# New puppy won't drink



## amyboanddarcy

Hi 

Ive just got a new cav king charles puppy this week. She is 8 weeks old and is eating ok but will not drink water. Ive had to give her puppy milk to give her something to drink. Am i doing something wrong?

Amy and darcy


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## y2klovebug

Have you tried ice cubes? Not a long term solution but would help to get some liquid into her if your worried she might become dehydrated. Has she got access to the water all the time? (i have to move mine round the house acording to where my pup is as if it too far away he wont bother to go find it to drink) Maybe give your vet a phone call and see if they want her in for a check over or see if theres anything they can reconmend? Also was she used to drinking water before she came to you? Or did she have puppy milk there? Good luck


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## amyboanddarcy

She was on water when i got her. Ive moved it around and even tried holding it to her nose but she just isnt interested. She seems to like the milk very cold so might try the ice thanks. Its my first dog and its a steep learning curve.

Amy


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## haeveymolly

Put a splash of milk into the water, just enough to colour it that should work if not add a little more and gradually reduce it over a few days, that worked with mine infact i still add milk from time to time to one of my adult dogs as he has never drunk a lot so when its warm weather and i want him to drink more i add a little milk.


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## Bearpaw

I have never given to my dogs,so cant comment on this,but the icecube is a great one to try,you could also add a little cranberry juice (unsweetened and natural).
It may be that your pup knows if she doesnt drink the water you will give her milk,so if you want her to drink water just persevere (add more water to her food if you feel she isnt getting enough)


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## PurpleCrow

I know this might sound odd but will she drink from running water (ie from a tap)?


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## ploddingon

Do you mean it isnt drinking at all, or just that you feel it should be drinking more than it is? Is there a chance that it is taking sips of water when you are not noticing?

What are you feeding it - dried or wet food?

If it is a small pup it may well not be needing to drink a lot, especially if it is getting moisture from its food.

If you are worried I would take it to the vet who will be able to tell you if it is dehydrated or not and then you will know if it is getting enough fluids or of there is a problem.

It could be that there really isnt a problem, especially if it was drinking ok when the breeder had it.


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## amyboanddarcy

Never tried her with running water.

She is on dry food with a little wet once a day. She tends not to want to eat or drink unless im in room and i think ive seen her drink once in 4 days. She is peeing very tiny amounts but i dont think she is dehydrated as she is still being manic for about an hour then sleeps for 2 hours and seems fine in every other way.

Have just tried the milk and water mix (50/50) and she gulped down 2 little bowls which is the best ive seen her drink yet.

Amy and darcy


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## haeveymolly

amyboanddarcy said:


> Never tried her with running water.
> 
> She is on dry food with a little wet once a day. She tends not to want to eat or drink unless im in room and i think ive seen her drink once in 4 days. She is peeing very tiny amounts but i dont think she is dehydrated as she is still being manic for about an hour then sleeps for 2 hours and seems fine in every other way.
> 
> Have just tried the milk and water mix (50/50) and she gulped down 2 little bowls which is the best ive seen her drink yet.
> 
> Amy and darcy


Brilliant glad she's drunk, it wont spoil her just reduce it gradually.


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## Aurelia

Try a water fountain 

We bought this one from Argos Buy Cat Mate Pet Fountain. at Argos.co.uk - Your Online Shop for . for the cat, but my Rough Collie loves it too!

I have always had trouble getting her to drink water, sometimes she has gone a couple of days without any. But as soon as we got the fountain for my cat ... with a little coaxing (splashing water up to her mouth) she totally went for it! It's big enough for my RC so should be fine for yours. It keeps the water lovely and cool, but you can always plop some ice cubes in there when it's really hot as well.


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## amyboanddarcy

Damn - now im having a puddle problem. Think i preferred her not drinking!!

A
x


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## haeveymolly

amyboanddarcy said:


> Damn - now im having a puddle problem. Think i preferred her not drinking!!
> 
> A
> x


 is called you cant win.


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## Matrix/Logan

amyboanddarcy said:


> Never tried her with running water.
> 
> She is on dry food with a little wet once a day. She tends not to want to eat or drink unless im in room and i think ive seen her drink once in 4 days. She is peeing very tiny amounts but i dont think she is dehydrated as she is still being manic for about an hour then sleeps for 2 hours and seems fine in every other way.
> 
> Have just tried the milk and water mix (50/50) and she gulped down 2 little bowls which is the best ive seen her drink yet.
> 
> Amy and darcy


Have i read this right?? She is fed once a day??

