Hello Everyone, I hope no one minds me posting a new thread, I am only about 15 minutes new to this group and I first would like to say I love the forum...the reason for my new thread is just recently my 4 year old doggie started drinking excessively,,,well a lot more than she normally did, and it has me worried, I have already taken her to the vet but her vet says everything seems to be okay, if anyone has any advice they can give me I'd greatly appreciate it.

how much water exactly does your dog drink?

ive heard excessive water drinking can be a sign of diabetes...
but your vet doesnt seem to be worried. and you shouldnt either.
my dog drinks alot of water too, because he is always moving around and is really active.


you can get a second opinion if you want to ..from another vet if you are still worried.

Make sure that she is checked for Diabetes. This will cause excessive water drinking.

My mother's dog drank what we considered an excessive amount of water and she never had diabetes or any other condition that we could find.

Has her activity level changed at all? Maybe she's just feeling dehydrated for some reason. I'm sure if your vet sin't worried, you shouldn't be either.

I agree, diabetes can be a cause of excessive intake as well as renal problems.
Although drinking can be dependant on a dogs activity level, the weather, size and diet as well as health.
How is the temperature in california now? Has her activity level gone up? Any changes to her diet? Has she put on any weight?
Dogs that eat dry food also tend to drink a lot more.

I know how difficult this is for you and your little one. I have three dogs, all of the same breed (Mt. Cur), two of which are fine. My middle guy has had a series of health issues from about 2 years old, he is now 9. My Trooper has hypothyroidism and has been on Soloxine since 2. Until last December he was fine with it, but all of a sudden he started with heavy panting, drinking more than excessively and peeing every five minutes. His urine is clear with no smell to it. I took him to the vet several times in one week (many times throughout the year) for diagnosis. First they thought diabetes, came back negative. Then 3 different vets diagnosed him with suggestive of cushings disease. They wanted to start him immediately on Lysodrine but he all of a sudden got this football size fatty lipoma on the right side of his back and shoulder. The vets suggested to have this lipoma removed before we started the Lysodrine and we would start that up after the healing process. After the surgery he came down with bronchial pneumonia, so again we held off. I at that time stopped all medicine except his antibiotics. His heavy drinking, urinating and panting stopped. But because I stopped his thyroid medication, he blew up like a balloon. Two months ago I started his thyroid medicine and he lost a ton of weight, but now he is drinking bowls of water that I can't even keep up with, I am up all day and night with him letting him in and out and filling water bowls. I can't leave for even an hour without him peeing in the house. I lost my temper two days ago and yelled at him, then I cried because it is not his fault, I felt so terribly bad about that. He is the sweetest thing you could ever imagine. But, his breath does smell bad, he has been to the vet so many times and I have spent so much money on trying to make him better, I am at my wits end. I have another call into the vet for a return call tomorrow, but I don't know if they will have answers for me. Do I not leave water down for him? If I don't will he dehydrate? Does he have cushings? This poor thing has been poked and prodded so much with no conclusive answers. Any information that anyone can give will be greatly appreciated by me and my Boopers (Trooper).

My 7 year old male Vizsla has been drinking much more water in the last year. I have had blood work done and all comes back normal. It has gotten so bad that he sometimes drinks so much after he eats that he throws his food up. I am trying to decide if I need a second opinion. He seems healthy, but just drinks a lot more than he used to. My husband says he's just excessive in general and will make him stop drinking, but I say that he wouldn't be drinking if he wasn't really thirsty. I'm not sure what to do. I just have this gut feeling all of the time that there is somethign wrong, but my husband says to trust the vet. Please share anythoughts that you have.

There is a condition called psychogenic polydipsia, which just means that the dog likes to drink water excessively. There is nothing wrong with the dog -it's just a habit. Drinking the water excessively makes them feel better (for whatever reason). I've had one berner with this problem - did all the tests to rule out diabetes and such.

The cure - limit the access to water. But before one thinks of simply picking up the dogs' water dish - do make sure that the dog has been tested for diabetes and other diseases.

