My dog is drinking a lot of water. Is it a UTI? What should I do?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Chewey. I recommend that he sees his veterinarian. He will need a urine sample tested to start. If he does not appear to have a urinary tract infection, then he will likely need bloodwork. Common causes of increased thirst and urination in a dog are diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease or an adrenal gland disorder. In the meantime, do not limit his access to water. I hope this information helps!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is definitely normal for puppies to urinate more frequently than adult dogs. Every few minutes is excessive. Some puppies are just fascinated by water and drink constantly regardless of thirst. The 25 ounces is about double what Wallace needs per day, dog’s typically drink 1-2 ounces per pound. You should have him seen by a vet to rule out a UTI, kidney disease, or very rare forms of diabetes. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions you have!

The straining to urinate along with the increased thirst may indeed indicate a developing UTI. You would need to have Zo physically examined by your veterinarian for confirmation. A sterile urine sample should be collected and submitted for urinalysis and urine culture/sensitivity. This may identify the organism responsible as well as the best antibiotic to use in treatment. Your vet may recommend abdominal x-rays or ultrasound to rule out kidney or bladder stones. Given current events, you may need to drop her off at the clinic then wait for the doctor to call you to discuss exam findings and treatment options.

There are a number of things that can cause a dog to drink more and urinate more. Unfortunately, there isn't any way to know what is causing the problem without doing some testing. Usually the first test will be to have your veterinarian evaluate a urine sample. That may be able to tell us what is going on, but if it doesn't, then they may also need to check some blood work. I would recommend having your veterinarian examine Moose today to figure out what is going on with him, so you can start treatment and get some sleep tonight. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I'm sorry you're having such a challenge diagnosing what is going on with Dude. An increase in water intake and urination is not commonly associated with allergies of any kind. As you know, the first step in evaluating an increase in water intake and urination is to check a urine sample and blood work. Based on those results, did your vet recommend any additional testing? I would presume that Dude's urine concentration was low That can hide a number of things that can be going on. So, you could consider getting a sterile urine sample to submit to the lab for urine culture and sensitivity to see if a urinary tract infection is hiding in a dilute urine sample. You can have an abdominal ultrasound performed to further evaluate the internal organs in the abdomen to see if that gives you additional information. Or you could also do some addition blood or urine tests for Cushing's disease ( https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=635 ). Sometimes, I will recommend this testing be done with an internal medicine specialist ( http://find.vetspecialists.com/ ). In the meantime, I would recommend measuring Dude's water intake since that may give them additional information about how much water he is drinking. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and you can figure out what is going on with Dude. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Depending on the dog, he may not need much water. Dogs really only need ~1-1.5 cups per 10 pounds. So a 20 pound dog may feel the need to drink 2-3 cups per day where as a 5 pound dog may only drink 1/2 cup per day. Also, if you are feeding him any canned food or food with more moisture in it, then he will be less likely to drink plain water. At the end of the day, it does come down to personal preference. Usually, a UTi will cause a dog to drink MORE water. Finally, if there are any other signs like not eating, weight loss, diarrhea, etc. then I would have your vet take a look at him and maybe even run some blood work including electrolytes to make sure everything is normal. I hope this helps!

Coco may have a urinary tract infection causing the increased drinking and urination. You can get a sample and check to see if the urine is clear yellow. If it is greenish or blood tinged then he should have an exam and urinalysis at your veterinarian. He may need antibiotics to clear up the bacterial infection. They may want to check his kidney function and palpate his prostate also. As long as he's eating and has plenty of water you can wait a few days to see if this improves. If not please take him in so he can get the proper treatment. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Coco.