and even cause death. There are mainly two types of canine bloat:
- Gastric Dilation (also GD): This is when the stomach stretches itself due to the sudden invasive entry of air, this condition can be treated by pumping a dog’s stomach.
- Gastric Dilation and Volvulus (GDV): This condition is more threatening than just GD as it involves stomach twisting and requires surgical intervention. Such a condition develops due to a dog becoming active too quickly after drinking water or eating food.
Simple surgery is often recommended by a vet, putting tacks in a dog’s stomach to prevent the accumulation and development of GDV.
Vomiting
The quick drinking of water or consumption of food in a rapid manner can result in a dog’s vomiting. This can be harmful to a dog in the long run, especially if they keep vomiting after drinking too fast, resulting in the loss of nutrients and dehydration.
This can often result in a recursive situation for a dog as the dog drinks water and vomits it out, resulting in the dog drinking more water while suffering the same.
Dehydration comes with a variety of symptoms, including dryness of the mouth, sudden loss of appetite, dark and somewhat sunken eyes, and loss of energy which results in fatigue quickly setting in.
If your dog is also lacking nutrients, you will notice a dullness to its fur coat along with general inactivity and discharges of fecal matter.
Simply put, dogs cannot handle more than the needed amounts of water in their stomach at a time; this can result in the dog vomiting after downing large amounts of water.
Down the Wrong Pipe
This has happened to several of us before and might probably happen throughout our lives; whenever we’re eating food or drinking something too quickly, we might break into a wheezy coughing fit; this is because either the water or food “goes down the wrong pipe,” the same can also happen to most dogs if they eat food or drink water too quickly.
This happens when a small flap of a fleshy tissue in the throat, medically called the epiglottis, cannot open quickly.
The epiglottis mainly serves to guide water or food into the digestive tract of a human or an animal, far away from the trachea (the pathway to the lungs).
This can mainly be harmless at times, but if your dog continuously does this, it may result in them damaging their lungs badly.
Hyperhydration
A dog, as delicate as it may seem, along with being fast, can drink water faster than a human can and in a relatively easy manner.
The gulping down of too much water can result in water intoxication, which can be fatal, also called hyperhydration. While water is generally meant to be life-saving, it can also be more than enough to kill a human or a dog even more quickly when ingested in large amounts.
Large amounts of water levels in the body can result in the reduction of sodium levels; symptoms of hyperhydration include:
- Lethargy. Results in the diminished activity of the dog.
- Vomiting. A dog may continuously vomit.
- Staggering. A dog may often stagger while trying to walk or run.
- Dilated pupils: The dog’s eyes will have enlarged pupils, which may give them more sensitive to light.
Hyponatremia
Hyponatremia is a lethal medical condition in which the cells of a body enlarge and expand from large amounts of fluid that comes from hyper hydration.
The enlargement of the cells can result in the swelling of organs, which can result in lethal brain damage and death in rare cases. This is a common condition for dogs who consume water continuously while swimming in it for a long time.
How to Slow Down Your Dog When Drinking Water
These are some ways to help with knowing how to slow down a dog from drinking water too fast; in this way, one will be able to keep their dogs proactive and healthy by making sure that they calmly drink water.
Limit Their Water Supply
This should be the first and foremost step any dog owner should try, it won’t be easy at first. Especially so as you will be giving your dog lesser quantities of water, you will have to carefully measure the water levels to make sure that your dog is getting just the adequate amount and is not feeling thirsty.
This can work for those owners who are stay at home type of people and are ready to keep a lookout for their dogs.
There is a difference between letting your dog drink large quantities of water or letting them drink far less than is required, hence this method is not recommended for those who can’t stay at home and are unable to measure and monitor how much water their dog is receiving.
Ice Cubes
If your dog keeps drinking quickly, try giving your dog ice cubes instead of water; this will ensure that your dog receives water through the ice cube without the risk of swallowing water too fast and consuming air. This is especially useful during the summers as ice cubes help keep your dog cold.
Although, ice cubes can cause a bit of a mess and cause the floor to be wet all around, including the carpet.
If this stops you from giving the ice cubes, try adding them to your dog’s bowl, which you use to give them water. The sight of a floating ice cube in the water will keep your dog distracted, making them drink water slowly.
Just make sure to keep your dog from swallowing ice cubes as a whole which will act as a choking hazard.
Place a Large Object in their Water Bowl
This is one of the most effective ways to keep your dog from drinking water too quickly. Put a baseball or other similar object into your dog’s water bowl; having an object to play around in the water while drinking will significantly slow down the rate of their water intake.
A golf ball or even two will also work for dogs of medium or smaller sizes. If you cannot procure a ball, a rock will work. Instead, that is assuming your dog doesn’t try to swallow it or bite it. Remember to clean the rock properly before placing it in the dog’s water bowl.
If you are unable to do either, try using a floater bowl. A floater bowl is what the name says; they are small bowls you can put in your dog’s water bowl to slow their water drinking.
If you can’t afford to buy one, try using a small plate instead; make sure that either can create large displacements around the water to keep the attention of the dog around them and hence slow down their water drinking.
With these ways, you may know how to slow down a dog from drinking water too fast and attempt either of these methods to try and stop your dog from getting sick by drinking water too fast.
Different Types of Bowls Slow Drinking
While we may live in an era of technology and therefore can access tools to enhance the quality of life for all, including pets, it will be essential to know precisely what type of bowl to get to know how to slow down a dog from drinking water too fast.
Although the bowls might cost a bit of a penny as compared to before, they will be effective in stopping your dog from gulping down water in a haphazard way.
