# She doesn't drink water on hikes



## nymeria (Jan 18, 2016)

My Vizsla is about 15 months old and doesn't drink water on hikes. The farthest we go is about 7 miles, and we're mainly hiking in the mountains so it's pretty cool now, usually 30's - 50's F, since we go early in the morning. I offer her water and she turns her head away. She'll drink out of the bowl when it's hot so I don't think it's that she doesn't like the bowl. She won't even take water when we get back to the car. Water's always available to her at home and she usually has some right away when we get in, but sometimes she waits awhile. 

Should I be concerned that she's not drinking while we hike? She usually does relieve herself on the hikes, so I don't think she's getting dehydrated.


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

Scout usually refuses water when exercising as well. I'll make her sit, open her mouth with my hand, and pour a little bit of water towards the back of her mouth from a bottle. I never make her drink a lot this way, just small amounts throughout the hike/run.


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## sillybluecreature (Oct 6, 2013)

We go on hikes all the time and Whiskey drinks very very little. Especially compared to other dogs that I take as well. I found that she drinks far less because she eats wet/raw food vs kibble, and she's more fit so she pants less, unless it's super hot. If it's an extremely hot hike she'll drink but it's still rare. If I think she should drink something, I'll put a treat in the shallow water bowl so she needs to drink it to get the treat, otherwise I don't bother until I see her panting. We've never had an issue.


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## nymeria (Jan 18, 2016)

Mia's fed raw, too. I wonder if that is really making all the difference. She doesn't really pant much when we're out, either, unless it's really hot. Then she'll take water.


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

Yeah that's a possibility. I'm hypercritical of Scout's drinking habits now because of her bladder stone condition. Even on raw her urine samples came back highly concentrated before I started floating meals in water or broth. 

Do you notice your dogs drinking regularly throughout the day regardless of being exercised and do you feed once or twice/day? My concern is that the stone caused her so much pain that it altered her drinking habits. 

With a healthy dog I wouldn't worry, but would still force them to drink a little on hikes.


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## sillybluecreature (Oct 6, 2013)

I think if you have bladder issues it might be totally different. I feed twice a day and like to bring more moist food as treats on a hike (like hard boiled eggs and fruit), mostly because that's what I prefer and I share my food. The main thing that makes Whiskey drink is if she's had leftovers (salted food), or a bullystick, or lots of playing with other dogs or on a hot day. For hot hikes, we tend to hike under the coverage of trees and pass by a couple streams so I don't need to bring water for her. We're really lucky in that we have so many choices for hikes in Vancouver depending on the weather and season, I can adjust.


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## nymeria (Jan 18, 2016)

I usually feed once a day, but sometimes she'll get a small meal in the morning or around noon if she's hungry - she definitely lets us know, and that usually happens if I do more than usual with her for her morning exercise. 

Mia doesn't drink a whole lot of water throughout the day, but she never really has. She tends to drink a lot in one go rather than small sips throughout the day. If she's had something like a bullystick, she'll also drink a lot. 

I tend to hike very early in the morning to keep the temperatures as cool as possible. It's generally also shadier because of the lean of the mountains. I used to try to force her to drink but I could never make it work. I might have to try your method, einspanner. Mia will actually turn her head away from me when she sees the water bowl come out, and if she's off leash, she moves away. It's actually kind of funny how she tosses her head around in protest. 

What kind of symptoms did Scout have when she had bladder stones?


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

Thanks for the replies. I agree mine is a separate issue. I was trying to see if there's a common thread between being fed 2x a day and needing less water. I feed once a day as well and without intervention Scout will go all day without water. Now that we're living with some kibble fed dogs who drink consistently throughout the day her drinking habits stick out to me more. 

Mia sounds like Scout right down to the head tossing. Stubborn little things!  Don't expect her to be too receptive to it at first, but as with anything, train it over time and they'll get the idea. If she does want to keep her mouth clamped, you can poke in at the corner of the mouth and fold the top lip under the teeth. _Usually_ gets them to open up. 

First off, I don't in anyway think Mia has bladder stones. Sorry if that made you worry! Scout has always refused to drink during exercise, long before she was symptomatic. Basically it presented like a UTI--frequent urge to urinate and bacteria and blood in the urine. She ended up having HUU, a genetic condition which is even more rare in smooth Vizslas than in Wires. If you're really interested, the thread "venting about vets" goes into the whole ordeal.


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## nymeria (Jan 18, 2016)

Oh, poor baby. I'll check that thread out. How is Scout now? Did treatment help? 

They are stubborn, aren't they! I love that cute little head toss. They've got such personality.


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

She's doing pretty well! Thanks for asking. The stone was removed surgically and modifying her diet has *fingers crossed* kept more stones at bay. All dalmatians have the condition, so there are quite a few resources on how to modify a raw diet to work for it.


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## ks310 (Sep 28, 2015)

I tend to think with a lot of these things dogs know their own bodies pretty well. They just have really strong instincts about what they need at a specific time. 

Maybe it could be the difference between hiking and running? Hiking is tough but its mostly walking right? 

I live in Barcelona and there are public water spouts all through the city. When Monica needs water she literally sees a fountain she literally stops in her tracks and pulls me in that direction. Other times when we hike up to the mountain park she waits a lot longer to get a drink of water.


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