BIS

Hey, Commenting on the excessive drinking. I have a post on here also under dog behavoir you can read about excesively drinking. We just gothim so we arent sure if this is his normal amt of water or not. BUT we do know that he has been neglected inhis past and there is susupected abuse. He is only 9 months old and I find it hard to believe that he has cushings or diabetes as do most of the vets I have spoke with. However no testing yet as we just got him a few days ago. I am sure that he has been deprived of water in his past and I wonder if mine is just emotional. I wonder if he thinks this might be the only chance h e gets to drink so he better drink up!! Will dogs do that for that reason? He has been in a good home for the past week and a half so I know he should of had time to catch up on water if he was dehydrated, but maybe his little mind is telling him diffferent than his body.??

I have had the same concerns as you and will be doing testing this next week. I have also wondered about a Urinary Tract Infection. When he pees in the house , he will pee like 4 or 5 spots in a short period of time, such as a human would be going with a UTI. I am praying not for anything major.

ANy comments on the emotional aspect of this? Do you think he could be thinking about his past deprivation of water?

Thanks, KIM

Originally Posted by luvmyprechielu

Hello Everyone, I hope no one minds me posting a new thread, I am only about 15 minutes new to this group and I first would like to say I love the forum...the reason for my new thread is just recently my 4 year old doggie started drinking excessively,,,well a lot more than she normally did, and it has me worried, I have already taken her to the vet but her vet says everything seems to be okay, if anyone has any advice they can give me I'd greatly appreciate it.

One day I noticed my dogs drinking way too much water. I had gotten a report about alot of dangerous things in dog food and dog treats. I cleaned out the bad dog food and replaced it. I told my about it but I guess she didn't listen. Anyway I found out that she was giving them treats that she had bought. I looked at the ingredients and sure enough there was that chemical that I read about in the report. It can mess up your dog pretty bad, even to death. I threw the treats away and luckily the dogs returned to normal drinking habits. The chemical you want to look for is: Menadione Sodium Bisulfate. this was banned years ago for human consumption. If you are feeding your dog any food with this chemical, then I suggest you get rid of it immediately. Ican send you the link for this report, it educated me on dog food and other things.

[CorkyMax]

I see no one mentioned that this could be a sign of kidney failure also. My book "Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook" (Yes--I have many books on dogs) Did you have blood work done? Quotes frm book--(heading--Increased Thirst and Frequent Urination)--"These are signs of kidney failure. Aging alone is not a cause of kidney failure, but kidney diseases tend to be slowly progressive, so symptoms often appear later in life. The dog urinates more frequently because the kidneys have lost the ability to concentrate wastes. These dogs are thirsty and drink larger amounts of water to compen-
sate. Note that increased thirst and urination also occur w/diabetes and Cushing's syndrome, 2 diseases that tend to occur in mid. aged and older dogs. A dog w/failing kidneys may be unable to keep frm wetting in the house, esp. at night. Take the dog out several times a day and just before bedtime. Be sure to keep fresh water available at all times. DO NOT REDUCE WATER INTAKE IN AN ATTEMPT TO CONTROL THE INCONTINENCE. This may push the dog into acute kidney failure." Not enough room here to add more--try looking up kidney failure/dogs signs of kidney failure/dogs Tests that would be warranted: BUN, creatinine and electrolytes. Other symptoms could be an ammonia-like odor to breath, apathy and depression, loss of appetite and weight, a dry haircoat, a brownish discoloration on the tongue. Ulcers may occur in the mouth. Causes of acute kidney failure--complete urinary tract obstruction caused by a stone--rupture of the bladder or urethra--shock,w/inadequate blood flow to the kidneys--poisoning,esp frm antifreeze
Dogs w/kidney failure do not show signs of uremia until 75% of functioning kidney tissue is destroyed. Thus a considerable amount of damage occurs before the signs are noticed. If this is the problem--restrict salt intake-restrict protein intake-restrict phosphorus. Feed a highly digestible, low protein, low salt diet. B vitamins are being lost in all that urine--should supplement. Running out of space. Keep us posted--may have more info to give Hope it is nothing serious.

[Karenmariecollins]

Hi Everybody!

