Water intake

[Kipawa]

I'm curious - how much water do your basenjis drink? They seem to need far less than some dogs.

[sharronhurlbut]

Sorry I can't be of help, I just know they drink much less that our old Springer Spaniel.

[GenJMar]

The only comparison I have is to the 3 ****er spaniels I dogs sit frequently. I notice the B's drink far less than the ****ers but not sure if thats a breed thing or just these paticular dogs

[Kananga]

My B doesn't drink much water compared to other dogs. I think it's a behavior with the breed. They really only drink when they need it.

Actually, the only times I see him drink a significant amount is after a meal or a B-500.

[Basenjimamma]

Same here..Pippin and Otis both drink/drank less than my other breed dogs...I always wondered why myself.

[thunderbird8588]

I have noticed that Basenjis do indeed drink less than other Dogs. I wonder whether it's an evolutinory (sp) trait due to evolving in hot countries with less water.
I have noticed that Kwame drinks far more water than Malaika, this of course encourages her to drink as she feels she's missing out.
I like to encourage them to drink and a great tip was shared by Helena (patty) and that is to offer the cooking juice from vegetables, my two love it.

[Walter]

My B will drink alot at once...then not again for hours. My research and talks with my breeder indicate this is normal of the breed.

[Walter]

She definately will drink a good amount of water after a good Basenji 500:D

[tanza]

Knock on wood, both of my girls are pretty good water drinkers, which I am glad about... that said, they play like the "wild children".... so are always running, which leads to lots of drinking.

All the pups from my last litter were good water drinkers too...

[curlytails]

Not a frequent water drinker, and this was noted by her previous owner too. They soaked her kibble in water to increase her water intake, but I'm not doing that because I want to keep dental problems at bay.

I see her going for her water bowl about 2-3x a day at most. It's not usual, for sure. Then again, she also sleeps a lot. =) I worry about her water intake enough that I'll make batches of broth as a "snack" every now and then, or I'll give her extra liquid from the yogurt tub, etc. But generally, I just have to believe that she'll drink when she's thirsty, and has the biological capacity to self-regulate somehow.

[Kipawa]

I see her going for her water bowl about 2-3x a day at most.

Thanks Curlytails. How much (volume) do you think she drinks? One cup total or.... ?

[curlytails]

I don't think she even drinks a cup on most days! So as I say, it's somewhat disconcerting...

She has no qualms about finishing about 2/3 a cup of broth at a time though (I make chicken or pork broth from scratch, with a mix of carrots, celery, parsley, sometimes ginger, NO ONION -- no canned/boxed broth, as they're usually way too high in sodium).

[DebraDownSouth]

Mind drink plenty. I think humidity, heat exercise etc effect it more than breed. But if the dog isn't dehydrated, they drink what they need. I worry much more when they drink huge amts as it can indicate serious health issues.

[nobarkus]

Buddy is not a water drinker unless it's hot on walks or play. I have to put it into his food. I have water bowls that dry up before he'll touch it. My last 2 were pretty good water drinkers and my first drank normally as well. I don't feed him dry food at all only canned wet and frozen raw so there is moisture in the food as well.

[Marie Heidebrecht]

Mine aren't big water drinkers either. I'm glad to be reading that this seems to be characteristic of basenjis on the whole. I always water down their kibble, as one way of ensuring they have at least something twice a day. If they're running in the yard in the summer then they'll want to drink, especially crazy-man Indy. :) But when the weather's not warm, they'll seldom have a drink after a walk. They do, however, usually have a good drink at bedtime after their snacks.

[Benkura]

I have a couple that drink a little more than the others but still less than my other breeds.

[Patty]

We were always told that Basenjis drink very little water but just lately i've discovered that several people I speak to have Basenjis that drink quite a lot. I would say this is unusual and must occur in certan lines.

I have never had a Basenji that drank as much as other breeds. If any of mine seem to want to drink from their water bowl several times a day I immediately check for infection. I have to give mine plenty of liquid after their feed as they drink nothing else through the day no matter how much exertion they've done or how hot the weather is.

