Dogs cannot tell us when something is bothering them, and I doubt that they would even if they could. Dogs are just not the type to go around complaining about things.
That's why it's important that we watch for signs and symptoms of a disease. Generally, any change in your dog's body, behavior, actions or routine is telling you something. Some of the signs can be quite subtle and easily overlooked or dismissed. Paying attention to early symptoms can save your dog a lot of suffering and give him the best chance for a successful recovery.
I was talking to a friend about post-op issues her dog was having after an extracapsular repair of her ACL. During our discussion, she mentioned that in the snow they noticed that her dog's urine was clear, with no color to it at all, and she asked whether it was something to worry about.
I asked if her dog was drinking a lot. It turned out that her dog had been unusually thirsty and drinking large amounts of water since her surgery three months ago!
Excessive drinking is a symptom that should be taken seriously.
Any change in your dog's drinking or eating habits should be noted. Drinking more than usual without an obvious explanation—such as hot weather or exercise—should not be dismissed. Do you have to fill the water bowl more often lately? Does your dog urinate more frequently? Talk to your veterinarian.
Take it seriously. Depending on other symptoms, excessive drinking can be a sign of a number of conditions, including
Early diagnosis can mean the difference between treatment success or failure.
Further reading:
What's the Differential Diagnosis of Polydipsia and Polyuria in Dogs and Cats?
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| Photo by ucumari |
Today we'll take a look at excessive thirst/drinking.
I was talking to a friend about post-op issues her dog was having after an extracapsular repair of her ACL. During our discussion, she mentioned that in the snow they noticed that her dog's urine was clear, with no color to it at all, and she asked whether it was something to worry about.
I asked if her dog was drinking a lot. It turned out that her dog had been unusually thirsty and drinking large amounts of water since her surgery three months ago!
Excessive drinking is a symptom that should be taken seriously.
What constitutes excessive drinking?
Any change in your dog's drinking or eating habits should be noted. Drinking more than usual without an obvious explanation—such as hot weather or exercise—should not be dismissed. Do you have to fill the water bowl more often lately? Does your dog urinate more frequently? Talk to your veterinarian.
Take it seriously. Depending on other symptoms, excessive drinking can be a sign of a number of conditions, including
- Diabetes mellitus
- Cushing's syndrome
- Addison's disease
- Liver or kidney disease
- A potentially life-threatening uterine infection
- and other serious conditions
When in doubt, err on the side of caution.
Early diagnosis can mean the difference between treatment success or failure.
Further reading:
What's the Differential Diagnosis of Polydipsia and Polyuria in Dogs and Cats?
Do you know what your dog is telling you about their health?
Learn how to detect and interpret the signs of a potential problem.
An award-winning guide to better understanding what your dog is telling you about their health, Symptoms to Watch for in Your Dog, is available in paperback and Kindle. Each chapter includes notes on when it is an emergency.
My Shihtzu is 16 years old. Recently he's been drinking tons and tons of water. I've also seen wet spots around the house when I'm at work. He can't see much any more, and his hearing is almost gone. Is it time to put him down?
ReplyDeleteFirstly, they won't put a dog to sleep without your consent.
ReplyDeleteMore importantly, there are many reasons why this can be happening, and most of them are treatable.
Please see a vet, have your dog examined, urinalysis and blood panel done. You might find they can well treat whatever is going on.
Very sad to hear these stories. I have a almost 4 year old pitbull(Aries). She is trained and uses the bathroom when we take her outside to do so. Never had accidents. Until.. My husband left for military in November and she started peeing 3/4 times a day every couple days In the house. Her behavior is different as well. Barking, whining, talking a lot at random times, pacing and sniffing around. I recently left for 2 weeks to visit my husband. Being away for that long without her was weird. Lately I've noticed she now pees when I take her outside, poops, then pees again. The first time it's yellow. The 2nd time I saw it was blood. Pure blood. Not a lot came out but it was dark. Tonight it was lighter but still blood. She also started drinking a ton of water as if I never feed her any. She eats snow like she's sooo thirsty. No idea what's wrong with her but I also don't know what I'm gonna do cuz I am in no financial situation to get her looked at. Any similar stories?
