Parker won't drink!

[Katie, John & Parker pup]

So, Monday morning, Parker woke up by throwing up...I thought he might have just been hungry but when I fed him, he ignored it...then over the next couple of hours threw up 15 times...all bile and mucous. He wouldn't touch a drop of his water and food and when I took him to the vet, he visibly looked like he felt awful. The vet kept him over night (it was really hard for me to leave him there) and he was given fluids over night and all yesterday, along with having tests to see what was wrong. He had xrays to see if there was a blockage and there was nothing there from what they could see (plus Parker doesn't really eat anything that isn't his and he doesn't destroy his toys or anything like that) and bloodwork showed a slightly elevated white count so the vet thinks he has some sort of gastroenteritis.

I picked him up last night and was sent home with three antibiotics for him to take over the next week or so until they are done. He came home last night and ate the boiled chicken and white rice that the vet recommended (ate like he was starving, which I imagine he was because he hadn't eaten in 24 hours) and has kept the food down with no issues. But after he ate, he went right to sleep and was basically out cold from being so tired (he was alone in a cage at the vet so I doubt he slept much with his separation anxiety).

This morning I woke up and gave him his meds and fed him more of his chicken and rice which he has eaten and kept down with no issue still, but has yet to touch his water! Someone suggested popsicles and pedialyte so I went to the store and got some of those and cucumbers as well. He LOVES cucumbers and I know they are made up of a lot of water so I figured that might help....he ate the cucumber with no issue and actually licked a whole popsicle down, happily! He also had some diluted chicken broth with his breakfast and ate/drank that. But why won't he drink his water???? 

He's got me going crazy because I don't want him to get dehydrated! It is clear he still doesn't feel well but he has improved other than the not drinking water part.

 

Sorry for the long story...just wanted to make sure everyone had the details.

 

Has anyone seen this with their dogs?

[BG and Gavin]

Great advice.  I have nothing to add but good wishes for Parker.

[Katie, John & Parker pup]

Thanks for all the well wishes for Parker! I hope I can nurse him back to health quickly! Will keep you posted on his progress! He just turned 2 this month, so he's still so young! And will always be my baby! lol

[Sue & Lily Grace]

I am so glad Parker's doing better. When my Cassie was on chemo she would not drink any water. I did what you are doing by cutting the chicken so small that she had to slurp the diluted chicken broth to get the little pieces of chicken. I put little saucers of water around as the shallow amounts did not seem to overwhelm her quite as much. You are doing great.

[Janie, Jackson and Jilly]

I hope Parker is back to his normal self soon! Sounds like you're doing a great job nursing him back to health!

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

what a cute picture. 

You might want to try getting one of those pet fountains.  When Cubbie got sick and had to go into the vet for subQ fluids, he would NOT drink water when he got home and we tried everything.  Once we got that stupid fountain he started to drink normally again.  We used it for 6 - 8 months and then got lazy and went back to the regular water bowl and he was fine.

[Katie, John & Parker pup]

Thanks. I am glad this isn't an abnormal thing for dogs to do...seems it's common that when they're sick, they don't like to drink. Too bad they don't know that not drinking makes them feel worse!

I will look into the fountain thing, though I think dh will not be willing to spend more money right now...the vet bill was more than my wedding dress was! ugh!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I am so sorry to hear that Parker is sick.  It sounds like you are doing everything right to help him get well.

[Sharon & Monty]

Oh poor Parker, poor Mom!  I hope that by this time Parker is doing better and getting back to his ole self.  Hugs for you both.

[Katie, John & Parker pup]

So, Parker still isn't drinking his water so far today, but I basically made his breakfast chicken and rice soup, so he got a lot of liquid in the broth, then he had a yogurt ice cube and half a cucumber as his afternoon snack! He is lucky I don't have a job right now, otherwise nursing him back to health would be very difficult!

He is improving slowly with his energy level though, starting to act more like himself. Slowly but surely. Fingers crossed my boy feels better as soon as possible!

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

So glad he is improving. It sounds like he may need for you to be a full time stay-at-home doodle mom from now on though now that he has experience living the good life. Who else is going to give him those yogurt cubes? LOL

[Katie, John & Parker pup]

Lol I know, especially since he won't eat those things unless I hold them for him to just lick. He is definitely a mama's boy!

[Katie, John & Parker pup]

So, Parker STILL won't drink his water! It is getting tiring to feed him popsicles and cucumbers so that he stays hydrated. He is eating fine and keeping everything down, so I don't understand why he won't drink. I know he still doesn't feel great because he is definitely sleeping more soundly than he usually does, but he's getting back to playing with his toys and acting like the kook that he is. It's so frustrating! I don't want to send him back to the vet when he is eating find and his bodily functions are fine, but he cant live off of popsicles and chicken broth forever!