DeltaCharlie Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 (edited) The temp care dog I have at the moment seems to drink an unbelievable amount of water. In the backyard I have 2 seashell swimming pools that are nearly empty after 2 days, and he goes through about 3 or 4 standard size bowls of water in his crate each day. It hasn't been that hot so its not as though it is all just evaporating. He marks absolutely everything in the yard constantly so it is all coming back out again but Im wondering whether there is something wrong that is causing him to drink lots (and subsequently peeing alot) or whether he is just marking everything all the time and so needs to be drinking to keep up his fluids. He is desexed but without knowing his history I have no idea how old he was when it was done. Ive never really owned males that mark everything so is that just a normal thing? Do they drink lots to keep their fluid levels up? I have never seen a dog drink this much before which is why I wondering if something may be wrong. What are some things that drinking lots could be a symptom of? He seems healthy enough, has a wonderfully soft and healthy coat, eating fine and breath is great. What else should I be looking for? ETA: He is about 8 years old. Im thinking things like diabetes start to present themselves in dogs his age don't they? Edited January 16, 2008 by DeltaCharlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 (edited) My first thought would be kidney issues....but not necessarily. It does sound like an awful lot of water. My young dog marks like there's no tomorrow but doesn't drink all that much. A couple of questions for you: how old? how active? could it be an obsessive-compulsive behaviour? The last one sounds odd but it can happen - then there is a positive feedback system in the body whereby the cells become hypotonic, the body responds by pumping out too much fluid via the kidneys, causing excessive thirst and so the cycle continues. More common in horses and pigs from what I know, but thought it worth mentioning. ETA: Just noticed he is 8. Shame you've got no health history. Personally I would have a vet give him the once over because often these things, if caught early enough, can be controlled. Edited January 16, 2008 by The Spotted Devil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janba Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 (edited) Is he and inside dog and able to hang on all night? This may be totally wrong but it sounds a bit like diabetes insipidus or wtaer diabetes. This is where they have an inability to concentrate urine so pee a lot and subsequently drink heaps. Your vet can do initial tests by testing the urine to see how concentrated it is. If he can hang on all night it is unlikely to be this, but if your not sure don't let him run out of water as they dehydrate quickly. He also could be drinking out of stress or because he likes to. ETA I had a dog with diabetes insipidus and he drank unbelievable quantities of water. Edited January 16, 2008 by Janba Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaCharlie Posted January 16, 2008 Author Share Posted January 16, 2008 Yeh Im thinking of taking him down to get him checked out. He is a kelpie x shepherd, slightly overweight, and has spent a lot of time sleeping. He has only been here since Monday afternoon so its hard to know what is normal behaviour for him. He hasn't urinated in the house, and will hold it for hours until I go outside and he follows me, then he pees on everything. That ruled out urinary problem in my mind as he is in control of his urination. Im thinking kidney problem or diabetes, instinct is telling me that something isn't right but my bank account is telling me to be sure :p This dog has already cost me $500 in vet fees to fix the gash he gave Delta under eye :D Be cheaper to just have kids lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaCharlie Posted January 16, 2008 Author Share Posted January 16, 2008 (edited) Is he and inside dog and able to hang on all night?This may be totally wrong but it sounds a bit like diabetes insipidus or wtaer diabetes. This is where they have an inability to concentrate urine so pee a lot and subsequently drink heaps. Your vet can do initial tests by testing the urine to see how concentrated it is. If he can hang on all night it is unlikely to be this, but if your not sure don't let him run out of water as they dehydrate quickly. He also could be drinking out of stress or because he likes to. ETA I had a dog with diabetes insipidus and he drank unbelievable quantities of water. He is able to make it through the whole night without needing to go. I slept in this morning so he was in his crate from midnight till about 10.30am. He didn't go at all in that time and wasn't in any huge rush to get outside when I let him out (although he did go out and pee, was just a stroll though). ETA His urine is very clear if that makes a difference. It just looks like water coming out. Edited January 16, 2008 by DeltaCharlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcdogs Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 i had a BC who started to urinate ALOT and drink HEAPS... she ended up haveing addisons disease, which in the end is a kidney problem.. thats just a worse case scenario, but always something else a vet can rule out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janba Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 He is able to make it through the whole night without needing to go. I slept in this morning so he was in his crate from midnight till about 10.30am. He didn't go at all in that time and wasn't in any huge rush to get outside when I let him out (although he did go out and pee, was just a stroll though).ETA His urine is very clear if that makes a difference. It just looks like water coming out. My boy used to get up to go in the night (back door wa always open). Clear urine is dilute. When it concentrates it goes yellower. I would get him checked out by the vet as they can do the initial urine test for all sorts of things with the strips they dip into a sample. