Drinking enough water could be very essential for our dogs but when this consumption becomes excessive, there is likely to be an underlying problem.
Urination and drinking go hand in hand and if you notice one sign the opposite often follows.
This might mean that your dog is urinating excessively (polyuria) and is drinking an excessive amount of water (polydipsia) in an attempt to exchange the lost liquids.
Or he might drink an excessive amount of water which eventually must be passed.
When the standard potty breaks won’t cut it, chances are you’ll find your dog urinating inside your home which definitely points to an issue (if he’s fully potty trained).
As a general rule, the quantity of water a dog must drink in a day is the same as: 100 ml water for each kg of body weight.
Dr. Jürgen Zentek, head of the Institute for Animal Nutrition on the University of Berlin
An intake way above that may definitely be concerning.
Excessive water intake in dogs and urination contained in the home might be brought on by kidney disorders, infections, hormone disorders, medications, and cancer.
8 Reasons for Polydipsia and Urinating within the House
Polydipsia and polyuria are only symptoms and might have a wide range of underlying causes.
Thirst in dogs is regulated by several mechanisms including the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, adrenal glands, and kidneys.
For instance, excessive water loss means the pituitary gland releases an anti-diuretic hormone that tells the kidneys to conserve water and stimulates the thirst center within the brain.
If there may be an issue with any of those components or if there are environmental influences, the perception of thirst might be imbalanced.
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Pyometra
Pyometra is an infection that may occur in female dogs two to eight weeks after the last heat.
During this time, the cervix is open and relaxed and bacteria can enter the uterus.
Hormonal changes after the warmth could cause a thickening of the uterine lining which creates the right environment for bacterial growth.
Pyometra often presents with quite a few symptoms that change depending on whether or not the cervix stays open.
Toxins released by the bacteria can affect the kidneys which ends up in increased urination and better water intake.
When you notice pus or abnormal discharge anywhere (your dog’s bedding, their tail) and/or your dog is feeling listless and lethargic, a vet visit will likely be needed.
Kidney Disease
As I actually have mentioned before, the kidneys play a significant role in your dog’s perception of thirst.
A rise in drinking and urination is definitely one in all the earliest signs of kidney disease.
The kidney’s fundamental function is to filter waste from the bloodstream and kidney disease describes an inability to achieve this effectively.
When this happens, the body tries to extend blood flow through the kidneys in an try to increase filtration.
This ends in the production of more urine which in turn increases water consumption to avoid dehydration.
More advanced kidney failure may cause vomiting, depression, and lack of appetite.
Hypercalcemia
Hypercalcemia is a condition wherein the calcium levels in your dog’s blood are too high.
Excess calcium makes it harder for the kidneys to filter out waste.
Just like kidney disease, this may result in excessive thirst and frequent urination.
An excessive amount of calcium within the blood may create kidney stones and pain when urinating.
In dogs, as in humans, hypercalcemia will likely be brought on by cancer.
Another causes of hypercalcemia in dogs include acute and chronic renal failure, primary hyperparathyroidism, hypoadrenocorticism, hypervitaminosis D, bone diseases related to osteolysis, and granulomatous inflammation.
Determining the reason for hypercalcemia in a dog. Can Vet J. 2006;47(8):819-821.
Poisoning
Various poisons similar to alcohol can result in polydipsia in addition to polyuria in dogs.
Normally, that is accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea, and excessive salivation.
When you suspect that your dog has swallowed anything dangerous, call your emergency vet immediately.
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Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus refers to a gaggle of diseases that lead to high blood glucose.
This might be caused either by insulin resistance or insulin deficiency.
Excess sugar within the blood can exceed your kidney’s capability resulting in an excessive amount of glucose within the urine.
Glucose is a solute, meaning it drags water into the urine causing your dog to pee more often.
Diabetes often requires lifelong treatment because it’s not curable and the overwhelming majority of dogs need regular insulin injections.
Dehydration
Dehydration is a symptom in itself and results in excessive water intake to make up for the lack of fluids.
Dogs can turn out to be dehydrated for a lot of reasons including heat stroke, vomiting, fever, kidney disease, and diabetes.
Once the underlying cause has been treated successfully, the dehydration will subside and your dog will return to his usual water intake.
Medications
Unintended effects of medicines can sometimes cause increased thirst.
This could occur with antiinflammatory drugs, seizure medications, heart failure drugs, etc.
In case your dog is taking any prescribed medication, refer to your vet in regards to the possible uncomfortable side effects.
If one medication is causing the symptoms, your vet may have the ability to lower the dosage or prescribe you an analogous one.
Cushing’s Disease
Cushing’s disease is a serious condition wherein the adrenal glands overproduce cortisol.
Cortisol regulates stress levels within the body in addition to metabolism, blood sugar, and inflammation.
An excessive amount of or too little of it ends in severe issues.
This disease causes extreme thirst and dogs can drink enormous amounts of water.
More advanced stages include muscle loss, thinning of the skin, hair loss, and obesity.
For the reason that symptoms of Cushing’s disease match many other diseases, it requires complex testing and is difficult to diagnose.
Probably the most common reason for Cushing’s disease in each humans and dogs is a tumor within the pituitary glands.
Overdose of prednisone or steroid-containing ear drops may cause the condition in dogs.
On average, dogs with CD survive for about two years with only 10% living beyond 4 years.
How you can Stop a Dog From Drinking Too Much Water
In case your dog is suddenly drinking an excessive amount of water, there may be at all times a reason for it and finding and treating the cause is the one option to stop it.
Increased thirst signifies that your dog is losing liquids for any variety of reasons.
On this case, you need to not limit your dog’s water intake since his body clearly needs it (unless your vet advises you to achieve this).
In case your dog is dehydrated for whatever reason, offer him small amounts of water at a time to stop vomiting.
The one thing you’ll be able to do here is to get your dog to the vet to get him examined.
If possible, you’ll be able to catch a sample of your dog’s first pee within the morning and take it with you to the check-up.
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Disclaimer: This blog post doesn’t substitute veterinary attention and doesn’t intend to achieve this. I’m not a veterinarian or pet nutritionist. In case your dog shows any sign of illness, call your vet.