Slow Eater Bowl
Slow-eater bowls can be used as an alternative to dog water bowls as, although mainly used for food, you may try a slow-eater bowl to try and stop your dog from drinking water too quickly.
Elevated Water Bowl
This is useful for dogs with either long necks or even long legs, such as The Great Dane; the one primary reason a dog drinks fast is that they are actively trying to defy gravity to get water up their mouths.
Hence this results in them gulping water too fast and in a frantic manner, swallowing air. With elevated water bowls, this need to defy gravity will be more or less gone as they are meant to be elevated toward the dog’s stature.
Elevated water bowls will also help reduce the risk of canine bloat, as your dog won’t have to inhale too much air as won’t need to gulp down water too quickly.
No-Spill Water Bowls
The no-spill water bowls are meant to be slow-drinking bowls, do check to ensure there is no chance for it to be something else.
No-spill water bowls are best for dogs who like to drink quickly without spilling water on the floor. These bowls actively work to ensure that a limited quantity of water comes out of the bowl.
Keeping Your Thirsty Pup Healthy
While most have to deal with their dogs not drinking enough water, some may have to deal with their dogs drinking too much water in a speedy manner, which can present trouble. You can take measures to slow down how much water your dog drinks, such as putting a baseball bat in their water bowl or getting an elevated water bowl.
After all, your dog’s health as a dog owner will always be at the top; therefore, knowing how to slow down a dog from drinking water too fast should be a priority to keep your dog healthy.
How Does a Dog Drink Water
While knowing how to slow down a dog from drinking water too fast might be enough, it is still a much-needed fact that one should know how a dog drink water.
Dogs generally drink water in a very fluid manner; dogs lap up water with their tongues curled up backward, and since they lap very quickly, it creates momentum that allows the water to go up their mouth.
In simple terms, dogs must create fast movements with their backward curled tongues up and down to get water in their mouths. Just one misstep and the water will fall. Therefore, the next time you see your dog messing up your squeaky dry floor with water, appreciate their mastery of air dynamics before getting annoyed.
How to Get a Dog to Drink Water When Sick
If your dog has fallen ill and is not feeling up to drinking water to keep itself hydrated, you may try some of the below:
- Try to add ice cubes to the water bowl of your dog. If your dog is not up to drinking water and refuses it outright, you may try adding some ice cubes to get them to drink water. The ice cubes might awaken the playful side of your dog and get them to try and lap up the thing.
- Add some food to the water. Adding some food, such as a small piece of meat, on top of a water bowl might get your dog to sniff and try to eat the food; this might help the dog ingest tiny amounts of water altogether.
- Get your dog treated by a vet. Like it or not, sometimes the only way to get your dog to drink water is to get whatever sickness is ailing them to be cured; doing so will help your dog’s appetite and get them to accept water more efficiently.
- Use a syringe. Do not fret; you don’t have to inject your dog. Instead, you can fill a syringe with water and shoot it directly into your dog’s mouth, make sure you do it calmly.
- Try cold water. Try giving your dog fresh cold water rather than warm water. They might accept that water more easily; cold water can also offer some health benefits for a dog, such as the reduced risk of canine bloat, and is excellent to drink in the summer.
You may try the above methods to get your sick dog to drink water properly.
How to Get a Dog to Drink Water After Surgery
If your dog recently had a surgery and is unwilling to drink water afterwards due to either being under the effects of anesthesia or general weakness, you may try the following methods below:
- Use an elevated water bowl appropriate for the dog’s height. Using a bowl or an elevated water bowl specific to the length at which it can easily reach your dog’s head is essential to getting them to drink water after surgery.
- Present your dog with a tasty broth. Make sure to consult with your vet before doing so regarding the ingredients of the broth. A broth low in sodium might attract your dog to try and drink it up, which will help keep them hydrated.
- Place the water bowl near your dog. A dog, after surgery, will feel fatigued and won’t feel like going out anywhere; in such a case, keeping a water bowl near your dog’s reach will encourage them to try and drink it up. Try to splash water on their face to get them moving a bit more.
- Try wet food. Instead of dry food such as dog kibble, you may try giving your dog wet canned food or any wet food.
- Give them ice cubes. If all else fails, try giving your dog an ice cube to chew upon, this will also soothe their throat as they might have a sore throat after surgery.
These methods will ensure that your dog remains hydrated and recovers from their surgery; if your dog refuses to drink water, and doesn’t pass urine after 12 hours or more, then it might be time to call your vet immediately.
How to Get a Dog to Drink Water When Dehydrated
If your dog is stubborn and has refused to drink water till they have started showing signs of dehydration, then you may try the following tips below to get them to drink water.
- Give them ice cubes. In the summer season, ice cubes are both your and your dog’s friend; offering your dog, an ice cube may allure them into taking it and chewing it to ingest some water.
- Flavor the water. Adding a flavor to the water in the bowl may get your dog to drink it; add a low-sodium broth to lure your dog into drinking it.
- Try an elevated water bowl. If your dog is not drinking water due to them feeling slightly lazy, or is tall enough to feel uncomfortable reaching down to lap water, then you may try using an elevated water bowl reaching up to your dog’s head to get them to drink water.
- Wet canned food. While not all canned foods are appropriate for dogs, you may try to get wet canned food specifically made for dogs or check them up to see the ingredients and give them to your dog accordingly.
- Call the animal vet. If all else fails, contact your vet since that may be the last resort if your dog refuses to drink water.
With this, you should know how a dog can drink water slowly, hence knowing how to slow down a dog from drinking water too fast.
Do make sure to always be on the lookout for what your dog is feeling like and keep them well hydrated accordingly.
