Loads of new ‘dog drinks’ arrive on the shelves every year. From dog beer to dog tea, and yes, even pawsecco. But when it comes to rehydration – is water really the king of the drinking bowl? We rounded up the questions everyone’s asking to see what’s best, and why.
What drink is good for my dog?
Let’s be honest. Dogs and fresh, clean drinking water are a match made in hydration heaven. Water is absolutely the best drink you can give them. If they’re fussy and turn their noses up at drinking water from the tap, there are a few tips you can follow before cracking open the Evian.
- Try an ice cube, instead
- Make a doggy smoothie
- Make an ice pop (watermelon is great because it’s 80% water)
- Offer it from your hand
- Mix some into their kibble blend
- Make sure it’s fresh
- Wash bowls daily
- Flavour it with a bit of broth (yummy)
If your dog is weird about water, try praising them and giving them a treat every time they drink.
Can dogs drink milk?
Milk is full of healthy nutrients like calcium and protein, but did you know most dogs are lactose intolerant? We don’t put any dairy into our kibble either, because it’s actually not a good choice for your dog.
Milk can upset their digestive system and make your dog feel quite poorly – leaving you with the mess to clean up. Not all dogs drinking milk will have this reaction straight away, and it can vary from dog to dog how much will upset their stomach. The best advice is to err on the side of caution and simply not give them any.
Can dogs drink tea or coffee?
Giving your leftover tea to your dog sounds harmless enough, but caffeine can be toxic to dogs. When they’re so much smaller than us, what might seem like a harmless sip (or lap) to you, can play havoc with their health. Caffeine toxicity levels and their size means it’ll take no time at all before the caffeine jitters turn into something more serious.
So no, we don’t recommend you give your dog:
- Tea
- Coffee
- Any other caffeinated drink
- That includes sports drinks and fizzy drinks, too
If you think they’ve lapped up your grande latte, guzzled down some grounds or more, look out for these symptoms and call your vet immediately:
- Restlessness
- Racing pulse
- Rapid or irregular heartbeat
- Agitation
- Hyperactivity
- Vomiting
- Panting
- Tremors or seizures
Can dogs drink alcohol?
Absolutely not. Ever.
It’s not cool, okay or funny to give any dog a sip of beer, wine or other alcohol. Your dog’s kidneys and liver are not made for filtering (metabolise) alcohol through them! It’s not just wine, beer and spirits that have alcohol in them either, it might be surprising to know that soy sauce, uncooked bread dough and gone-off fruit are common household culprits, too.
What about specialist doggy drinks?
Dog-friendly drinking alternatives like alcohol-free dog beer, wine and prosecco and health tonics and herbal tea for dogs (minus the caffeine) are treats. We think they should be an occasional treat, not a regular part of your dog’s diet. But your dog will likely prefer a tasty and more nutritious biscuit or similar bite-size treat with a little water instead of a fancy drink.
Water, please
For your dog, drinking water really is the best way to keep them hydrated and healthy – no other dog drink comes close.
Water is really key in summer, when drinking it helps your dog cool down. If you’re going for long car journeys or days out enjoying the summer sun, don’t forget your travel bowl!
Tiny and Benji enjoy goats milk laced with pawsceco as a summ tipple need to watch for tinys weight ,also a little coconut milk
Cheers
I give my puppy about 1/4 cup of almond milk as a special treat each evening. She loves it and so far hasn’t had any issues.
What a halpful thing to do about what dogs should drink and what thay should not i have seen dogs with their owners on a very hot day with out any signs of vessel or water for them to drink out of i think a lot of people forget a dog as a fir cote on all year round and that thay don’t sweat like we do so on hot days if you are taking your dog on a day out with you always take water and something for your dog to drink out of and please do ever lock your dog in a car
My thoughts exactly!
Can dogs have a little juice in their water.?
Paul, hi, I know some of us think the water is way too repetitive, hence their wanting what we drink. Yes…depending on the pet child, I wouldn’t add anything…ice cube of a safe fruit (once in a while) ????
Well said
I love doing halpful stuff.
Goat milk has always been a treat in my house and had no nasty side effects
Blaze loves tea, we have been told that tea gives dogs a shiny coat.
Blaze x
What the tea name?
Yes, but it MUST be caffeine free! Caffeine can kill your dog, Google it.
Coffee is not good for your dog because if you give your dog Coffee thy well be very sick and died so don’t give them Coffee or tea
Thank you for putting this article out there. Our pets are part of the family…you wouldn’t give something you weren’t sure of to a human (and they can talk) so why don’t to an animal who can express themselves. Sadly some people think because products are marketed towards animals then it must be safe to give it to them.
