Is my dog drinking too much water? What could be the cause?

I am sorry to hear about Scooter. If he weights 30 pounds the maximum amount of water he can consume that is considered "normal" for his size is about 5 and 1/4 cups. If he is drinking more than this at the weight of 30 pounds I would recommend bringing him to the vet for examination. There are many possible causes of increased thirst and urination including diabetes, kidney disease, cushing's disease (an endocrine disorder), urinary tract diseases, and more. They vet will examine him and likely recommend bloodwork and urinalysis to screen for possible causes.

The amount of water your puppy should drink will depend on whetheer he is fed dry or wet food and his weight. On average a dog needs at the most 60ml/kg of water within 24 hours. Sometimes dogs drink more due to liver disease or a congenital liver condition (calle "shunt"), excessive heat , or even out of a bad habit. There is also a disease called diabetes insipidus and excessive drinking can also be psychogenic. If your puppy drinks more than 60ml/kg over 24 hrs in an AC environment, you will need to take him to a vet for an exam and diagnostics to find out the cause.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Excessive water intake can be seen with conditions such as urinary tract infections, and metabolic conditions such as Cushing's disease to name a few. Given that Chico is also showing signs of being hungry, it is possible that he has something called Cushing's disease which is a metabolic condition which at times requires treatment. I recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian who can test for that if it makes sense based on further history and physical examination. Good luck!

About an ounce per pound per day is the upper limit of normal. If she is drinking more than this then I would recommend that she be seen by your veterinarian for blood work and urinalysis to help define the problem such as diabetes, kidney disease, and cancer among others. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

The general guideline for water consumption is 1 ounce per pound of body weight daily. That would mean Montana should be drinking about 32 ounces, or 4 cups, of water daily. This amount can vary depending on diet, activity and weather. If she is drinking AND urinating more often or in greater amounts, then she should be examined by your veterinarian. Blood and urine samples can be collected and submitted to assess major organ function, especially kidney function. Older dogs are prone to developing kidney disease.

Poor Kobe! From your description, I would be very concerned that he has a medical problem causing him to drink and urinate more than normal. In an 11-year-old dog, the most common causes of this problem along with the weight loss you have noticed would be diabetes or Cushing's disease, but liver or kidney problems would also be possible. There is nothing you can do to fix the problem until you get a definite diagnosis, so I would recommend taking Kobe to the vet as soon as you are able to. He/she can do some blood work and a urinalysis to help diagnose the problem, and will get him started on appropriate medication to treat it depending on what is found. In the meantime, please make sure that Kobe has free access to water at all times, even if he is having accidents in the house. Dogs with these problems can very easily become dehydrated without access to water, as you have noticed, so it isn't safe to restrict their water intake.

Based on the information you provided, Aurora should be drinking about 1/2 liter per day based on her body weight. If she is drinking excessive amounts of water, I would recommend having her examined by a veterinarian and having her blood tested to see if there is an explanation. Things we would want to rule out would be renal disease, diabetes mellitus vs. diabetes insipidus, cushing's disease, behavioral, etc. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.