Dog doesn't drink much and burps.

Dr. Marie replied:

Hi and thanks for an interesting question.

It is rare that I get concerned about a dog not drinking enough water. What you have described is likely ok. The only times I get concerned about a decreased amount of water intake is if it is combined with a lack of appetite and lethargy.

Does she get any canned food as well? If so, this will be adding to her water intake. There is no problem with adding water to her food if you would like to do this.

There is a good chance that the burping is normal. I have seen some dogs that just burp a lot. Some dogs will burp excessively because of a food allergy, however if you are mostly noticing the burping after drinking water this is likely not the case.

It seems unlikely that there is a structural problem with the stomach such as a foreign object or a tumor as we would expect to see vomiting of food if this were the case.

It may be worthwhile to try her on some Pepcid (famotidine) at a dose of 1 mg per pound to see if this makes a difference. If so, then this means that there may be a stomach issue present. If this is the case then a vet visit is a good idea.

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