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My senior dog drinks, pees a lot, has accidents, and is losing weight. Why?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 11 years and 4 months old | 25 lbs

For the past few weeks, my 11-year-old dog has been drinking and urinating more than usual. When I do give him water, he finishes the entire bowl in one sitting and sometimes asks for more afterwards. He is having accidents in the house. I have also seen a significant weight loss from him. What can I do to fix this?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on November 15th, 2017

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.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Lindsey Edwards MVB, BSc, IVCA
Veterinarian
Published on July 11th, 2017
Poor cowboy, I recommend an urgent vet check and basic blood panel to rule out common medical causes such as kidney or liver disease, diabetes or cushings. Ensure he is fasting for at least 8hours prior to appointment to maximize the accuracy of blood tests
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Amy S. Eutsey, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on May 21st, 2018
Hello and thank you for your question. At his age and with the symptoms, it would be highly recommended to have Kobe examined ASAP by your veterinarian. With excessive drinking, urinating and weight loss, he may have Diabetes, kidney disease, cancer or other serious ailments, but the top concern would be Diabetes. He should have blood work done first but may require other tests. It sounds like he is very ill and if it is not addressed soon, you may end up with a more serious medical emergency. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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