I have a 6 year old female Golden Retriever who was diagnosed 2 years ago with a Thyroid problem and is taking 0.8 mg of Novo-Thyro once a day. Last week I had to take her to the Vet, because she developed a rash, was drinking unlimited amounts of water and peeing excessively all around the house which is so UNLIKE her! The Vet told me that she had Hot Spot AND a Urinary Tract Infection. She is now taking Novo-lexin and Novo-prednisone to treat both the Hot Spot and UTI. Since she has started these two meds I cannot keep her water bowl full at all!!! She drinks it as fast as I can pour it! She is still peeing around the house, more than ever, and when she does pee, it is like a river! I mean BUCKETS full!!! Her pee is really clear and doesn't have an odor. She is also blown up like a balloon! I am so worried!The vet told me that once her medication is finished she wants to have another urinalysis to check her kidneys and other organs. I am frightened to death that she may have diabetes!!!! I know that it is common for a dog to drink a lot of water when they have a UTI, but she is now on her meds 7 days; shouldn't the drinking be slowed down by now? It seems that she is drinking more than ever. I Googled the meds that she is on to check out their side effects, but it doesn't say that these meds cause the dog to be thirsty. Does anyone else have these same problems with their dog? If so, could you P L E A S E let me know what your Vet told you; I would really appreicate it! Thank you!

[CorkyMax]

I can't believe your vet didn't do blood work the very 1st thing!! What is she waiting for? I would be more worried about the kidney and liver function and the blood work would give you that info. You might put the words: dog/ascites in your browser.

I am going to quote some things from my Home Vet Book (A very good book).

Diagnosing Urinary Tract Diseases
Because of overlapping symptoms and the fact that more than one organ may be involved, it is difficult to make an exact diagnosis based on the symptoms alone. The laboratory can be of considerable help. Routine tests are urinalysis, which tells your vet whether your dog has a urinary tract infection, and blood chemistries, which provide information about the function of the kidneys.

Excessive Urination (Polyuria)
Frequent passage of large volumes of urine suggests kidney disease. The dog compensates by drinking large amounts of water. You may notice this symptom first. Other common causes of excessive urination include diabetes mellitus, Cushing's syndrome, a pituitary tumor, hyperparathyroidism and some types of poisoning.

Kidney Failure
Dogs with failing kidneys are unable to concentrate their urine. They have a large urinary output and must drink more than usual to replace fluid losses. If they are not allowed to go outside as often as necessary, they may begin to make mistakes in the house. It is important to check kidney function in all incontinent dogs to be sure the incontinence (loss of voluntary control over the act of voiding) does not have a medical basis. (end of quotes)

Your words: The vet told me that once her medication is finished she wants to have another urinalysis to check her kidneys and other organs.-----(Me): I hope she is going to do blood work too!!! I don't see how a urinalysis is going to do enough!!!! Please have blood work done!

Have you talked to your vet since her stomach swelled up!!?

Oh for gosh sakes!!--Just saw that I had posted a while back (the post just above yours) to the original poster on this kind of thing. I see I repeated a lot of it.
Causes of Ascites in dogs (I think it is very important for you to read this now!)
also: Ascites in Dogs - Be sure to scroll all the way down on the pages as the darn ads get in the middle and make it look like the article is done!(3 pages)

APO-PREDNISONE/NOVO-PREDNISONE Here is an important paragraph from this site (Please check out the whole link too)-- SIDE EFFECTS
Prednisone has activity in the kidney leading to the conservation of salt. This creates the classical side effects of prednisone/prednisolone use: excessive thirst and excessive urination. These effects are dose dependent.

Prednisone is commonly used for several weeks or even months at a time to get a chronic process under control. It is important that the dose be tapered when stopping. The reason for this is that body will perceive these synthetic hormones and not produce any of its own. The body needs time to begin producing its own. If the medication is stopped suddenly, the pet will have no glucocorticoids available and this is dangerous.

Glucocorticoid hormone use can be irritating to the stomach at higher doses. This medication may be given with or without food. Giving it with meals may lessen the chance the drug will upset your pet’s stomach.

Any latent infections can be unmasked (but not caused) by prednisone use.

INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER DRUGS
Glucocorticoid hormones should not be used in combination with medications of the NSAID class (ie aspirin, Rimadyl®, phenylbutazone etc.) as the combination of these medications could lead to bleeding in the stomach or intestine. Ulceration could occur.


