Why is My Dog Drinking so Much Water?

Before you become alarmed and think you are dealing with a symptom of disease, it is important to know the functions of water in order to associate and detect the possible pathologies associated with its imbalance.

Among the functions of water for dogs are:

• Transportation of nutrients and other waste products.
• Intervention in cellular metabolic reactions.
• Forming part of the structure of organs and tissues.
• Protecting and cushioning of organs.
• Thermoregulation.

The origin of body water comes from the consumption of water, food ingestion and metabolic reactions that take place in the body. In turn, water losses occur through urine, feces, lungs (gasping) and skin. In the case of dogs, the elimination of water through the skin is minimal since they hardly sweat, they only have sweat glands on the pads of their paws.

There are some aspects to take into account related to the consumption of water, which is not always an indication of disease:

• Young dogs consume more water than older dogs.
• The more your dog weighs, the more water they will drink.
• Female dogs in gestation or lactation have water needs greater than in another physiological state.
• Dogs with greater physical activity need to drink more water than those who are more sedentary. Just as humans would.
• The components of the daily ration of food that our dog consumes, will determine the ingestion of water. The more dry matter the food contains, the more fiber and more sodium the food will contain, so the dog will consume more water. If they are only fed wet food, they will likely drink less.
• The temperature and humidity of where we live will influence water intake. Thus, in places with high temperature and humidity, dogs will drink more water, and for low temperatures, much less. If you have put your heating up high recently, perhaps this has affected your dog's temperature.
• The condition of the water at their disposal (temperature, taste, smell, cleanliness) will also influence how much they want to drink. You wouldn't want to drink lots of lukewarm water when you need cooling down!

In addition, it is very important to emphasize that certain pharmacological treatments such as corticosteroids or diuretics will also cause a greater intake of water.

Is your dog drinking excessive water and urinating in house? If you notice that your dog is drinking too much water and is also vomiting, is sad, eats very little and has transparent urine, do not hesitate and go to your veterinarian of confidence.

The specialist should assess the diagnosis of the cause of your dog's excessive water intake and prescribe the appropriate treatment through different diagnostic tests. Never try to treat your dog yourself or medicate your dog without vet supervision.

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