Or does it mean she has the wet food added once a day??


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## Bearpaw

Pups,especially if they are the only dog in the house,tend to lose interest in food/water when they first leave home,as the siblings arent there to fight and play at mealtimes!
She will settle down when shes is used to her new routine.make sure she is having the right amount of food per day and always has access to water.This way she should be fine.Sometimes they need a little encouragement.


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## amyboanddarcy

NOooooooooo - she is fed 3 times a day!!! But i give her wet food at different times so she has a bit of variety.

I guess it is still early days and she is still getting into a routine. Tonight she seems to have slept on top of me all evening and has now gone to her crate without even a peep. 

Thanks for the water fountain idea - i'll look into that especially with the hot weather.

A
x


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## Guest

Ensure the water is fresh, I don't do ice cubes personally as there is a slight risk of bloat in some deep chested dogs.


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## hawksport

Dotty Thorpe said:


> Ensure the water is fresh, I don't do ice cubes personally as there is a slight risk of bloat in some deep chested dogs.


Does ice increase the risk of bloat?


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## kaisa624

Holly prefers drinking water around my friend's house as they have a fountain for their cats  We're in the process of buying one for her and next pup.

Have you tried apple juice, only a little, as Holly loves that.

Just curious, did you stick to the food that the breeder gave you before adding wet food into the mix? We stayed on the breeders food for a couple weeks before changing it.


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## dazb75

I have also heard of some new pups who won't drink water when they 1st arrive at their new home. Some say it's because your water at home is from a different source than the water they had at the breeder.

Some people even ask the breeder for a container of water to keep the pup happy during the 1st few days.


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## Matrix/Logan

amyboanddarcy said:


> NOooooooooo - she is fed 3 times a day!!! But i give her wet food at different times so she has a bit of variety.
> 
> I guess it is still early days and she is still getting into a routine. Tonight she seems to have slept on top of me all evening and has now gone to her crate without even a peep.
> 
> Thanks for the water fountain idea - i'll look into that especially with the hot weather.
> 
> A
> x


Oh okay, sorry! LOL Just thought  once a day!!

X


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## amyboanddarcy

Yeah i stuck to exactly what the breeder said - she even gave me some of her dry food to take with me. Initially darcy wasnt interested in the food or water which i assumed was just settling in. Then she started eating but not drinking. But happily now she seems to have a bit of water and loves the milk and water mix.

Today she had her first vet check and vaccinations. She's been sleeping ever since. Clearly, she is not a football fan!! lol

Amy


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## norfolkbraud

amyboanddarcy said:


> Hi
> 
> Ive just got a new cav king charles puppy this week. She is 8 weeks old and is eating ok but will not drink water. Ive had to give her puppy milk to give her something to drink. Am i doing something wrong?
> 
> Amy and darcy


I have an 8 week old Toy Poodle, had the same problem only eats but doesn't drink water. Scrolling Down replies here just saw one which said colour water with splash of milk. I thought I wonder. So i did only added enough to turn it white. Puppy wouldn't stop drinking.


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## Wiz201

norfolkbraud said:


> I have an 8 week old Toy Poodle, had the same problem only eats but doesn't drink water. Scrolling Down replies here just saw one which said colour water with splash of milk. I thought I wonder. So i did only added enough to turn it white. Puppy wouldn't stop drinking.


This thread is 5 years old, I suggest you start a new thread


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## Hertsgirl




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## MDruce

Wiz201 said:


> This thread is 5 years old, I suggest you start a new thread


Why? This post is very helpful (just solved exact same issue we had with our golden lab pup) and appears first in Google search results.

Unless adding milk has been proven a bad idea or shouldnt be used for certain breeds then this should stay open, relavent, pinned and referenced rather than multiple posts about same thing! And if there are better/safer solutions etc.... detail them here!

Also, you responded to a 5yr old post... to suggest someone doesn't reply to a 5yr old post...

So yeah, now 7 years old and still spot on!


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## Olayiwola Tomiwa

Am glad this helped me... 
Am from niheria and i own a 6 weeks old boerboel puppy. He only eats but refused to drink. Just tonight i added a little milk to his water and he took at least 10 to 15 tongues... Compared to before he doesn't take at all. 

The milk solution helped


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