My senior diabetic Shih Tzu won't drink or urinate. Is it serious?

Hi, she is so beautiful and does not look her age at all. I wonder if she is feeling a bit anxious as she seems to settle when wrapped up. The increased thirst and urination needs investigating through a blood sample. Try to tempt her to eat and to keep her comfortable. Hope this helps and that she feels better soon.

It could be that her insulin needs adjusting, and the diabetes is causing her to drink more and then pee in her bed. It could also be she has another medical issue, such as kidney disease, causing her to drink more and urinated in her bed. I would recommend taking her into the vet first thing in the morning for a geriatric blood panel and urinalysis to see what is causing her to drink, eat, and pee more.

I would agree that Finnigan also sounds very sick. The excessive peeing and urination makes me concerned about diabetes. In addition to the urinalysis I would recommend running some blood work. This would rule out the diabetes and also check his liver and kidney values. It may also be beneficial to take X-rays if the abdomen as well since he isn't eating well.

Hello. It definitely can be age related. Disease, & loss of kidney function can cause increased thirst & increased urination. You should have Barney evaluated by your veterinarian at your earliest convenience. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Sa sounds very sick, and unfortunately this cannot be treated at home if he's not eating and drinking, and has not peed or pooped in two days. Vets should be available for emergencies, and this counts as an emergency. Please call around to local vets to find someone to see him now.

I would be concerned by the lack of normal urination in a diabetic pet - they are very prone to urinary tract infections due to higher than normal sugar content in their urine which can encourage bacterial infection. I strongly recommend a urine test to determine exactly what is going on. Your vet may have special cat litter to collect a urine sample or may be able to draw a sample directly from the bladder with a needle in order to investigate fully what is going on

I am very sorry to hear about Jackson. You mention his diet was changed but don't mention if he is getting insulin injections. Most dogs do require insulin to treat and control diabetes. If his diabetes is not well regulated this could be the reason for his urinary issues. I would find out if Jackson is getting insulin and if the vet has been checking his blood sugar levels with a glucose curve and also checking urinalysis to be sure he isn't getting urinary tract infections which are common with diabetes. You can read more about diabetes at https://www.vin.com/veterinarypartner/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951506