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Dog Suddenly Refuses To Drink


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Topic says it all, I have S/S water bowls for my dogs crates (the hanging kind), they both used to drink out of them fine, but all of a sudden Tess has suddenly (well probably a good 6 weeks ago now) decided she wont drink water out of them, there has been a few times when I didn't refill their porcelain bowl because their S/S ones were full and by the time Ive come home from work what was left in the porcelain bowl is gone, and poor Tess is soo thirsty because she has refused to use the S/S one, even over night she wont drink out of it, she will wait until morning when she is let out of her crate.

Needless to say I now make sure the porcelain one is full, but does anyone have any ideas of why she would suddenly stop using the S/S one? she eats out of a S/S bowl and always has done (different one though). I have tried scrubbing it out but I don't think S/S would retain any flavours that she doesn't like the taste of :confused:

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A few things to try:

Firstly disinfect the bowl in boiling hot water with a little bicarb soda and vinegar - removes bad smells. Rinse thoroughly with fresh boiling water.

To check if it is the SS bowl, temporarily replace it with a plastic hanging bowl and see if she'll use it. Also, will she drink from the porcelain bowl if she is in the crate with it?

Change the location of the SS bowl (higher or lower, left or right)- she may have bumped it and either hurt herself or given herself a fright. A new location might just solve the problem.

Although it is intended for water, will she eat from the SS bowl if it is hanging in the crate?

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A few things to try:

Firstly disinfect the bowl in boiling hot water with a little bicarb soda and vinegar - removes bad smells. Rinse thoroughly with fresh boiling water.

Ill try this

To check if it is the SS bowl, temporarily replace it with a plastic hanging bowl and see if she'll use it. Also, will she drink from the porcelain bowl if she is in the crate with it?

It took me long enough to find a hanging S/S bowl...don't like my chances of finding a hanging plastic bowl, I wont leave a bowl in her crate unless its hanging especially through winter, I'm worried she will knock it over and she will be wet all night

The porcelain bowl is huge and would take up a lot of her crate, but Im sure she would

Change the location of the SS bowl (higher or lower, left or right)- she may have bumped it and either hurt herself or given herself a fright. A new location might just solve the problem.

Tried this today, she won't drink out of it

Although it is intended for water, will she eat from the SS bowl if it is hanging in the crate?

Yes she will

Edited by GoldenGirl85
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My mums dog does not drink out of stainless bowls or tin bowls or any thing she sees her reflection in.

Hmm, she does still eat out of one though, and this is over night...surely she wouldn't see a reflection at night time

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I'm not sure what size dog Tess is but for a temporary plastic hanging bowl, get a couple of the plastic ones that clip onto the door from the bird section of the pet shop. They have large ones for the big parrots.

If she'll eat from the bowl in the crate but not drink from it, it usually means that there is a smell in the bowl (either from the bowl itself or the water) that the food is masking. If the water source is the same as what you use to fill the porcelain bowl, it's pretty safe to rule out the water. To encourage her to drink from the SS bowl in the crate, can you flavour the water a little with a beef stock or similar? The idea is that once you know the bowl is free from any residual smell, the flavoured water will entice her to drink from that bowl again.

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I'm not sure what size dog Tess is but for a temporary plastic hanging bowl, get a couple of the plastic ones that clip onto the door from the bird section of the pet shop. They have large ones for the big parrots.

If she'll eat from the bowl in the crate but not drink from it, it usually means that there is a smell in the bowl (either from the bowl itself or the water) that the food is masking. If the water source is the same as what you use to fill the porcelain bowl, it's pretty safe to rule out the water. To encourage her to drink from the SS bowl in the crate, can you flavour the water a little with a beef stock or similar? The idea is that once you know the bowl is free from any residual smell, the flavoured water will entice her to drink from that bowl again.

I didn't think of a bird bowl, she is only little (5kg)

Ill boil the bowls tomorrow and see if that works, thanks

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If she'll drink from plastic you could try one of those non spill/travel bowls in the crate :)

Doesn't fix the problem of course but it does give you an alternative.

I had thought of that, but she is only in a little 24" crate, so a bowl like that will take up quite a bit of floor room.

The hanging bowl was good because it was narrow, but deep so it was hung up out of the way, didnt take up floor space and she couldn't knock it over

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What a sly little bitch she is lol

She will flat out refuse to drink out of this bowl even if she is dying of thirst over night...like if she has had kibble for dinner and she hasn't had a drink before she goes to bed, she will get up and gulp water in the morning, but this arvo I spied her drinking out of this very bowl...my dog is strange

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Hello There!

I recently discovered something about Stainless Steel Bowls that might help you! I have two Shelties (neither of them a shrinking violet) however, they hate the SS because if they have their collars on, the metal name tag bangs on the rim of the bowl and they HATE that. It must be a really harsh sound to them. . . . Now I simply leave a big plastic salad bowl for water.

This may not be valid for you but it was something that took me a while to nut out!!

Regards

Cairo1

:-)

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