Dog avoiding water bowl?

This is a strange one. Misha and my sister's dog have spent quite a bit of time together. My sister's dog stays with me routinely for long days or when they go away. They have always shared water bowls.

Over the last three months, Misha has off and on refused to drink out of the water bowl that Summit uses at our house. She refuses even if it is her own bowl.

I'm trying to understand why. Summit has been off and on Baytril because of a persistent bladder infection. So, I wonder if somehow Misha either senses Summit's infection or she senses the antiobiotics (maybe in spit left in the bowl or an order Summit is emitting?)

Last week when Summit stayed, I put Misha's bowl back on its stand at the end of the day. I didn't realize she wouldn't drink from it. About 10pm I decided to rinse it out. She came running from the bedroom then guzzled the water. It was then that I realized that earlier in the evening, after Summit went home, she had been stalking me. My Mom noticed her go to her bowl a couple of times, sniff, and then walk away.

Isn't it strange? Any ideas on this one? They have been together for a week at a time before with no problem. In fact, Misha would drink out of the bowl Summit brought with her.

 

I'm pretty sure that Misha senses Summit's infection. Dogs are amazing, aren't they? Sometimes I think that they can sense almost everything and somehow, they always know when their owners are sick. A few years ago, when my aunt was very sick, Homer started to avoid her, he was almost scared of her.

 

I've read that when dogs smell the ground or the area they are currently in they can also smell the condition of other dogs who were there or are presently there. So when they smell the ground where other dogs pissed, pooped or just stayed in they can smell the physical condition of the other dogs. This serves to warn them and I guess that is why your dog won't drink from the same bowl as summit.

 

It was right that was strange.
I know that dogs could sense sickness or some kind of danger but never read about such event. Good thing your dog is careful.

 

The fact that she drank the water after you rinsed the bowl means that she smells something weird on Summit because of Summit's illness.
Once the other dog is healthy, things will probably go back to normal.