Senior Vizsla Drinking and Urinating Excessively: What Could It Be?
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Small Animal Veterinarian
Dr. Karyn is a small animal veterinarian originally from Australia, now based in the UK. She holds degrees in Veterinary Science (2010) and Zoology. When not helping pets, she tends to her 5 cats, 5 dogs, and garden!
The Question
Copper has been drinking water constantly over the past two weeks - I'm refilling his bowl 4-5 times a day instead of the usual twice. He's also asking to go outside to pee every 2 hours, including waking me up twice at night. He had an accident in the house yesterday which he hasn't done since he was a puppy. Could this be diabetes or a kidney problem?
Quick Info about Copper
📹 Vet's Video Reply (scroll down to see text answer)
Hi Anthony, This is certainly worrying, and something we need to get sorted quickly. With what you’re describing, diabetes and kidney disease are very high on my list of concerns, as well as a disease called hyperadrenocorticism, also known as Cushing’s Syndrome. These all have PU/PD (polyuria and polydipsia) - increased urination and drinking - as their main clinical sign. There are a few other illnesses and issues that can also trigger PU/PD, including infection and cancer. Copper will need some up to date bloodwork done, and it would be a good idea to collect a urine sample to take with you to the vet as well. He may need to have further diagnostic tests depending on what the initial tests reveal, but you should find out pretty quickly what’s going on, and how best to treat it. If you want to speak to a vet from home at any stage, you can also book an online appointment at Pangovet.com. This can be really helpful if you’re wanting to get a second opinion or just want to talk things through a bit more. I’ve included some links below so you can do a little more reading, but the most important thing is to make an appointment for Copper with your vet. Good luck! Dr Karyn https://www.dogster.com/dog-health-care/kidney-failure-in-dogs https://www.dogster.com/ask-the-vet/diabetes-in-dogs https://www.dogster.com/ask-the-vet/cushings-disease-in-dogs https://www.dogster.com/dog-health-care/why-is-my-dog-drinking-a-lot-of-water