The dog drinks a lot of water: the reason

Increased thirst in dogs should be a cause for special attention by owners. Normally, an adult animal should drink 50-70 ml/kg per day. Pregnant or nursing dogs may require slightly more fluid. However, if your pet doesn't leave the water bowl throughout the day, it's time to consult a veterinarian. Sometimes, a serious illness is the cause of excessive water consumption in dogs.

The main reasons why a dog drinks a lot of water

Of course, you shouldn't rush to the veterinarian if your pet starts drinking excessively. It's important to use common sense, as constantly wasting time and money on veterinary appointments isn't worth it. First, try to independently determine the reasons why your dog is drinking excessively. In most cases, abnormal thirst isn't caused by illness, but by:

• increased activity;
• salty and spicy foods in the diet;
• too hot weather;
• lack of opportunity to be in the shade;
• taking medications;
• anti-flea or anthelmintic treatment.

If your pet doesn't have constant access to a water bottle, severe dehydration can develop. This condition can be extremely life-threatening, so it's important to monitor for accompanying symptoms. The following should be especially concerning:

• dry gums and tongue;
• rapid breathing;
• thick, viscous saliva;
• general lethargy of the animal.

If your dog is so dehydrated that it won't stand up and is constantly vomiting, you should seek veterinary help. However, if only one or two symptoms are present and there is no vomiting, you can manage the problem yourself.

Important! If your dog shows signs of dehydration, it's strictly forbidden to give him unlimited amounts of fluids. Uncontrolled drinking will eventually lead to vomiting, which will only worsen the problem.

To help the animal, give it a tablespoon of water every ten minutes for several hours. Once its condition has normalized, provide a water bowl with sufficient water and monitor it to prevent dehydration from recurring.

Diseases leading to abnormal thirst

If a dog isn't eating but is drinking a lot of water, it's likely that some underlying medical condition is causing this abnormality. At best, this symptom could indicate a side effect from a medication (especially if the medication contains alcohol); at worst, it could indicate the onset of a disease.

Kidney disease

If the kidneys aren't functioning properly, the animal may feel constantly thirsty. In acute renal failure, dehydration can occur within just a day. But if an older dog starts drinking a lot of water, It's quite likely that chronic renal failure is developing. The kidneys eliminate metabolic waste through urine. But if such vital organs stop functioning, toxins will accumulate. To flush them out of the body, the animal instinctively begins to drink more. But despite this intensification of urination, the amount of toxins will not decrease. Therefore, ignoring such a dangerous disease is not recommended, as kidney failure can be fatal.

Diabetes mellitus

This pathological condition is diagnosed when the animal's body cannot properly bind glucose and insulin. Diabetes develops when the dog's pancreas stops producing insulin. The danger of this disease is that it is quite difficult to detect without blood tests. The only symptom may be the dog drinking a lot of water. In older animals, blindness may also develop.

Cushing's disease

In veterinary medicine, this condition is known as hyperadrenocorticism. It is characterized by an imbalance of cortisol in the animal's body. It is caused by injury or abnormal tissue growth in the pituitary or adrenal glands. In healthy dogs, cortisol levels are low and only increase during stress. When cortisol levels in the blood increase without cause, glucose production increases, leading to persistent thirst. Other symptoms that should alert owners include the appearance of bald patches, a sharp decrease in physical activity, and polyuria.

Psychogenic polydipsia

This condition is poorly understood, as it is a behavioral disorder. Most often, uncontrollable thirst occurs in puppies that have just weaned, or in stray dogs that have previously suffered severe dehydration. A veterinarian with a neurological background can help address this issue.

What to do

So, if you notice your dog drinking a lot of water and panting, the first step is to calm the animal down, and in hot weather, cool it down (for example, by placing it in the shade or wrapping it in a damp cloth). In most cases, this is enough to correct polydipsia.

It's also important to check whether the animal has been given any medications or undergone antiparasitic treatment. It's quite possible that polydipsia is a side effect. It's also worth monitoring the animal's diet and activity level for several days. Sometimes, it turns out that children are secretly "feeding" the pet harmful salty or sweet foods. Providing the animal with special food will help the abnormal craving for water subside.

If you can't manage polydipsia on your own, or if the increased thirst persists for several weeks, you should definitely consult a veterinarian. The specialist will conduct a full physical examination of your pet and collect information about any other symptoms and behavioral changes. Additionally, blood tests will be performed. For example, if your pet has kidney disease, high levels of creatinine and urea nitrogen will be detected. diabetes mellitus will indicate high glucose levels. Cushing's disease, the test results will show:

• elevated serum alkaline phosphatase;
• high levels of alanine aminotransferase;
• decrease in blood urea nitrogen levels.

If the tests reveal any abnormalities, an additional X-ray or ultrasound examination of the kidneys, adrenal glands, and liver is performed. In some cases, a biopsy may be necessary. To prevent late-stage disease detection, it is recommended to have your pet have blood tests at least once a year, rather than immediately after any warning signs appear. Prevention is always cheaper and safer than cure!

If the test results are normal and the ultrasound reveals no abnormalities, the veterinarian will consider psychogenic polydipsia. There's no need to worry, as in most cases, thirst is only an initial symptom, meaning there's a chance the dog will be completely cured of the condition.

You can also ask our website's staff veterinarian a question, who will answer them as quickly as possible in the comments box below.

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• Normal temperature in dogs
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