ReplyDeleteHi i have a nearly year old pug cross with a jack russell, since ive had her she eats her food so fast and it seems like shes not chewing it, i have to watch her eat sometimes and try and calm her down to eat slowly, she sometimes pees immediatly after drinking ( which she drinks a lot of) and its comes out clear , besides that she pees a lot anyway, she also poos like 3/5 times a day and im still trying to train her to scratch to go outside , which has worked with other dogs ive had before , i just want to know can these issues be linked to any diseases as i want to ask before i go to the vet
ReplyDeleteHi I have a 2 yr old dog patterdale cross jack Russell he has always been boisterous and flighty we decided to get a puppy lhaso apso dog he is 3 month old now to try settle our patterdale down as he was never content it worked they get on fabulous but the past two weeks I've noticed a change in my patterdale behaviour he is drinking alot weeing alot scratching and sometimes biting his legs then licking lots he us always licking the settee us anything when he goes for a walk he wees then scratches the grass back with his back legs he's never done that I recently changed the food to the tailored tails,com for both dogs Alfie my patterdale gulps it down as does he any treats etc without chewing he swallow straight away constantly greedily he trembles all the time and we noticed when we got him he has a speckled nose ?, any help appreciated
ReplyDeleteSo I have a two year old german shepherd, he drinks tons of water and has since he was about six months old. And he can't hold his pee for more then two hours. Could it be something bad? My father always let's him out during the night and he has to always go. So it could be that he is use to it. But I am very worried about him. We lost our pug a year ago to seizures and diabetes. So I am worried he might have diabetes too. Vets have cleared him to be heathly with a lil underweight but he eats us out of house and home. So I know he is eating enough. He runs alot however during the day.
ReplyDeleteSo I have a two year old german shepherd, he drinks tons of water and has since he was about six months old. And he can't hold his pee for more then two hours. Could it be something bad? My father always let's him out during the night and he has to always go. So it could be that he is use to it. But I am very worried about him. We lost our pug a year ago to seizures and diabetes. So I am worried he might have diabetes too. Vets have cleared him to be heathly with a lil underweight but he eats us out of house and home. So I know he is eating enough. He runs alot however during the day.
ReplyDeleteA basic vet visit this about $100 +any procedures. Blood work could be $20 and up. I know it adds up, but some cities have discounted vet services. Church related, state funded. Call a round. But, don't let him suffer.
ReplyDeleteIt's a very nice article about dog,
ReplyDeleteDog water dispenser
If you changed his food, it may be that he's lacking proteins. I got the idea from this website : http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/urinary/c_multi_polydipsia_polyuria
ReplyDeleteMy dog had started drinking triple amount of water and peeing the same. I realized I had changed his food for a while now, so I gave him a frozen pig tongue I always keep as a popsicle for him in the freezer and the next day went to buy his bag of high protein food. He's back to normal now. It's just an idea but it's worth a try.
My dog a few months ago was dehydrated with a mild case of pancreatitis..she had to get fluids and has been fine since. I recently got a dog bowl for the upstairs where we sleep. She would go downstairs in the night and eat/ drink as she pleases. Since I have the bowl upstairs now she is constantly drinking. I can wake up to an empty bowl and her standing over me needing to go out. The drinking and peeing are new. I don't know if she was just lazy before and is taking advantage of the new convenient bowl or if something is wrong. She is 8 years old and upv until the dehydration visit, never had been sick before. She seems to act normal otherwise. My dog is my world... Should I bring her to the vet?
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid you need to start with the assumption that something is wrong and go back to the vet for further work-up.