So well done Tails.com
My new puppy refuses point blank to drink water. He’s only 8 weeks old and I had to take him to the vet where he was put on a drip to rehydrate him. Hes home now but still not touching water. Any suggestions? Hes a bichon frise.
My 16 year old cross breed would only have the tiniest amount of water for possibly 12 months. Encouraging him with treats didn’t work. Today I added a little milk to it and he lapped it up. It was concerning and had mentioned it to his vet several times. They didn’t seem concerned. We used to add milk to his water when he was younger and he lapped it up then also. Don’t know why I didn’t think of this before. If it stops him being dehydrated and he must have been, that’s what he’ll have. Don’t remember it making him sick before but has been sick a lot recently probably due to dehydration.
Maybe a milk like lactaid would solve the problem of your pup getting to much lactose.
Our 12 year old min pin suffers from quite a few issues such as SM, hydrocephalus, low bp and heart issues…after his last seizures he refused to drink water and spat it out when we tried to give it to him with a needleless syringe…(for 3 weeks)…we did give him IVs but his veins are not in the best condition due to age and disease…one thing that worked was giving him watered down Ayran (a Turkish/Lebanese drink made from water and yogurt)…you would really need to water it down if you make it with yogurt)..Our experiences without watering it down have been lots of loose stool…hopefully this helps…it worked wonders for us and Ayran is apparently something they drink to prevent dehydration in Middle Eastern countries
Our 12 year old min pin suffers from quite a few issues such as SM, hydrocephalus, low bp and heart issues…after his last seizures he refused to drink water and spat it out when we tried to give it to him with a syringe…(for 3 weeks)…we did give him IVs but his veins are not in the best condition due to age and disease…one thing that worked was giving him watered down Ayran (a Turkish/Lebanese drink made from water and yogurt)…you would really need to water it down if you make it with yogurt)..Our experiences without watering it down have been lots of loose stool…hopefully this helps…it worked wonders for us and Ayran is apparently something they drink to prevent dehydration in Middle Eastern countries
Put a few tablespoons of chicken broth in his water (or go half n half). Store bought/canned broth is fine, but.make sure it’s low-sodium.
My rescue Bichon Frise 3Yrs refuses to drink water at wits end as she has crystals in urine. When we first had her we found her stealing coffee and tea fortunately they were decafe she clearly wants a drink as she looks at her water bowl then walks off we have tried different bowls stainless, ceramic and plastic she has an overshot lower jaw so she seems to prefer plastic bowls. We tried tap water and three different bottled waters to no avail. I have made beef tea by boiling steak mince in lots of water she drank it once then turned nose up, she will however drink skimmed lacto free milk and red bush tea which is caffeine free with a splash of above milk she also likes very diluted black currant cordial (Belvoir farms a natural product with no nasties in it) also tried kids cold brew fruit teas but she’s not keen. We are fed up with being told water is best, what do you do when your dog just refuses water they have too drink otherwise they are going to be ill with bladder stones, infections and worse kidney disease. We’ve been told she’s playing us and to leave her she’ll drink when she’s thirsty but that’s not true she will go days without drinking I wish a dog food company would come up with a everyday drink for dogs like ours. She also has a chicken allergy so chicken broth is out of the question. I’ve put her on wet food with kibble 50 / 50
. Hope some of my drink suggestions help your pup.
I am having that same issue with my Yorkiepoo. She use to tear water up all day and night and then one day she just stopped. I have to give her water by syringe for her to drink it. If I pour it in my hand she will drink it sometimes if it is spring water, tap water… forget about it!
She will not drink broth. I will try the other options I see posted here.
We have a labadoodle that loves water that is moving. She loves the moving water bowl fountain. It may be worth a try to get a pet water fountain.
I agree I have a yorkiepoo to my sister added a drip of half n half milk to the water she drink it try it
My pup drinks water but very rarely. We put the kibble in warm water and soften it. And put the kibble with its water when its lukewarm and she licks the bowl clean. Try it…. May be it will help.
Do you have other pets that use the same bowl? My dog will only drink out of her bowl. If another dog drinks from it she’s done.
Serve him ice cube in water. Or serve chilled water.
Or add a bit of meat bone soup in it for flavour. Far safer than adding milk.
What about watermelon yogurt ice cream
My fur baby(Oreo) is a Rat Terrier and he was doing the same thing. I was suggested to put ice ? in his bowl and he loves it still to this day. He’s a senior now drinking plenty of water it must have ice still for him to drink his whole bowl by bedtime.
