Why is my female dog drinking so much water? Is it a health issue?

If you are feeding drying food, she may need more water to help digest it. Also, that breed is very energetic. Some dogs only seem to drink with owners present and drink very little in the day when alone. If it seems excessive (you are always filling up the bowl) give her 8 oz at a time and see how long it takes her to drink that and keep up with how much she consumes over a 24 hour period. You can then take that to your vet for them to check and do a urine sample or blood test to make sure there is no infection or diabetes.

If she is drinking or urinating more than usual, she should be seen by your veterinarian. Given her age, blood work should be done to assess major organ function, especially kidney function. Dogs can have kidney disease but show no symptoms until kidney function is greatly reduced. If diagnosed early, it may be managed.

This sounds very frustrating both for you and Missy! I'm glad to hear that you have already taken her to the vet to rule out some of the more common causes of excessive drinking and urination. Age isn't a disease and drinking excessively is not normal at any age. If she has not yet had a urinalysis performed, this could rule out a urinary tract infection and also provide additional information regarding kidney function. In some cases, dogs can experience psychogenic increases in their drinking which do not have a direct medical cause. However, these cases are not terribly common and all other conditions causing excessive drinking must be ruled out to reach this diagnosis. At this point, I would discuss a urinalysis and abdominal ultrasound (looking for changes in the adrenal gland, liver and kidneys in particular) with Missy's vet.

Thank you for submitting your question Sophie. I recommend that she sees her veterinarian for blood and urine testing. The signs you have described are most common with diabetes. They can also be seen with kidney disease, liver problems or an adrenal gland disorder. I hope this information helps!

If she is drinking a lot of water and urinating a lot this can be a sign of an underlying disease - number one would be diabetes. Did your vet do any blood testing? If not, I suggest you have that done now. The other option, if she is not spayed, is a pyometra (uterine infection). Again, bloodwork would reveal this as she would have a very high white blood cell count. Please take her back to the vet for some blood testing.

Hi there. There are quite a few different things that can cause increased water intake in middle-aged and older dogs, including diabetes, Cushing's disease, or chronic kidney disease. I would recommend taking Hailey to the vet for an exam when you are able to. He/she can do blood work and a urinalysis to help diagnose the problem and get her started on appropriate treatment depending on what is found.

I recommend a vet visit for Elsa. Excessive salivation may be a sign of nausea and if she has recently drinking a lot more she may have some disease process occurring. Diabetes can cause excessive thirst and urination as can kidney problems. Elsa should be evaluated and may need some bloodwork done at the vet. Hope she's better soon.