12 year old Corgi is now affraid of his water dish~
Hello!!
I am new to this site but I love it already. I have a Corgi/Lab mix and for years he has been fine drinking water out of his bowl. His recently has had some thyroid and skin issues but they are now in track with good supplements all natural but now he is affraid of his water. He WONT drink it out of a metal dish.. OR anything clear plastic.. its only out of this small black dish we have that he will drink but thats ONLY when he sees me pour him a fresh bowl.. his water sits ALL day now.. Im affraid he isnt getting enough. Is is normal for Corgis to develop fear later in their lives? He sometimes acts like he is spaced out but then he snaps out of it and is fine. He has no medical condition other than his thyroid. Please Help! :) thanks!! oh and I LOVE allt he dogs I've already seens. Corgis are the best! -Anne
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Cindi & Twinkie on
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Hi Anne, I'm glad you are checking in for some help. I haven't had this situation come up but by me writing back your question will stay on the forum and hopefully someone will have some ideas for you. Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by E on
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perhaps try adding some chicken stock, just to get him started on drinking out of the bowl again?
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Permalink Reply by Chris, Kadi & Brodie on
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I knew a dog once (boarded at the clinic where I worked) that would fight over his food with his reflection in a stainless steel bowl, but never had one afraid of the water. Is it possible something traumatic (in his mind) happened that caused this? Perhaps a bee in his water or fly or it got too hot and he tried to drink it? Just tossing out ideas.
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Permalink Reply by Elisabeth Spector on
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I've heard of dogs that have or develop a problem with reflective, metal water bowls. Perhaps the clear plastic is reflective, too? Does he seem bothered by other reflections/bouncing light off glass doors, etc.? I have no idea if reflections/light patterns are even remotely related to the situation with your dog, but your post made me think of those other cases I've heard about. Regarding his water intake, have you tried adding water to his food so that you can supplement his fluid intake that way? Sorry I have only questions for you and no answers. I hope you can figure things out soon.
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Something else just occurred to me as a possibility. It could have to do with how he is seeing the reflections. It might not hurt to have his eyes checked at the vet. At his age it could have to do with developing cataracts.
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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
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My feeling is that it has to do in part with his eyesight. I would experiment with different colors and shapes ( plastic or ceramic, not metal ) and i would add a little bit of yogurt to the water to give it a scent. Yogurt will not spoil if you change it daily. You may also have a neurological issue going on. If you notice disorientation, mention this to your Vet.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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I would briefly try to desensitize him to it. Maybe feed him out of his water dish and let him drink out of his food dish for awhile and see if that helps.
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Permalink Reply by AnneMarie on
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This is some great feed back thanks!! In response to all your questions/ideas... I never considered a bug or something that could have freaked him out thats a good idea. I did think about getting his eyes looked at being that he is 12 I know his eye site isnt what it used to be. As far as adding water to his food we do this already so his food isnt so hard and we have switched his food dish to his water bowl now. He wont drink water out of metal or clear plastic but he will eat his food out of it. I never thought about reflection.. He only drinks it if we are standing by him its like he is affraid its going to jump out at him. We have a basketball net in our backyard that catches water on the base when it rains, he looks for that puddle everytime he goes outside. I recently have switched him to a white ceramic dish and it seems like he is drinking it but he is soooo timid when approaching the water its just strange to me. Has never happened before... I just wasnt sure if this breed wasnt prone to getting paranoia in their later years! Thanks again for the feed back!! :) I'll keep checkin in and will try him against his reflection and get his eyes checked and we do add some flavor to his water which though it draws him to it, he still hates getting super close to his bowl!
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It may be a matter of contrast. The food shows up in a metal or white dish, as it is darker. The water is transparent, so hard to see if it's there, the reflection may also confuse him. You may try a different location for the water bowl, a darker corner where you can put it and get him used to it being there.
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It may be as simple as he can't see where the water line is and he dunked his nose a few times and briefly could not breathe. I agree with trying a darker location.
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You can also put a small hand towel of a contrasting color under the bowl itself to help it stand out. Since you can only imagine the effect on him, and we don't really know how he is perceiving things, you may have to play around with it and find out what works by trial and error. When perception of any of the senses is off, it can be confusing and frightening until the necessary adjustments are made.
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Permalink Reply by aronna welsh on
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You might try a fountain dish where the water flows. I have two blind cats and they became jumpy about putting their head in the bowl.but they will drink the water as it flows.
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