You’d better be very worried if your dog keeps drinking tons of water and can’t seem to get enough.
Now, active dogs do normally drink a lot of water, but when this is done way too much, it can mean a serious disease in your dog.
I asked Dr. Michel Selmer, DVM, with The Caring Vet in NY, what would possibly make a dog drink tons of water other than playing a lot of ball in the hot sun.
“These clinical signs are non-specific and can be caused by many different diseases or conditions,” says Dr. Selmer.
“Usually it is the production of excess, dilute urine that results in compensatory increase in water consumption, but occasionally the condition is one of increased water intake that results in the production of large volumes of dilute urine.
“The following is not a complete listing of diseases that may result in increased thirst and urination, but it outlines the most common causes.”
Cause # 1 of dog drinking a lot of water: urinary/kidney/bladder conditions, and also conditions affecting the uterus, such as infection.
Cause # 2 of heavy water drinking in a dog: hyperadrenocorticism, hypoadrenocorticism, hyperthyroidism, diabetes mellitus, diabetes insipidus. These are hormone related diseases.
“Liver disease, certain drugs, fever, pain and certain electrolyte imbalances may also result in increased thirst and urination,” says Dr. Selmer.
If your dog drinks a ton of water, but otherwise seems healthy and has no symptoms like lethargy, poor appetite, constipation, vomiting, etc., then assume that you have one healthy, active pet that’s simply quenching its thirst.
“Rarely, a behavioral problem is at the root of increased drinking behavior,” says Dr. Selmer.
If your dog is frequently thirsty, don’t assume this requires any kind of discipline or retraining.
Give your dog filtered or treated water. It is not healthy for dogs to drink from puddles, water in a gutter, etc.
Your dog doesn’t need environmental toxins any more than you do.
Dr. Selmer
