Question about Water

Hello all,

I'm wondering how long a dog can go without water. My roommate tends to leave for several hours at a time without providing water for her dog, and it's starting to worry me. I've confronted her, but she seems to think that there's no problem.

I have had many pets, but I've never had a dog. I've always made a point of making sure my animals have food and water all the time, though, and I want to know whether or not I'm just being over-protective. I know she must be thirsty and uncomfortable, but is it dangerous to let her go so long?

(To give you an idea: Janey (the dog) was left outside for at least four hours without water on one occasion. On another, she was left in my roommates bedroom for six hours without water. On another, in my roommate's car for five hours. I know that I couldn't go that long without a drink.)

Thanks in advance for any information you might have.

EDIT!:
I should let you know that I ALWAYS bring Janey water when I find her left behind without any. But I know I won't always be there to make sure she has an ample supply, which is why I need to know how intensely I ought to confront my roommate about her pet-care techniques.

I think your room mate is very inconsiderate regarding her dogs needs, fresh water should always be available for a dog, and to leave a dog in a car for such a long time without a break is cruel in my opinion.

Mo

The car thing worries me the most. She sounds really irresponsible. Cars can get hot even on coolish days as we all know from the stories of kids and pets dying of them. And that's just after a short time. I think you are right to be concerned but I don't know for a fact how much and how often they should/need to drink. I'll look into it and hopefully someone with a better idea will see this.

That sounds daft - sorry but how hard is it to leave a bowl of water in a corner or in a car? I always leave one or two bowls of fresh water around and take a non-slip plastic bowl in the car with a bottle to refill it.
My view on this would be to just get the water provided - not worry about the intake requirements in detail!
The arguement I would use is - why not - for the sake of a $2 bowl and running a tap!
Sorry - just my .02 - its such a basic thing!
And I've got to say - in my view 5 hours in a car unattended to way tooo long... not just for water - what about heat, potential distress in a confined space, potty etc !??!?

I'll second what everyone has already said! I would think that the repetitive, chronic lack of water could cause some cumulative problems. It's a dog - not a camel!

I keep an extra thermos..large..fill it half with ice and the rest with water so we have a source at all times in the car..we are in the car off and on all day and don't know when we will "break down" or get sidetracked.

I never EVER leave my dogs without water. They're water bowl is always filled, and if they are going to be left outside (especially in warmer weather) for a while, they always have some. I'm glad you're concerned about this. IMO you sound much more responsible than your roommate. You could suggest she get one of those automatic waterers.

Thank you.

Thank you for all of your replies. I will confront her about these issues. I have small animals as pets, and I know that if they go too long without water, they die. Maybe dogs don't die after six hours without water, but it's still cruel and absolutely uncalled for.

I love this dog very, very much and it breaks my heart to see her go without water and to be locked in a car some days while her owner works. Janey has eaten both seat belt buckles and the steering wheel durring her time in the car, so I know she's not enjoying herself.

Gah. Any more advise you have about my situation (as well as any links to articles that I can reccomend to the dog's owner) would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks again, to all you amazing dog owners.
Julia

Why does she leave her in the car while she's at work?? She could try doggie daycare, a petsitting service, or a dogwalker. As for the boredom (chewing things up), I highly recommend puzzle toys like I-Qubes and Kongs.

My roommate doesn't leave Janey in the car every time she goes to work. She does it when she's late for work and the dog follows her to the car. She doesn't take the time to take Janey back into the house (where there are two very loving people to take care of Janey all day). Instead, she takes the dog in the car to work with her. Needless to say, she does NOT bring food or water or toys or a leash. She does not take a break to take the dog to the bathroom.

This girl is really irresponsible; she can hardly take care of herself, so it's frustrating for me to see her take such poor care of her dog.

I find that completely deplorable. I would call the humane society immediately if I knew the dog was alone in the car for more than 15 or 20 minutes without water. On a warm day, it can be upwards of 100 degrees inside a car, even with the windows cracked. Dogs die of heat exhaustion all the time when trapped in cars. Can you imagine cooking to death within view of the street?

I'm sorry, but things like this really chap my rear. If what you say is true, in my opinion your roommate is unfit to take care of a dog and the dog should be removed from her care. She's demonstrating a complete lack of empathy and regard for the dog's safety, happiness, and well-being. This is an extremely serious situation. These situations are where underground rescues come from.

For now, why don't you suggest to her that she put the dog inside when it's time for her to go to work?

I really hope you can talk her into letting you have the dog since she's obviously not doing right by the poor creature.

Why does this girl have a dog? She doesn't even care about it. It sounds to me like this needs to be your dog and hers. You are much more responsible than she sounds. Tell her you want her dog, or you will call the humane society, plain and simple. I would NEVER tolerate someone's ignorant behavior towards an animal, even if it was a friend. I wouldn't want a friend like that anyway. Would she leave a baby in a car for 5 hours without drink or food? You need to teach her a lesson before she does have a kid one day and do that to them too. This is a very irresponsible person that is considerate of no one but herself. I have no tolerance for ignorant people.

Please talk to her and try to convice her how much more you love the dog and how you would care for it. If she doesn't listen, call the Humane Society. If I was there, I would be more than happy to talk to her for you.