Hot dog, wouldn't drink

T

tomt

Active member
My lab was going great this past weekend, took a long walk through fresh cut corn and a few CRP corners at temps in mid 60s. Knew enough to bring water and a collapsible bowl with me on the walk. Half way through I filled the bowl but he wouldn't drink, even when "forced". So I wetted him down best I could and headed back to car, lab was dragging bad. Thankfully he found an irrigation track on the way back that dipped low enough to have about 30 gallons of water at the bottom. Looked back, he was gone. Walked over and he was laying in it and drinking. Let him stay as long as he wanted before continuing. He was fine after that.

My question, the fact that he wouldn't drink scared me a bit even though he was hot and tired. Anyone seen this happen before? Was he on the way out? He's getting up there in age. Feeling that I dodged a bullet there.
 
Glad your dog recovered well. Yeah, temps in the 60s is hot for any dog afield and the older, larger, and heavier they are, the more caution needed. As a guy named Bill said, "All's well that ends well."
 
tomt said:
My lab was going great this past weekend, took a long walk through fresh cut corn and a few CRP corners at temps in mid 60s. Knew enough to bring water and a collapsible bowl with me on the walk. Half way through I filled the bowl but he wouldn't drink, even when "forced". So I wetted him down best I could and headed back to car, lab was dragging bad. Thankfully he found an irrigation track on the way back that dipped low enough to have about 30 gallons of water at the bottom. Looked back, he was gone. Walked over and he was laying in it and drinking. Let him stay as long as he wanted before continuing. He was fine after that.

My question, the fact that he wouldn't drink scared me a bit even though he was hot and tired. Anyone seen this happen before? Was he on the way out? He's getting up there in age. Feeling that I dodged a bullet there.
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Learn tell tale signs and shut them down accordingly. It's up to you as they won't.

Excessive panting would be an easy one to spot. If you get to the point where they seem disorientated and or agitated then it's gone too far. 60 degrees may not seem hot to us, but for a dog, especially one who may not be in the best of shape or an older dog it's plenty hot.

It's not uncommon for some dogs to not want to accept water in the field for what ever reason. If you have a squirt bottle the kind the football players use you can always open their mouth and squirt a little water in there if they won't take it willingly. Smaller frequent drinks rather than letting them drink large amounts in the field at once. Save the large drinks when they are done and back at the vehicle.
 
Just happened to me, but for different reasons. I was hunting my lab in a WPA cattail area, 15 degrees out. So not a huge problem with overheating, although it can still happen if not careful. I was careful, resting often, but I noticed my lab wasn't drinking much either. I chalked it up to sneaking drinks from the water (even with ice) and he didn't seem too tired.

By the end of that evening, he could barely walk on one swollen paw and was panting hard. Ended up having a bacterial infection in his foot and a temp. We have no idea where and how he got it, best guess is some type of prickly object in (sticker, thorn, etc) with bacteria on it. Couldn't even find a wound.

Vet gave massive amounts of anitbiotics, and he was back to normal within a day or two. Vet said the bacteria could have caused him to not drink as much, weird as it sounds.

One other thing I have been doing lately is bringing some food that is glucose based for my lab. Fancy way of saying granola bars or similar. Just to spike his sugar. I have noticed a huge difference in his energy, and, the amount he drinks when I do this. Instead of getting sluggish, including drinking less water when working hard sometimes, this pops him right back up. Been a big help.

Still, nothing beats resting at first sign of stress or tiredness. Even 15 minutes can help.
 
Thanks for all the quality responses. I'll be carrying a squirt bottle full of a water /glucose mix for here on out.
 
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