I've mostly lived with several Basenjis at a time and between them have drank less than any one of other breeds I've had.

I was told that they have a similar kidney function to cats that are able reabsorb a certain amount of liquid from their waste. This is part of the uniqueness of the Basenji, in my opinion.

Speaking of this, I'm also wondering whether there are Basenjis out there who have a 'normal' body temperature and not 1 degree lower than the average?

[Chealsie508]

Oakley isn't a big water drinker either- so much so I actually remember worrying about it the other day. Glad to see it isn't just me. On a side note- I can't put my Jack Daniels and Coke down for a second when he is in the same room!!

[Therese Leimback]

Our basenjis drink less water than other breeds, they tend to drink a great deal at once and then not again for quite awhile. I also know they are picky like cats, their water can't sit for a long time or they won't drink it.
I have water buckets for our kids when I'm at work and I never fill them all the way up, about half full twice a day. They seem to drink better if the water is fresh. Same with water bowls in the house, we refresh the water and rinse the bowls a few times a day.
We recommend putting water in food if pups aren't drinking enough, to me not enough is less than 1 full cup a day. I have seen pups that had lab results with abnormal kidney values and once it is pointed out puppy may not be drinking enough owners monitor water intake (usually add water to food, if they aren't already) and next test shows normal kidney values several vets have agreed they seem to show lab work of beginning dehydration without symptoms. I think of them as my little camels, my older basenji boys can also hold urine to mark large areas so when they pee all at once it can mean standing still for what seems an eternity.
Kipawa's dad is known as a pup for stopping mid gait at a dog show to pee. He was in the front of the line for winners dog and he kept the other dogs standing in the sun for so long the judge had them all pass me and awards winners dog to another dog while my boy Sober was still peeing. I can only imagine how red my face was and it wasn't sun burn, he got huge applause from the ringside crowd.
Therese

[Kipawa]

I also know they are picky like cats, their water can't sit for a long time or they won't drink it.
I have water buckets for our kids when I'm at work and I never fill them all the way up, about half full twice a day. They seem to drink better if the water is fresh.
Therese

Therese, so interesting! I am a big believer in fresh water. I put about a cupful at a time in Kipawa's drinking bowl. I do this about 4 - 5 times a day, so now that I am thinking about it, Kipawa is drinking about 4 - 5 cups a day.

How funny about Sober! That must have been more than a little embarrassing. Can't wait until the EBC show this summer in Auburn to catch up with all of you guys. Only thing different this year is we will have to get a place to stay in that takes dogs. I'll book well in advance because I am sure there will be lots of competition for dog friendly hotel rooms.

[Patty]

I know of a Basenji bitch who died because she was fed on a complete feed and wasn't given water with it. The feed instructions were that fresh water should always be available (as I believe most complete foods do) but the little bitch never drank from her bowl and became completely dehydrated. Ever since this happened I have warned any of my potential owners that if they give such foods they feed it in water. As I've previously posted, mine are given about 1/3 pt liquid made up of fresh water, vegetable water and a little milk to colour directly after their meal.

[curlytails]

Patty, I'm not sure what you mean by a "complete feed"? You mean kibble or other dry foods?

Are there certain symptoms that B owners should look for if they're concerned about slow dehydration?

I have been observing Bowpi's minimal water intake since we got her. She does drink more after sitting out in the sun, on hotter days, or after running, so I think she self-regulates okay. I did make sure to note her kidney values when she had her blood drawn up last month for her dental work, and they were normal. But just as I think it's important for me to cycle through a lot of liquids each day, I want her to do the same. She is not very interested in plain water though, which is why I make up broth. I'm intrigued by the vegetable/milk broth you've posted, Patty, so I may try that too.

What about fruit? I've heard that some B's really enjoy fruits and vegetables, so that could be another way to increase water intake. Our B is not interested, though the Shiba is. He loves melons, which are nice and juicy and not too tart or anything, so when melons are in season, he gets to eat a lot of those with me. =)

[thunderbird8588]

I know of a Basenji bitch who died because she was fed on a complete feed and wasn't given water with it. The feed instructions were that fresh water should always be available (as I believe most complete foods do) but the little bitch never drank from her bowl and became completely dehydrated. Ever since this happened I have warned any of my potential owners that if they give such foods they feed it in water. As I've previously posted, mine are given about 1/3 pt liquid made up of fresh water, vegetable water and a little milk to colour directly after their meal.

