Bloated dalmation puppy - was previously abused :(?

Question

We have recently adopted a 14 week old dalmation puppy from a dalmation rescue organization. She and her 3 brothers were starved and denied adequate amounts of water. She is in good health now that she is with us, and is on her way to perfect health. There is just one thing however - she absolutely GULPS her water (probably out of fear that it is still in short supply, and she wants to get it while she can) and it results in horrible bloat. Last night her stomach was 20" around; she looked pregnant! It went down overnight, and its back to normal. But whenever she gulps water, it comes back.
Essentially - what is the best way to teach her that she doesn't need to gulp her water? I know how dangerous and life threatening bloat can be; and our vet is aware of it.
She won't eat ice cubes, and we tried giving her a large hamster bottle hanging from a chair to get her water, but she won't take to it. We're stuck between dehydration and bloat! Please help. Thanks!

Answer 1

You can offer her a small amount of water in her bowl at a time. She doesn't need to drink large quantities anyway. Ever so often, give her 1 cup of water in a bowl. Sooner or later, hopefully, she will get the hang of not gulping it.

You can also put a few large-ish round rocks (cleaned well) in her bowl. She then has to drink more carefully to get the water. The rocks should be a bit larger than a baseball...for safety!!

Answer 2

The technical name for bloat is "Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus" Bloating of the stomach is often related to swallowed air (although food and fluid can also be present). It usually happens when there's an abnormal accumulation of air, fluid, and/or foam in the stomach. Stress can be a significant contributing factor also.

I'm sure you know this, but other readers may not. ^

Chances are, she won't learn not do guzzle water because of her past. So help her out -

Do not use an elevated food bowl
Do not exercise for several hours (e.g., 2 or 3) before and especially after eating
Particularly don't permit your dog to roll over, which could cause the stomach to twist
Do not permit rapid eating or drinking
Do not give water one hour before or after a meal


Hope this helps.

Answer 3

let her drink some and if you think she had enough then put it back im sure its not that easy for her to get extremly dehydrated if you take the bowl away or monitor the amount of water you put in the bowl

Answer 4

Just be patient,she`ll learn after awhile that its always going to be there when she wants it.