DeleteHello - We're searching for answers for our 7 year old Boxer mix Sandy. About 2 weeks ago she woke up suddenly one morning crying to get out of our room. She ran to her water bowl and drank the whole thing. This happened the following night and then she had an accident in the house (very rare for her). She's continued to have the excessive thirst for two weeks now.
ReplyDeleteA couple days after the first incident I took her to the vet (a very well regarded vet with a large team) and she had urine and blood work done, all clean. We did a second urine test a couple days later that was also clean. Over the next week we watched her energy level plummet, her responsiveness to things that used to excite her nearly gone. I took her back to the vet again, where they did a full set of x-rays looking for tumors or other irregularities and found nothing. Finally they performed a test for Addisons/Cushings and we just received the results, everything normal.
I've been watching her closely and notice some specific changes - she used to bark quite a bit, now she never barks. She also used to pant pretty regularly, especially outside but now I notice she doesn't pant. Her eyes often look red and droopy, especially in the evenings. She often refuses to get up, even appearing to resist being pulled up, but once she's up she can still leap up 3 feet to get on our bed. Last night before bed she was bumping into walls, but today she seems to be better there.
Vet still has a few things they want to try (next is an abdomen ultrasound) but we are all puzzled and quite concerned. We've also spent over $700 so far with nothing to show for it. Any ideas?
I'd be very concerned as well. I agree that abdominal ultrasound is a good idea. But this might be time to have a speedy consultation with a specialist. They might catch something in the existing labs, have some new ideas and help determine whether ultrasound will bring answers or recommend other path to pursue.
DeleteI have an 11 year old chihuahua terrier mix that has been drinking a lot and not eating, I've also noticed that her sides seem to be a little bloated and she is very letharguc. The last time she poopef it was yellow. Im very worried. Do you know what this could be?
ReplyDeleteYes, this is a reason to worry. It is also a reason to see a vet as soon as possible.
DeleteI have an 11 year old chihuahua terrier mix that has been drinking a lot and not eating, I've also noticed that her sides seem to be a little bloated and she is very letharguc. The last time she poopef it was yellow. Im very worried. Do you know what this could be?
ReplyDeleteI have a 10yr old Neapolitan mastiff, she goes to the bathroom 3 times in 24 hrs.. Everytime she gets up she drinks water (excessively) I've also noticed she has a hard time breathing. Can someone please help me?
ReplyDeleteYes, your veterinarian. Excessive drinking can have many different causes. So can difficulty breathing. Difficulty breathing itself is the reason to see a vet right there. Please do that.
DeleteMy Boxer was eight and a half. She showed signs of bloating, 3 or 4 weeks after they began blasting in our area she died..
ReplyDeleteShe was brave in everything except guns and dynamite..... She would shake and tremble for long periods after each blast.
I not sure because she ate turkey bones also...
Grieving for MendyJo an obedient loving and loyal dog! That suffered her last month on earth...
So sorry for your loss.
DeleteMy 13and 1/2 rat terrier is drinking so much water... major accidents in the car and house. Bloodwork fine 3 months ago but vet believes he is in kidney failure .
ReplyDeleteI will know tomorrow. My heart is broke. Please pray for tomey
.
Probably kidney disease. I'm dealing with the same issues
ReplyDeleteBest of luck with the results. There are many reasons for so much drinking (and urinating); might be something treatable or manageable.
ReplyDeleteSounds like Pancreatitis
ReplyDeleteMy 11 year old miniature pinscher does the exact same thing. Drinks like a gallon of water in one sitting if you allow her to. I aquired her 4 years ago when my neighbor when they saw someone throw her out of a moving car :( Vet said she was in bad shape, looked to be used for breeding and probably kept in a cage most of her life. Her drinkimg problem worried me and had tests done. No issues were found in blood or urine. vet said based on what we know with her history and what she was most likely used for she probably did not get water amd food on a regular basis so when she does get water she hoards it, he said she does this because she is worried she wont get water again for a long time, he said it is water obsession and has become a mental issue with her. He recommended rationing her water offering her a cup at a time ever few hours. This is what we do now because she still to this day will drink a whole gallon amd throw up if allowed to. Since your pup was abandoned and malnourished that could be the case. Just a quick thought. :)
ReplyDeleteI have her tested for issues every year since she's old and have changed vets since then but still no issues found except arthritis. Figured if she had diabetes or kindy failure they would have found that by now since this water obsession has been going on for the entire 4 years I have had her.