I have a small dog that drinks broths- no water. When I make veggies I bottle the liquid for her broth. Her fav in carrots, potatoes , and cabbage broth. I use organic foods. I give them oatmeal with lactose free milk in the winter. I use bone broth, chicken broth, veggie broth, every day, one or the other. I put some over her wet food and give her 3 kibbles in a small bowl of broth. Only a few kibbles 2x a day. Wet food is the way. Sometimes she drinks her broth so fast I add more. I also add garlic or turmeric if I think she needs it for inflammation.
Garlic is toxic to dogs! Please don’t give this to your dog anymore!!
Add chicken broth to the water. Start by dipping your finger or a piece of food they like & they’ll get it eventually. Good Luck!
Try diluted chicken/beef broth. Over time increase the water to broth ratio until it is all water.
Try alkaline water…my dog’s love it.
Mix the food with water it worked for mine
my dog thankfully is now eating your wonderful dog food which has taken a while as he is rather was a fussy eater but I have tried so much as it is far easier giving him your dried food and know that it will do him good I must say he is a different dog now and has far more energy I must say your help has been excellent and I would highly recommend you to others to not give up on them eating your food
What kind of dry food are you talking about .
I would Luke to try it on my dog too.
If you be so kind to respond with the
Name of the dry food and where I’ll be able to get it .
Thanks .
Do NOT give ANY DOG WINE! It can harm their liver, it is VERY TOXIC AND CAN KILL THEM! RAISINS are dried grapes. Grapes are toxic and in wine.
Almond milk & honey is a great treat drink for my little fella but is especially effective & soothing for kennel cough …
I live on a very busy rural road so it’s not safe to use for a walk. So I drive a short distance and me and my dog Charlie can take a walk for 30-60mins. Its so easy , just fill a big flask with cold water take a cup for yourself and a bowl for your dog. When he has had a good drink pour any water left in his bowl onto the ground and walk your dog through the wet ground to cool his paws and if it’s v warm gently pour a bowl or 2 of water along your dogs back, your pet will love it . Happy safe , cool dog.
Treats for dogs : Charlie loves washed , par cooked carrots , chop the carrots pop them into a bowl with a couple of spoons of water . Microwave, drain, cool and serve. Fresh green beans are also a favorite and can be cooked as above. Why buy expensive dog treats when we can serve up these 2 veg safely to our much loved pouch ❤️ and it only takes minutes
what about sports drink
No too much sodium in a sports drink!!! They are made for humans and not safe for dogs! Low sodium broth over kibble may help with dehydration if the dog simply doesn’t like water. Sometimes putting warm water on the kibble makes it like broth and they like that. Make sure it’s not too hot before feeding. Try letting them have ice cubes a lot if dogs like to play with them and they wind up eating them.
My toy doggy is NOT keen on drinking her water. But she loves licking ice cubes so a neat alternative is making your own doggy popsicle’s! For example, I will use baby food in the little jars… My pups fav is a banana popsicle (a lil jar of banana’s mixed with water and freeze the mixture) there is a variety of jars of baby food that are perfect to mix with water to get your pup hydrated! Hope this helps!
Wonderful idea. Definitely gonna try this. My 1yr old Morkie drinks very little water.
Looks like a mix of water & goats milk might help those reluctant to drink just water.
I offer the dog a drink of water in the car before we start our walk, so she doesn’t feel the need to drink out of dirty puddles, stagnant water or streams & then offer more water at end of walk once back in car. She is reluctant but on these hot days will drink it & I drink some from the flask too.
I find the comments on dogs not drinking water interesting I have a lab sometimes I don’t think she drinks enough so I put a splash of milk in just enough to colour the water and she then drinks the whole lot.
The comments on dogs not drinking water I find interesting.
I have a Labrador she only seems to have a couple of good drinks a day. Occasionally I put a splash of milk in just enough to colour it she will drink the lot.
Sometimes I give her a drop of tea no sugar cool it down with cold water again drinks the lot.
I bought one if those freestanding hot /cold water dispensers that use the 5gal water jugs. The water is filtered, and cold – all 3 of my dogs drink plenty of water now.
Bonus :. I have scalding hot and very cold water 24/7 for me as well, no ice – no boiling
My 5 lb chorkie drinks plenty of water. However, she loves to sneak drinks of coffee, sweet tea, coke, or kool-aid. I’ve never seen a dog do this.
??????????
For dehydration make homemade bone broth. No salt!
For my Clifford, who was paralized due to a retractable leash accident , I made him very dog friendly soups and now switched to dehydrated food. I divide his meal in to 3 and add extra water. He loves it and I’m reassured my 10 year old boy is getting water through his food with each meal.
Ps He is walking. Alway make sure your dog eats abd drink upright never laying on his side. Could asperat.
My question is by changing their water does this change the female urine and the burn spots on the lawn ?? Has anyone noticed a difference ?