We were told by Malaika's breeder and Kwame's to soak the complete food.
I realy like your tip of feeding veg water and also literaly just colouring the drinking water with milk sometimes, it realy does encourage my two to drink.
Inccidently Kwame drinks more than Malaika but he actualy encourages her to drink as she feels she's missing out :D

[dcmclcm4]

After having a couple of rescues with crystals in their urine, I always add water to the food.

Jennifer

[Patty]

Curlytails - by 'complete feed' I mean the all-in-one dry feed such as Royal Cainin, Eukanuba etc. I understand kibble to mean the biscuit that you give with meat - is that correct? I call that by an old fashioned UK dog breeders name 'terrier meal' which is broken up pieces of biscuit often wholemeal.

Dehydration can be determined in any dog by just gently pinching the skin which only slowly returns to normal if the dog is dehydrated.

Like you I think water intake is essential and I also think by adding your broth to Bowpi's feed is a good way to increase liquid. I'm sure any problems would show up in her kidney tests, so don't worry.

My Basenjis all love fruit and vegetables (so I'm lucky) but not every fruit, so it's a matter of deciding what they do like. As you say it's another way to increae fluid intake.

[DebraDownSouth]

I am too conditioned with big dogs and bloat to add much water or soak kibble. But if I had one not drinking enough, I'd do whatever it took.

[Anubis's Mommy]

My B Anubis hardly drinks. Every so often like after play time, meals, after chewing a bone, and being outside if it's warm he will go take a few laps of water. Other than that he doesnt drink much. It always worried me but the vet showed me how to check their skin for dehydration. And he is far from dehydrated. I see him go to the water dish maybe 3-4X a day. Not sure...think it's the breed.

My lab, Casey, on the other hand is ALWAYS at the water dish. She goes to the dish like 10X a day or more lol.

[AndrewnShango]

The only comparison I have is to the 3 ****er spaniels I dogs sit frequently. I notice the B's drink far less than the ****ers but not sure if thats a breed thing or just these paticular dogs


What are these asterisks? **?

[curlytails]

What are these asterisks? **?

It's the board's automated censoring system. It apparently kicks in if you try to talk about ****er Spaniels. Where ****er rhymes with Crocker. Or ****atiels. One of the quirks of the board.

[agilebasenji]

should we call them rooster spaniels?

anyway, my basenjis do drink but not much and not much at all if they are in their crates. The malinois, however, seems to drink lots, but lots of water also ends up all over the floor so i'm not sure how much she actually intakes.

[Henna420]

my 11yr and 3yr used to drink water like there is no tomorrow. i couldnt keep up refiling their filter water unit enough. however, i just switched to strictly raw food diet a week ago and i have noticed the one fill of the units is enough for the day.

[Voodoo]

How much water Voodoo drinks changes a lot from day to day and even more so depending on what food he has been eating;
With some dry food, he drinks way more then the other dogs, with other brands, he rarely drinks.
Can't say he drinks really more or less then other breeds. I can only say he only drinks when he is really thirsty (after long runs and after eating)

[Patty]

Unless mine have an infection they hardly ever drink from their water bowl, however I do give them a flavoured drink after their meal - up to approx 5 ounces.

Mine are fed raw with biscuit.

[nobarkus]

Only if I add it to his food, otherwise the water bowl evaporates. He eats only wet food only so there's moisture in that too. When he's running off leash with other dogs he'll drink up a good size bottle.

[YodelMa]

My little rescue seems prone to UTI's from not drinking enough water--he's visually impaired and has trouble drinking out of the water dish without getting water up his nose! Once I started making my own dog food, though, the problem went away--I add water to the food so it's fairly moist.

[dcmclcm4]

Do you have the water bowl raised? I did this for my elderly BRAT foster and it helped tremendously and have since kept it elevated since most of my Bs are older.

Jennifer