Before buying that this is a behavioral issue, I'd get a second opinion first. If you have recent labs, you can just take them with you.
ReplyDeleteMy dog is a min pin who has Cushing's. She drinks and urinates ridiculous amounts a day. We try to restrict her water to prevent her from having to be let out every hour, but then she whines and tap dances all day until she gets what she wants. If I had a doggy door and a backyard, I would just let her drink and pee as much as she wants, but because I live in an apartment, this isn't possible. She's 11 years old now, and her status is deteriorating. She seems like she urinates and craves water much much worse than a year ago. Her quality of life has declined because her life consists of being thirsty and having a full bladder and having to pee. Our quality of life has also declined because of her disease because she doesn't tell us when she needs to go out every time so we have to break out the carpet scrubber every other day. I'm not sure what to do. If she has a pituitary tumor, getting it removed will not guarantee that her symptoms will subside. With her age, the low success rate of a cure, and the cost of the procedure, it doesn't seem like a good investment. She functions well enough that euthanasia would be unethical. I'm just not sure what to do.
ReplyDeleteWhile I fully understand your predicament, it is ill advised to restrict water intake. That's unfortunately, a bad move.
DeleteHow is she being treated? It seems that it hasn't been determined which type of Cushing's she has? What is her present treatment?
Hi Rachel, did you ever figure out what was wrong with your dog? I'm going through the exact same thing and can't figure out what the issue is. Your advice is much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteSheena, your dog may or may not have the same underlying cause for the same issue. You do need to work with your veterinarian to determine what is going with YOUR dog.
ReplyDeleteCan someone tell me how much water is normal for a 6kg maltese terrier?
ReplyDeleteAnd what is considered excessive?
That, of course, depends on the kind of food they eat, how hot it is, how much exercise they get ... water intake needs isn't a constant simply based of weight.
DeleteSince you're asking, it would seem you noticed an increase, which likely is significant. One way to determine whether more water than needed is drunk is to take a look at the volume and color of urine. If urination has changed as well, and if urine is very pale color or no color at all, then intake is higher than normal.
Best strategy is to get a urinalysis and a check-up to make sure nothing is going on medically.
I heard tgat one way to know kidney failing breath smells of acetone(sort if like nail polish remover..)..MY DOG WHO DRINKS ALOT AT NIGHT..PEES ALOT TOO ...(hes a mastiff-pitt 17 yr old.) HE GOT THROUGH BEING PARALYED AT 6(vet ea day for 22 days for shots till he just stood up..NOW HE SEEMS SENILE A LITTLE. II CHECK EVERYEHERE. HE STOPPED BARKING 1year ago or a bit less...i worry I PAID ALOT OF $$ to be told over 5yr ago Zephyr was riddled (or "maybe"..Dr.claimed and good chance)dog riddledvw Cancer in his bones ..at his age i opted no for bone marrow etc..she also rxd him seratonin affecting pain meds MADE HIM SICK.. OK HE WAS GOOD WALKING 1mle ea day till oct . omg HIS BREATH WAS ALWAYS BAD BUT HIS BREATH AND pee stink..(i put a diaper at night so he isnt getting wet..incase) he sleeps soundly. I realise his age hes going to not be foerver..i want him not in pain.i give him pain meds as needed for hip.he still walks but declining.. I fell messed up THINKING TO PUT MY BEST ONLY FREIND TO SLEEP. WE LIVE AT A HOTEL..WE LOST OUR HOUSE I FEEL SO GUILTY MAKING HIS TIME STRESSFUL...I DONT KNOW. CANT FIND PLACES THAT TAKE A DOG HES SHRUNK BUT STILL BIG..IS IT RIGHT TO PUT HIM TO SLEEP OR WAIT .I SEE HE IS MELECHOLY..I KNOW HE HIDES WEAKNESS. I THINK RX HELPS PAIN BUT HE HATES TAKING MEDS. ALWAYS HAS..I CHECKED MOUTH IT SMELLS BUT NOTHING..I FELT TO SEE IF HE REACTED NOTHING.ANY IDEAS..TESTS AT THIS POINT ARE POINTLESS IM NOT PUTTINGBHIM THROUGG TREATMENT TO UPSET HIM..CANT AFFIRD IT ANYHOW. BUT IF ITS ABOUT MAKINGBHIM COMFORTABLE AND QUALIY OF LIFE...
