Why is My Dog Drinking Lots of Water... or is She?

“Sometimes I notice my dog drinking lots of water (more than usual).  Other times she drinks less.”

Is your dog drinking lots of water?  Keep her bowl filled to the brim!I make sure Nimble's water bowl is full of pure water at all times... the discoloration is from seeds I added for nutrition.


Maybe your doggie is gulping her “normal” amount but it seems like an awful lot.  How come?

“Is over-drinking unhealthy for my canine companion?”

I've listed lots of reasons your pet might be slurping excess water below.  Also, Nimble and I devoted special sections to dog food diet-related thirst (near bottom of page).  Likewise with the following section about thirst caused by dog diseases.


Excessive Gulping Could be a Sign of Some Dog Diseases

Your dog should consume about 1 oz of water per pound in a 24 hour period.  This is the norm according to the experts.  As far as I'm concerned, this is the norm for a dog on a processed commercial dog food diet.  If you're feeding raw dog food, it will be much less (more on this down below).

Your dog won't drink lots of water if you feed her a raw dietOrganic raw meat and other raw foods will satisfy your pooch's thirst.


Often, a dog drinking lots of water is caused by a disease.  Excessive water consumption (polydipsia) can lead to increased urination (polyuria).  Here's some diseases that cause abnormal thirst...  

  • Diabetes

  • Liver disease
  • Kidney disease
  • Cushing's disease
  • Uterine infection
  • Addison's disease
  • Hypercalcemia

Many of these illnesses causing excessive thirst can be very serious... they should be addressed as soon as possible.

Here's a number of other reasons your doggy might start lapping up extra water...


I Notice My Nimble Dog Drinking Lots of Water When...

  • The weather is extremely hot. 
  • We just finished exercising (she exercises me!).
My dog will be gulping from her water bowl after this warm day of hiking in the sun!Warm day in the sun... let's hit the water bowl!


My dog will drink extra water after chewing on her Whimzee chews even though they're made without saltThese Whimzee chews will make Nimble thirsty even though they aren't made with salt.


  • Nimble has a case of the runs.  If she squirts 3-4 times a day for a couple days... it's time to see the doc.
  • She throws up.  A dog throwing up undigested food or water more than 3 times a day for two days... off to the vet!

This dog would drink too much water if she ate all these home made peanut butter treatsIf Nimble gobbled all these treats she would gulp down the water!


  • We fast for a day or more.
  • She has doggy upset tummy and doesn't eat all day.  Nimble... did you eat part of a sock?
  • Nimble drinks salt water at the beach.  Look out water bowl!
  • She spends more time indoors or outdoors.


I Would Notice My Dog Drinking Lots of Water if...

 I say “if” because she doesn't do these things...

  • I put her outside for the day without her water bowl (I've forgotten for a couple hours).

  • She was on medications that caused her to be thirsty.  Medications for seizures such as phenobarbital can cause your dog to suck down the h20.  Likewise, heart failure drugs like furosemide are culprits.  Add to the list anti-inflammatory drugs such as prednisone...

    It's used to treat inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, and allergies to name a few.


Switch your dog from raw food to processed dog food and she'll drink lots of waterCommercial dog food and treats have all the water cooked out of them!

  • Nimble was pregnant, really young or old.  These are common examples of a dog drinking lots of water.
  • She had a disease or fever (see above).
  • I let the gas station attendant sneak her unhealthy dog treats.  It happened only twice...

Ha... that's what you think... arf!  Nimble.

Nimble needs to drink lots more water... too many treats!Nimble wants me to refill her water bowl again... is she sneaking treats?

... then Nimble guzzled water after eating these dry, processed dog treats.  I made sure I took her for extra potty walks!


Off to the Vet or Home Treatment?

Only you can make that choice.  I'm not an experienced doggy doctor.  Some of the circumstances above require medical attention because of a serious underlying chronic condition.  Also, serious acute conditions might require a trip to your dog's vet.

Paying attention to early symptoms can save your dog a lot of suffering resulting in a quicker recovery.  Furthermore, healthy dogs (Nimble's super healthy... bragging again!) will recover quicker than an unhealthy pooch.

Others can be treated at home.  I'm not one to take Nimble to the vet every time she sneezes (I used to with my other dog!).

