Why is my dog drinking and urinating excessively? Is it diabetes?

Drinking a lot more means that he is also urinating a lot more. This is called Polydipsia and polyuria or PU PD. There are various reasons for PU PD and they need to be investigated by a veterinarian, especially in an old dog. Blood work can rule out any of those. 1) diabetes---a urinalysis and blood test will be able to rule it in or out. Diabetes is usually treated with diet and insulin. 2) Cushing's disease: This is an overproduction of cortisone, either signaled by a pituitary tumor in the brain or by a malfunction or tumor of the adrenal glands. Medication can inhibit cortisone production. A potbelly and thinning or haircoat and excessive panting are common signs as well. 3) Kidney disease, treated with diet and supportive treatment 4) A urinary tract infection, urinary crystals or stones: treatment varies according to the cause. 5) diabetes insipidus, usually tested with a water deprivation test and treated with a medication called Minirin. You will need to make an appointment with your vet for an exam and blood tests. I am sure your vet will find the cause of the PU PD.

If Bosco is having increased thirst and urination, then I would start with having your veterinarian check some blood work and urine to see if they can figure out that is causing the increased thirst and urination. That may help you figure out the current mystery. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Your vet might be worried about a urinary tract infection and may want to get a sterile sample to send out for a culture through a procedure called a cystocentesis. In this procedure a very small needle is advanced into the bladder, sometimes using ultrasound guidance. It is a very common procedure in veterinary medicine. Diabetic animals often have 'quiet' urinary tract infections that are not obvious on a typical urinalysis and a urine culture to look for bacteria is often more helpful. A urine culture also helps determine what antibiotic the bacteria are susceptible to. Performing a culture on a 'free catch' sample that you would bring in might not be helpful since contaminant bacteria from the lower urinary tract can be in the sample.

Hi and thanks for posting! High blood sugar can also be a sign of diabetes in dogs. I would have a urinalysis run on Tallula to see if glucose is in the urine. Glucose in the blood and urine is a diagnosis of diabetes. It is common for pancreatitis to occur in diabetic patients. I would follow your veterinarian's advise to come back for an ultrasound to check for pancreatitis and I would see if her urine can be checked for glucose. I hope this helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hi there and thank you for posting your question. A fasting blood glucose level is often almost enough to diagnose diabetes. I will usually confirm with a urinalysis. However, many veterinarians also use a test called fructosamine to help make the diagnosis. Digs with diabetes drink a lot of water, they urinate frequently, and in the beginning they are very hungry. As they become more sick the appetite decreases and the weight loss becomes significant. I hope this helps! Take care, and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Poor guy and sorry to hear about your mom passing. The weight loss was good for him and his health: however, his symptoms of increased drinking, urination and loose stool with accidents in the home are suggestive of possible diabetes or a urinary tract infection. His behavioral changes indicate he doesn’t feel well. I would highly recommend taking him to your vet for bloodwork and a urinalysis to check things over. Once we know what is going on internally then we know how we need to treat Elvis to get him wel again. I hope he feels better soon. Best wishes and take care.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Toby. Fanconi syndrome is most common in young to middle aged Basenji dogs. The dogs drink and urinate excessively. The blood sugar is normal, while the sugar in the urine is increased. This is a rare condition. Diabetes mellitus is much more common especially for a dog of Toby's age and breed. This is indicated by high blood sugar and high sugar in the urine. If his blood sugar was normal, then I would recommend a fructosamine level. This will give you an average reading of his blood sugar levels over the past two to three weeks. I hope this information helps!