Why is My Pet Thirsty?

Increases in your pet’s thirst and urination are significant observations and something you should definitely discuss with your pet’s primary care clinician. There are many potential causes for these clinical signs, which are most often referred to as PU/PD. This stands for polyuria and polydipsia. Common causes include things like diabetes mellitus, certain medications, hormonal excess, and kidney disease. Other possible causes include, but are not limited to, things such as having blood calcium level that is too high and other hormone deficiencies.

As a pet parent, you may wonder how much water intake is normal. Water consumption is much less affected by environmental conditions in cats as opposed to dogs. It is expected that active dogs who spend a lot of time exercising during the summer will drink more water in July than they do in January. We have formulas that we can use that help to determine what is “normal” based on a pet’s weight. A common rule of thumb is one ounce per pound per day. If you have questions, we would be happy to help answer them.

Changes in water consumption (especially an increase) can be a very important sign of medical abnormalities and should be discussed with your pet’s doctor. Many of the things that are associated with PU/PD can have better outcomes if we identify and treat the cause early in the course of the disease, so it is best to intervene early, if possible.

Dr. Dugan graduated from the University of Florida and completed his internship at Friendship in 1992. He was a staff doctor from 2001 – 2006 and rejoined our team again in 2014! Dr. Dugan’s professional interests include feline medicine, dentistry, and the human/animal bond.

*Featured image courtesy of You Tube.