ReplyDeleteHi Lola,
ReplyDeletesorry about your baby. You need to work with your veterinarian in determining what the best next step is. There are hospices for dogs out there; perhaps you might want to look into that option as well.
We had the same thing. 1st Cushing testing came back negative yet she had all the signs. So, they did the “long” test and sure enough, she has Cushing. Make sure they are doing the right test.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing, Tony. Yes, when you know something is wrong, you need to push for a diagnosis.
ReplyDelete12 years old is still young for shep/lab mix.. i have one that is 12 years old right now he will be 13 in spring time he is white faces around his mouth like an old person would be nbut he has no issues with any joints or any other problems at all not evne nay growths or lumps or anything else either.. he drinks a ton of water all the time though and he makes a wierd gagging reflex thing right after he gulps down the huge bowl of water every time, its really odd. gags like he is gonna maybe ralph up everything or something.. has been going on for aobut as long as he has bene excessively drinking whole big bowls of water all in one standing, every single time, several times a day often.. so i dont know.. otherwise he is perfectly healthy fine, definitely not overweight or sluggish tired lethargic or in any pain or anything else.. and he is 12/13 but doesnt seem like it he gets up down stairs fine still no issues there either and many times a day too. as if he is still young middle aged at the very most.. its just the excessive water drinking and gagging reflex thing i am lost on.. germ shep and black lab mix. he is strictly an indoors dog and always bene healthy perfectly, no worms no heart issues, no anything ever. and no injuries physically ever either. fastr68@yahoo.com -I am Randy in Illinois and misterwabbit78 on facebook and i am with Oscar the old-time puppy here. haha
ReplyDeleteExcessive thirst points to a problem which could be anything from an infection, kidney problems, diabetes, Cushing's .... please see a vet and start at least with urinalysis.
DeleteHi, that is exactly the symptoms my 13 year old black lab had before he died. He just all of a sudden (like that day) stopped eating, when he always had a GREAT appetite and couldn't WAIT to eat!! Then when I brought him for his short bathroom walk that morning, he just collapsed and I had to lift his back end to get him up enough to just get him inside where he was very lethargic the rest of the day. I called the vet right away, and she said to bring him in. They did a ultrasound and found his white blood count was extremely low and recommended I take him to a specialist IMMEDIATELY!! They called to say I was on my way. When I got there he couldn't even stand and they came out to help me as I was sobbing my eyes out...I knew something was horribly wrong. They found several tumors, one had burst in his intestines and they recommended me to not do surgery cause of his age and there was no guarantee it would even work. Plus it was like 5000.00 which I didn't have. They recommended to put him down. It was HORRIBLE...but I was shocked that it literally came out of nowhere!!! The day before, he was fine. Strange.
ReplyDeleteMy 2.5 yrs old Spitz used to drink lot of water in the first year but his intake of water stabilised gradually. But now he has developed skin disease which is just not going. This time vet asked if he was drinking too much of water, which made me curious about the link.