If your dog is drinking more water than normal, quickly decide if you should take her to the vet.Actually, Nimble's ok. She wanted her picture taken at the vet's office!


The following pages (links) will help you make choices.  They're about dog upset stomach home remedies but are relevant to this page.  Dog upset tummies lead to a bad case of the squirts and a dog drinking lots of water.  Here's some natural remedies for dogs that work...



Your dog should never become dehydrated... this is a life-threatening situation.  A dog throwing up water and food can become dehydrated... please tap here to learn more.  

Bottom line... if in doubt, please have your pooch examined.  Better safe than sorry!


Why is My Dog Drinking Lots of Water...

...after switching him from raw dog food to a processed dog food diet?”

Your pooch's body is made up of 75-80% water (like ours).  Likewise with raw veggies, fruit and meat.  While feeding your pal raw dog food, you'll notice she drinks much less than the neighbor's dog surviving on processed dog vittles.  But, she probably pees just as often.

Want to learn more about feeding your pal the best raw dog food?  Good... tap here for a healthier dog!

Your dog will be "drinking her water" as she eats this fishI'll admit, catching and grinding Nimble's fish takes more effort than feeding dog food from a bag. I wouldn't have it any other way!

Aha!  You're noticing how easy it is for your neighbor to “prepare” his dog's meals.  Open up the bag, pour into a bowl... presto!   You spend hours shopping (burning up your tires), preparing, feeding and storing.

It gets the best of you... time for a change (you didn't even ask your dog!).  Is there something about barf (raw) dog food you're not crazy about?  Click here to tell your story... we'll publish it as a page on our site!

All complaining aside... Nimble (and I) love our dog feeding schedule.  We wouldn't have it any other way... we'll share it with you!

After a couple days, you wonder "Is my dog drinking lots of water?"  Yes... she is!  This is because the processed dog vittles has most (or all) the water cooked out of it.

It's much healthier for your furry companion to “eat his water”...the way mother nature intended.  And, this water is purified!   Furthermore...

If your dog is occasionally drinking water from her bowl, make sure it's pureThe water from your dog's raw food is purified... mother nature's free distiller


Your dog's body (and yours) will retain extra water due to improper dog diet and lifestyle.  More on that here... just tap this.  This leads to...


Over-drinking!

When your pooch eats chow with all the water cooked out of it (along with the nutrients)...

She'll continually suck her water bowl dry because...


  • Her ph balance is upset due to improper dog food diet.  Your dog's body will hang onto extra water to maintain proper ph balance.

Her body needs to stay hydrated for maintaining that 75-80% water composition. extra water is needed to flush out toxins from not eating a healthy dog food diet.  Also, other elements from an unhealthy lifestyle need to get the boot!
As a result, your dog will pack extra water which may be diagnosed as “overweight.”  I call this water-logged.


Please be aware that chugging water while gulping food may lead to dog bloat symptoms.  This can lead to dangerous stomach-twisting!



Is Your Dog Drinking Lots of Water Because of a Behavioral Issue?


Increased drinking may be caused by hording the water bowl before another “competitor” slurps it down.  I know canines gobble food for this reason... their systems are designed for this.  It's an instinct passed down from their ancestors.

A neglected dog may drink more... this could become a habit.  Finally, a stressed dog may gulp more than normal.


Get to Know your Dog Inside-Out!

Gulping water occasionally may be perfectly normal for your canine... other times not.

Know what's normal for your dog.  Also, reading this article and other information will help you make a quick decision...

“Should I take my doggie to the vet or not?”  Does your dog need medical attention?  If so, a quick decision will result in a faster recovery and less suffering.

Or, quickly deciding your pooch is ok is peace of mind.  You won't need to put that trip on hold... just keep loading up your car for that fishing trip!

Decide why your dog is drinking more water than usual... you might take that fishing trip after all!A day on the river is better than a trip to the vet!

Our website is a work in progress!  We'd love it (and so would your dog) if you returned regularly to check out all our new articles.  We can't wait to expand on the topics above! 

Also, we'll include our highly recommended products for you and your dog to choose from... only those we have used or would use ourselves.  Also...


Be sure to check out Scott & Nimble's News Flash for monthly helpful tips and other neat stuff!


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