[Prochrgd1]

We have an 11 month old male Flat Coat Retriever “TJ” that we adopted from a very reputable agency here in Michigan. As of late he refuses to go on walks. As soon as the leash comes out he’ll just sit and refuse to budge unless its back into the house. He will however go to the dog park but it less energetic than most of the dogs in his age range and usually only last for 30 minutes or so before he decides to lay down. The other day my wife and daughter basically forced him to do a lap around the block and stopped a few houses short of ours to chat with the neighbor. He bent don’t to pet our dog and the dog lashed out and bit him on the ankle which caused a nice bruise almost immediately. This had my wife on the phone with the adoption agency going over options of what we should do as we have 2 children under the age of 6 and always have the neighboring kids in and out of the house. Shes dead set on giving him back to the agency as this biting and nipping has increased lately and he seems overly protective (barking excessively) when we have a knock at the door/door bell etc. I’ve done some research online and found that these symptoms could be the result of a serious problem.

This may totally unrelated, but hes been drinking excessive amounts of water lately too. By that I mean, last night I filled his bowl with 8-10 ounces of water probably 5 times in a 2 hour span. He makes it outside but this is all new within the past 2 weeks. Any help would be greatly appreciated as I would be a mess if TJ had to sent back.

[cigwyllt]

Get him to the vet for a check up asap. He sounds sick to me. Any inexplicable change in behaviour should warrant a vet check, combined with the lethargy and excessive drinking he definitely needs a check up. Tell the vet all the symptoms you can think of to give him a full picture of what is going on but do it sooner rather than later.

[angiesample]

i agree he needs to go to the vet as soon as possible... something isnt right. Good luck and let us know what u find out.

[CorkyMax]

I totally agree--There is something wrong with your dog and needs to be seen by a vet and I hope your vet does blood work. Excessive drinking is a sign of many things--kidney disease--liver problems--diabetes--hyperthyroidism, to name a few. Lethargy, as Cigwyllt mentioned is a sign of illness too. A question---When did your dog have it's rabies shot? There can be side effects to vaccinations too and they don't always show up right a way. But definitely see a vet. I hope there isn't any thing too bad but you need to know.

[Prochrgd1]

Thanks for the replies. I'm home from work now and the panting and water drinking seems to go hand in hand. He's laying on the floor and panting like he just went for a run. Off to the vet..

Thanks again for all of the replies. I will update when I get any information.

[Yogi]

Originally Posted by Corky/Max

I totally agree--There is something wrong with your dog and needs to be seen by a vet and I hope your vet does blood work. Excessive drinking is a sign of many things--kidney disease--liver problems--diabetes--hyperthyroidism, to name a few. Lethargy, as Cigwyllt mentioned is a sign of illness too. A question---When did your dog have it's rabies shot? There can be side effects to vaccinations too and they don't always show up right a way. But definitely see a vet. I hope there isn't any thing too bad but you need to know.

These are also symptoms of Cushings disease.

[Lunareclipse]

the symptoms remind me of diabetes. Does he urinate more frequently too?

[CorkyMax]

What kind of dog food has your dog been eating lately?!
Blue Buffalo has recalled some dog food because of excess vitamin D being added. One of the symptoms is excessive drinking! Long shot but if you feed Blue Buffalo--Check this out: Blue Buffalo Recall — Vitamin D