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baifra Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 I'd get him checked out sooner rather than later. The fact that his urine is clear first pee of the day usually means he is not getting rid of his waste products. This pee should look the most concentrated of the day. The fact that he is 8, slightly overweight and drinking too much, points toward diabetes or kidney dysfunction. They are the very same symptoms my lab cross had before she was diagnosed with diabetes nearly 3 years ago. However she became a little urinary incontinent during the night due to all the excess water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaCharlie Posted January 16, 2008 Author Share Posted January 16, 2008 Sorry, I didn't explain that properly. First urine of the day is yellow, the rest of the time it is clear. I'll try and get him to a vet before he goes to Ker next week. Something just doesn't seem right and my instincts can usually be trusted when it comes to my animals so I should listen to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baifra Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 Sorry, I didn't explain that properly. First urine of the day is yellow, the rest of the time it is clear.I'll try and get him to a vet before he goes to Ker next week. Something just doesn't seem right and my instincts can usually be trusted when it comes to my animals so I should listen to them. Yes trust your instincts. If it is diabetes or kidney dysfunction the dog can get sick very quickly. good luck, i hope he is just thirsty!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 Yep! Definitely trust your instincts. And please let us know how he goes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poodle wrangler Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 The sleepiness might also suggest diabetes? Best wishes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaCharlie Posted January 16, 2008 Author Share Posted January 16, 2008 The sleepiness might also suggest diabetes?Best wishes. I think the sleepiness is more a case of nothing to do because mine are doing exactly the same thing. After what happened with Delta and the way he acts around Charlie it is a very strict roster of 1 dog in a crate, 1 in the house, and 1 in the yard at the moment. Or everyone in crates so that the cat can come out of her locked bedroom for cuddles. Although without knowing what he would be like in a different circumstances, the symptoms could be masked by the present situation. I hadn't really thought of that until now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
labsrule Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 Just to let you know that drinking copious amounts of water may not necessarily be due to a medical condition. About 18mths ago, I adopted, Thomas, a devine 9 year old black lab who is an ex police sniffer dog (explosives) and he was consuming large amounts of water, practically drinking a large metal bucket (and more if I wasn't home to stop him) a day. I was very concerned and took him to my vet who did all the tests for kidney, diabetes etc and they all returned negative results. My vet then referred me to a "specialist" who conducted another series of additional tests and once again all negative results. Given they had ruled out any medical condition, which was my initial concern, the specialist vet advised it was probably psychological, and they had seen this type of behaviour in working dogs before. To this day, he continues to drink copious amounts and when I am home, I do limit his access to water, but when I am working during the day, he gorges himself and between him drinking copious amounts and my other lab boy using the bucket to dunk himself in, despite the fact he has a clam pool full of water, (he still loves to empty the bucket when he gets hot) they quite often end up with an empty bucket, luckily they then have the clam pool to drink from . As quickly as Thomas is drinking the water, he is getting rid of it and he amazes me at his "extra long" pees and his ability to balance himself on 3 legs for what seems an eternity, whilst he rids himself of the copious amounts of water that he drinks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 Cushings disease could be a possibility but vet will hopefully find out. Different symptoms of Cushings disease are: • increased/excessive water consumption (polydipsia) • increased/excessive urination (polyuria) • urinary accidents in previously housetrained dogs • increased/excessive appetite (polyphagia) • appearance of food stealing/guarding, begging, trash dumping, etc. • sagging, bloated, pot-bellied appearance • weight gain or its appearance, due to fat redistribution • loss of muscle mass, giving the appearance of weight loss • bony, skull-like appearance of head • exercise intolerance, lethargy, general or hind-leg weakness • new reluctance to jump on furniture or people • excess panting, seeking cool surfaces to rest on • symmetrically thinning hair or baldness (alopecia) on torso • other coat changes like dullness, dryness • slow regrowth of hair after clipping • thin, wrinkled, fragile, and/or darkly pigmented skin • easily damaged/bruised skin that heals slowly • hard, calcified lumps in the skin (calcinosis cutis) • susceptibility to infections (especially skin and urinary) • diabetes, pancreatitis, seizures Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaCharlie Posted January 16, 2008 Author Share Posted January 16, 2008 Just to throw a bit of a twist in here. I went out to the club for my sister's birthday tonight and just got home. I put the dogs in their crates before I left (about 10.30) and I filled his water bowl up again. He was pretty much asleep as I left. He woke up when I just walked into the kitchen and the first thing I noticed was that his bowl was still full. As soon as I looked at it he sat up and drank the lot. Now, if it was a medical reason wouldn't he have needed to drink while I was gone? Or do they sleep through those needs? Is it possible he is drinking out of boredom (got nothing to do, might as well get a drink)? He seems to drink when he is left outside on his own and when he is in his crate, but Im trying to think if he drinks alot when it is his turn to be loose in the house with me. I don't seem to have to fill up the bowl in the dining room (next to his crate) much and he would have to walk past that one so it wouldn't be logical for him to go into his crate to drink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbesotted Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 thyroid imbalance can also have similar symptoms as cushings disease but is easier to treat and diagnose . blood test of T4 levels if low thyroxine 2X daily solves the problem. cheers H . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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