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Large Breed owners--water intake ?
in Pets
How much water does your dog drink in a day? The internet said 8oz per 5lbs of body weight which seems like what he's doing per day, but he likes to drink the whole bowl in one sitting once or twice a day. Could it be a hold over from when he was on the track?
I think I'm projecting my hypochondriac tendencies onto our 75lb greyhound. Because I of course looked up "why is my dog drinking so much water" and found a ton of Cushing's articles. And freaked out a little, even though he has no other symptoms.
To be clear, this isn't a behavior change, he's done it since we got him. Just want some reassurance for my paranoid self. 
Re: Large Breed owners--water intake ?
Cooper is a 7y/o 65lb GSP & he's a camel. He drinks a lot. His bowl is 6 cups, & I fill it once a day (but its rarely empty when I fill it, there's probably a cup left in there)...so I guess I have no idea how much he drinks a day.
I will tell you that my sisters 11y/o GSP (around 55lbs) drinks entire bowlfuls at a time (they have a "normal" sized bowl though, not ginormous like us) & she always loads up right before bed (we don't know why, she's just weird! Seriously, nothing health related for her)
I would say, if your dog is acting fine, going to the bathroom fine (& regularily...& the color & frequency of each pee/poop is normal) I wouldn't worry about it. Might be worth mentioning to your Vet the next time you are there...but I wouldn't make a special trip.
HTH, & GL!
My weim can also drain the bowl in one sitting if she wants to. Nothing wrong with her, she's just a big, sloppy drinker.
As long as nothing else about his behavior seems amiss, I probably wouldn't make a special trip to the vet over it.
"The hardest thing is to live richly in the present without letting it be tainted out of fear for the future or regret for the past." - Sylvia Plath
Thanks guys, I feel better. I just watched him down an entire bowl (6-8 cups I think) in less than 2 minutes last night and was wondering if it was normal. Of course, at least one cup probably ended up on the kitchen floor, messy beast.
I usually fill the bowl twice a day, so judging from your responses it's not something to freak out about.
I wouldn't worry unless it gets really excessive. I've never had a grey who drank all at once like that. In fact, it seems like Nite forgets the water bowl exists until he walks by it. Cal (Kelpie), on the other hand, will drink a whole bowl once or twice a day and nothing for the rest of the day. It's just his style.
I wouldn't worry about Mr. Pel!
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KatiesCats, I'm beginning to think I have an abnormal grey. He doesn't roo & DH taught him to sit (because he started sitting on his own). It looks so goofy:
Dumb question - do greys not sit? lol
He is so cute!
I bet that makes a big difference, but it also varies dog to dog. Zoey doesn't drink very much water at all but Dozer just can't get enough. He's always been that way (even in his foster home - I asked them since I thought it was so weird).
It's not a natural thing for them, the way their legs and musculature are shaped. Most greys don't like it, and when they do it, their butts hover above the ground...it's kinda like crouching. Some people teach that "sit" is the Sphinx position that greys often rest in, and "down" is what other dog people might call "settle" (dog laying on its side, head up and alert).
We taught Nitey to sit after a LOT of frustration. We had to push his knees in while pushing his butt down. He gets it now, but he can't hold it long. His legs tremble and splay out like Bambi's...it's kind of adorable.
I love Pel! He's so handsome. I love the black and white ones. Check out this handsome boy our rescue adopted out a few months ago. He has the second neatest face I've ever seen on a grey! First most awesome face is this boy...call name Colin.
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Oh, I love those guys! I can't wait until Pel blows his coat and I can see all his freckles again.
I keep trying to convince DH that we need another. I'm really bummed that our rescue pulled one of Pel's littermates and I didn't find out until he was already adopted. It would have been cool to get the family back together.
Also, does an active testmating tab on GreyhoundData mean the owner wants to breed a dog? If so, I am heartbroken for P's sister RK's Jenasis. Now I will have to watch & hope DH will agree to get her when she's retired from being a brood.
I don't think the testmating thing means anything. It looks the same on the page for Nite's sister, Tana Your Hide, and she's dead and was never bred (she bolted from her foster home's front door and was hit by a car). And it looks the same on his other sister's page; her name is Corda Would, and I know for a fact that she had a litter of 7 pups in June-ish (I spoke to Sharon Williams, the racing owner).
It looks like Jenasis's last race was at Wheeling in November, and she was injured. I have connections at Wheeling and can see if they can find out what happened to her, if you'd like.
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I would, if it's not too much trouble. I like knowing where all his siblings are
That poor girls ran so many races too.
I e-mailed the kennel attendant at GPA Wheeling. I'll let you know what she's able to uncover! Also, sorry to everyone for thread jacking. I can't help it when it comes to the greyhounds!
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