Why is my senior dog suddenly drinking lots of water, peeing, and has a big belly?

These signs are usually related either to urinary tract infection, or to kidney problem (failure) or to urinary incontinence. A blood test and urine analysis can rule out kidney failure and urinary tract infection. Urinary incontinence usually derived from a weak urinary sphincter (quite common in old age females). A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

Common causes would be Pyometra (uterine infection- an emergency condition!), Cushing's disease and liver disease. either way i would strongly recommend taking her to the vet urgently, this is not something you can treat at home.

I'm sorry to hear about these changes for Shadow. Increased water intake and urine output is always concerning, especially in an older dog like Shadow. I would recommend a visit with your veterinarian, for a thorough physical exam and some blood work. A number of diseases/conditions can result in increased water intake and urination including diabetes, cushings disease, kidney failure and even a severe urinary tract infection. Your vet can run some bloodwork and may look at a urine sample to help determine the nature of Shadow's condition, and then they can discuss treatments and options.

She may have an underlying disease such arthritis or spondylosis in her hips or back causing her to not be very strong in the rear legs. These may also be signs of an infected uterus since she is not spayed. At her age, kidney disease and diabetes can occur and often start with drinking more and urinating more. Your vet can do a blood panel to check and an x ray to see what medications are best to keep her comfortable more.

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!

I would recommend having your dog seen as soon as possible if her symptoms are not improving tomorrow, even if this means taking her in to another vet or an emergency vet. Diseases we worry about with these symptoms include Cushings Disease (where the adrenal glands produce too much steroids), diabetes, kidney disease and liver disease. Some of these conditions can worsen quickly and become life threatening so having her examined and having bloodwork and urinalysis done as soon as possible to determine the underlying cause is the safest way to proceed.