Took our new 4 month old puppy to the vet last week and they called because his urine was diluted. They asked if he is drinking a lot, having trouble urinating, licking himself, etc. None of those behaviors are observable. We've only had him 1 month now and wouldn't really be able to tell any changes in behavior. The vet called back the next day and prescribed Cranvet (cranberry supplement). We have another vet appointment on Monday however, the accidents in the house have now become excessive as of the last two hours.

We also have two other dogs visiting and we are positive that the urine around the house is coming from our puppy. The urine is still diluted. We haven't noticed much increase in drinking. We changed is food when we got him from the breeder, from Eukanuba (sp) to Nutro and did it gradually. He gets dry food twice a day and some treats. We did feed him some turkeybreast with dinner the last two nights - no gravy or anything. We picked up the water bowl for now and he's in his crate. Not sure if we should bring him to an emergency vet or wait till our appointment on Monday.

Dilute urine has several causes, some are quite serious, some not so bad. A urinary tract infection is often the problem, especially in puppies. Your vet might be suspecting an early UTI, which would explain the cranberry supplement.

Some of the other causes, diabetes mellitus and Cushing's disease would be very unusual in a puppy this young.

Diabetes Insipidus is rare, but possible. There are two forms, central and nephrogenic. Diabetes Insipidus is different from the more familiar form of diabetes, and has nothing to do with blood sugar. It is a failure of the kidneys to concentrate the urine. In central DI, the problem is in the pituitary gland, which is failing to produce the anti-diuretic hormone. Nephrogenic DI is a rare congenital form, where the kidneys are unable to respond to the anti-diuretic hormone.

There are also some congenital/genetic disorders where the kidneys are small and underdeveloped, leading to kidney failure as a puppy ages. Kidney failure from exposure to some toxins is also a possibility. Any type of kidney failure in a puppy this young would have a very grave prognosis.

If your puppy doesn't respond to treatment for a UTI, further testing for other causes is in order.

One last thing. If he's not concentrating his urine, no matter what the cause, it's important not to restrict water intake. This will lead to dehydration, which can happen very quickly in a young puppy. I know, it leads to more mess to clean up in the house. The good news is that extremely dilute urine is little more than water, and has little to no odor.

i dont want that to happen with my pert thanks for sharing..

We put the water back down as of this morning and are not restricting intake. We also purchased a belly band so that if he does exhibit more incontinence it is confined to the diaper. He does have a habit of licking a lot, the floor, the rug, and he eats poop outside. We've also purchased a muzzle for him while he out so he doesn't eat feces. We pick up the dog mess outside however we have rabbits in our yard and can't pick up their poop which he will eat.

Thanks for the info. We are going to wait it out until our vet appointment tomorrow afternoon. We'll take another urine sample in the morning and we hope to hear that he has a UTI. Our other dog has had two. One when we first got him and one recently after he was neutered.

What are the treatments for DI?

The treatment for DI depends a bit on which type of DI you're dealing with. Central DI is treated with a drug to replace the hormone that isn't being produced in sufficient quantities. Response to the drug is usually pretty good, and CDI is fairly well controlled. Nephrogenic DI is also treated with drugs, along with restricting salt intake, and response may be good, or not so good.

DI is usually a chronic condition. There is no cure. Sometimes a dog will recover spontaneously if the disease is acquired by injury or exposure to toxins, and the source of the toxin is removed.

As I said, a dog with DI must have constant access to water. They cannot control how much urine they produce, and dehydration is a constant threat if they cannot drink enough water to replace what is being lost.

It's also important to remember that their urination in inappropriate areas is not a behavioral issue. They really cannot help themselves. Depending on the size of your dog, providing him with appropriate places to relieve himself can be a simple as puppy training pads or providing several litter trays, placed in various areas of your house. The bigger the dog, the bigger the trays have to be.

The large cake pans, used by bakers for sheet cakes, can make good litter trays for medium sized dogs. If you have a very large dog, maybe you can set aside a room with a child's wading pool or sandbox, filled with clumping cat litter, as a potty for your dog. If you have a basement, and the dog has access to it, that would also be a good place to set up a litter box for a large breed dog.

I really hope you're pup does not have DI. It's a difficult disease to manage, and requires some significant changes in your lifestyle. But, unlike some of the other causes of dilute urine, at least it is manageable in most cases.

Since putting on the diaper he hasn't wet himself. We will see what happens later this evening which is when yesterday seemed to get bad. Thanks again for all the feedback.