Continued in next post-------------------------------------------------->

[CorkyMax]

Here is some more on prednisone: On the other hand, the side effects that prednisone causes are burdensome for the pet owner. The following side effects can present themselves even when the drug is used for a short period of time:

1.Renal disorders
2.Abnormal thirst levels
3.Excessive hunger
Side effects that occur after a considerable period of usage are as follows:

1.Ulcers in the digestive tract
2.Pain and inflammation in pancreas
3.Diabetes
4.Degeneration of muscles
5.Unpredictable change in behaviors
The most dangerous side effect that can appear while administering prednisone is hyperadrenocorticism in dogs . Also known as Cushing’s disease, this condition is caused by an inadvertent overdose of the drug.

Since it is a corticosteroid itself, prednisone obstructs the proper functioning of the adrenal glands. If the drug is continued for more than a week, it can affect the normal functioning of the adrenal glands on a permanent basis. This results in a dependency on the drug, since the body is unable to create its own natural corticosteroids.

Though prednisone seems like a wonder drug at times, indiscriminate use of this drug can be very dangerous. It can lead to conditions like Cushing’s disease in dogs and also Addison’s disease, both of which can prove to be fatal.


Novo-Lexin What really bothers me about all these meds your dog is on is that they have cautions/not use in some cases if dog has kidney problems, etc. And from what you have written--blood work was not done to rule out kidney disease, and other problems!!! Please click on the one word blue link just above.

This link is about Cushing's Disease: Pet Columns, Office of Public Engagement, College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

[lulusmom]

Originally Posted by Karenmariecollins

Hi Everybody!

I have a 6 year old female Golden Retriever who was diagnosed 2 years ago with a Thyroid problem and is taking 0.8 mg of Novo-Thyro once a day. Last week I had to take her to the Vet, because she developed a rash, was drinking unlimited amounts of water and peeing excessively all around the house which is so UNLIKE her! The Vet told me that she had Hot Spot AND a Urinary Tract Infection. She is now taking Novo-lexin and Novo-prednisone to treat both the Hot Spot and UTI. Since she has started these two meds I cannot keep her water bowl full at all!!! She drinks it as fast as I can pour it! She is still peeing around the house, more than ever, and when she does pee, it is like a river! I mean BUCKETS full!!! Her pee is really clear and doesn't have an odor. She is also blown up like a balloon! I am so worried!The vet told me that once her medication is finished she wants to have another urinalysis to check her kidneys and other organs. I am frightened to death that she may have diabetes!!!! I know that it is common for a dog to drink a lot of water when they have a UTI, but she is now on her meds 7 days; shouldn't the drinking be slowed down by now? It seems that she is drinking more than ever. I Googled the meds that she is on to check out their side effects, but it doesn't say that these meds cause the dog to be thirsty. Does anyone else have these same problems with their dog? If so, could you P L E A S E let me know what your Vet told you; I would really appreicate it! Thank you!

When is the last time you had your dog's thyroid levels checked? She is getting a pretty healthy dose of Novo-Thyro and it's possible that she is now hyperthyroid as opposed to hypothryroid. Almost all hyperthyroid dogs have pu/pd (excessive drinking and peeing) so I'd definitely ask the vet to rule out this possibility.

[angiesample]

I would have your vet to a full work up... checking thyroid and kidney function as well as for diabetes as well as everything else just in case. Just bc a vet says something doesnt mean there always right. Do ur own research and if u feel something needs to be done tell ur vet. You are the one who is with ur dog ur vet may miss things since he/shes only with ur dog for 15 min or so. Good luck!

[Opiesmom]

Please, have your dog's labs plus a urinalysis checked if those things haven't been done already. They are vital to diagnosing kidney disease. My dog was not properly evaluated and died as a result because her kidneys were too far gone by the time the problem was discovered.

[Xena]

I had an Australian shepherd for years then she started drinking more and eating less at first we didn't notice and the vet said everything was fine then she started vomiting and she turned out to have diabetes it happened so fast she went too far down hill for us to help her and she had to be put to sleep. It was the saddest moment of my life. I'm not saying your dog will end up like mine but if you get it checked out things would have a much brighter outcome I'm sure.

[Tiffanyawood]

My Dalmatian is 10 years old, old for a Dal, and just over the past month has started drinking excessive water. For example, he will drink all the water in the toilet and then he will dry heave for awhile until it all comes back out. I have limited his water intake as cleaning up 20 piles of pukey water is getting old. He has needed to go out alot more, but if left in the house for hours usually only one huge puddle to clean up. He also doesnt seem to eat as much of his food as well. Any anwers out there?
Thx