ReplyDeleteWell, you say his drinking has normalized? With such skin issue, I would start by checking thyroid function.
DeleteWhy in the world would your vet give your dog 21 days of antibiotics for a negative test? That sounds crazy.. A UA is a simple test that would either confirm or negate a UTI; you don't just throw antibiotics at something you haven't confirmed!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post concerning tapeworms... my dog has recently been drinking and urinating excessively, having accidents which isn't like her. We have recently added a new puppy to our home who had been treated for tapeworms, but now I'm wondering if she still might have some and has given them to my dog, as she drinks water from my dog's bowl. I will try some DE to see if this makes a difference in her drinking/ urinating habits.. I have also recently changed her diet, and was wondering if that could be the cause.. She is playing with the new puppy and has been much more active, and panting, so I know that this is causing her to be more thirsty, but she is still drinking too much and frequently looks bloated. I didn't consider exposure to tapeworms..
ReplyDeleteAs if added a new puppy wasn't a big enough change, another recent change has been me babysitting my niece's eight month old baby. My dog has had all the attention in the home for the last six years, and now has to share it with a new puppy AND baby! I know that she is jealous of the baby as she often comes up and lays on my chest when the baby is on my lap just so she can be closer to me than the baby and get my attention. I don't know if this could be a cause for her to be drinking more or not.. I'm thinking the possibility of tapeworms(?) or the diet change are more of a cause, as I had changed her diet once before and this same thing happened; and after spending $250 at the vet for blood work and a UA.. the vet found nothing. I changed her back to her previous diet and the symptoms resolved.
ReplyDeleteThat's not really how tapeworms are transmitted. Most commonly, dogs get infected by swallowing a flea carrying the tapeworm "egg." Cookie got infected eating a squirrel which must have had some.
ReplyDeleteIt can be transmitted from uncooked meat, mainly pork.
Sharing a drinking bowl has nothing to do with it.
However, increased drinking and urination IS significant. I would not experiment and have her checked out, as well as her urine and blood.
Hi, my dog has been treated for an ear infection and constipation one week, he was not eating and he has an infusion of glucose. Now he is better and he started eating again his stomach is calm he also poops normal(sry for the word) but I notice that he drinks a lot of water an he pees after drinking immediately, 6-7 times on the day. He acts normally otherwise, he starts wanting to go for a walk and he is happy again. I ask the vet for drinking situation and he says it is cus of the infusion with glucose, but I am still worried. The situation was sudden and he is out if treatment two days now. Here in my country, we do not have a lot of good vets and equipment so I do not know what to do. Is he drinking cus of that or is something wrong with his kidneys that suddenly.I am worried cus he seems now right like he was before except the drinking and peeing. Thank you in advance. He is poodle mix and 7 years old
ReplyDeleteI do agree that is strange the glucose infusion would have long lasting effect like that.
DeleteBesides that, were antibiotics given for the ear infection? Or some other treatment? Some medications can cause increased drinking.
Hi. I have a 5 yr old American pit bull terrier. She has been obsessing over water and drinks very excessively. The mornings are the worst as we usually wake up to a lake on the floor then she drinks to the point of vomiting. The need for water subsides throughout the day...only if she has gree access to water. If she is not given access to water for a couple of hours it is like she hasn't drank in days. She has done this once before...about a year ago for about a three week span...then it subsided...she is now on day 4 or 5 of doing this again....??? Tons of work as it is constant monitoring...watering...peeing...and clean ups. Had her tested last year...wasn't a uti or diabetes. Weird because its like it flares up for sometime then goes away....
ReplyDeleteI agree it is strange that it comes and goes if that is indeed what is happening and it doesn't just appear that way. Because things can look like a pattern while not being related. Meaning, I'd retest. I'd check the urine and blood as well. Surely there is a reason.
Delete