The dog drinks a lot of water: norm or pathology?

The owners of their pets usually pay close attention to their habits, health and mood. Of course, every change in the behavior of a dog can be disturbed, for example, when an animal drinks a lot of water. For what reason can this happen? Sometimes, this is an ordinary physiological manifestation, but sometimes it can indicate some diseases. When is it important to be attentive and alarmed?

Norm

Surely anyone knows the rate of water that he should drink per day - this is about 2-2.5 liters. But not everyone watches himself, consuming the necessary volume of liquid. This statement is also true for dogs, but the daily norm for them is 50 mg / kg of weight.

Undoubtedly, the volume of liquid drunk by a dog is determined by various factors: from the activity and energy of a pet, such as food, to age, etc.Considering that the ration consisting of dry foods contains the minimum amount of water, dogs that consume such food drink many times more dogs whose diet is completely natural.

Thirst that does not indicate a disease

There are some cases where a pet can drink in excess of the established norm, and this will not indicate a serious illness of the dog. Severe thirst can manifest itself in the following cases:

1. In hot weather.
2. When environmental factors become too severe.
3. In winter, when there are radiators and heating in the apartment, the pet may suffer from a lack of liquid, since the air is too dry.
4. During the period of estrus - the habits of the dog can change, so if during such a period the animal drinks a lot of water, and there are no other symptoms of the disease, there is no need to worry.
5. Pregnancy or puppy feeding - in the animal’s body, the blood volume rises, so it’s important that the dog receive enough liquid, which is also necessary for the secretion of milk.
6. Effects of anesthesia - thirst after surgery occurs in each case,because it is at the expense of fluid that anesthesia drugs and toxins can be eliminated from the body.
7. When changing the diet from natural food to canned food - the dog drinks a lot of water to replenish the fluid balance in the body, as previously the dog received almost all the water from the food.

The use of certain drugs may also result in increased thirst. Diuretics, hormonal drugs, anticonvulsant drugs lead to increased urination, which leads to a feeling of thirst. In such a situation, you will need to make a pet survey to eliminate the occurrence of kidney failure.

You can also identify a few less common situations when a dog drinks a lot of water, and this is not a pathology. It is important to bear in mind that mature individuals absorb a smaller volume of liquid than young dogs and puppies. Dogs belonging to long-haired breeds with a thick undercoat usually take more fluids during the day, compared with short-haired animals.

If the pet's diet does not have enough meat, the dog may lack protein,which leads to an increase in the amount of fluid consumed. Also spicy or salty foods provoke thirst.

Thirst for pathological processes

How can you recognize diseases that result in a pet drinking much more water than is required? Doctors of veterinary medicine distinguish two forms of thirst: primary and secondary. So, the first case implies that the dog drinks an excess amount of liquid without feeling thirsty. This rather rare manifestation, called polypsidium, most often has a psychogenic origin, and therapy requires only to eliminate the factors that provoke such behavior.

In all remaining situations, the dog takes a lot of water to compensate for the lack of fluid. In this case, we are talking about the secondary form, which may be due to some pathologies and diseases:

1. Non-sugar or diabetes mellitus - signs are frequent urination and intense food intake.
2. Kidney failure - urination becomes more rare, the dog behaves apathetic and sluggish, often sleeps for a long time.
3. Cushing's syndrome is a chronic disease when the progressive form consists in pronounced manifestations, and prolonged along with the torpid one is not obvious.
4. Pyometra - a disease of the bough, when the animal is characterized by lethargy, markedly bloating of the abdomen and an increase in its volume, and later you can see discharge of blood and pus from the loop.
5. Pyroplasmosis is a protozoan disease, manifested by thirst, loss of appetite, blood in the urine, the animal often lies sluggish.
6. Intoxication - in cases where the pet is poisoned, it drinks excess water, the pathology is manifested by diarrhea, urge to vomit and nausea.
7. Hepatitis of viral origin is a rather severe pathology, signs of which are vomiting, diarrhea, elevated body temperature, urine color becomes red-brown.

The development of cancer is often accompanied by a feeling of thirst, and these processes are also combined with vomiting, weight loss, loss of appetite, lethargy, and disordered stool.

Most pathological processes and diseases are expressed by some symptoms, and many of them can be noticed almost immediately.But even when the pet lost its good mood, began to sleep and lie down more, it feels thirsty - it is recommended to examine the animal at the veterinarian for preventive purposes.

What to do if the dog is thirsty

Initially, you will need to pay close attention to the behavior of your pet and eliminate all causes that affect the animal, causing him a feeling of strong thirst.

1. If thirst is caused by the action of heating devices in the winter, then you can use special devices that moisturize the air in the room, or in each room to put small containers filled with water.
2. Exclude foods high in salt from the dog’s diet.
3. If in hot weather the dog lives on the street, then it is important to give the animal the opportunity to hide from the sun in the shade.

You should pay attention to how much the dog drinks water per day. Therefore, it is important to know how much liquid the bowl holds. Also it should be taken into account that if an animal eats soups, various broths, kefir, then there is no oddity in the fact that a dog drinks not so much liquid separately.

When it is impossible to determine the natural cause of thirst, and the behavior of a pet undergoes some changes, accompanied by symptoms of the disease, it is necessary to come to an appointment with a specialist in veterinary medicine as soon as possible. This should not be neglected, since many diseases can be a mortal danger to a pet. The veterinarian will be able to examine the pet, to assign certain tests, which will allow to determine the cause of the arisen thirst in the dog. It may be necessary to perform additional ultrasound or X-ray examination of the internal organs of the animal.

A dog can drink a lot of water when it is hot, it breeds young or takes dry food. But not always a strong feeling of thirst is the norm, sometimes it indicates some diseases. The owner only needs to be attentive to the pet and take certain actions in a timely manner.