What Is The Source Of My Puppy’s Excessive Thirst? (Vet Response)

A puppy may appear to drink more water than usual for a variety of reasons. The first is the most common reason. Puppies’ organs develop as they grow. Puppies are born with kidneys that develop into fully functional organs with age. A puppy’s kidneys cannot concentrate urine until about 11-16 weeks of age. This means that whatever they drink, they urinate out, making staying hydrated more difficult.
Because of this nuances, we never recommend withholding water from a young animal. This is also why it can be difficult to completely potty train a puppy before the age of 16 weeks. Puppies’ kidneys become better at concentrating urine as they age, so when they drink water, the kidneys hold it back and recirculate it in the body. With proper kidney function, dogs (and humans) can drink water several times a day without becoming dehydrated.

What Is a Normal Water Consumption?

Normal water intake ranges from 0.5 to 1 ounce per pound of body weight per day (40-70ml/kg/day).
Excessive water intake is defined as drinking more than 2oz/lbs/day (>100ml/kg/day). So, double your usual intake levels.
If your puppy is older than 16 weeks and cannot hold his/her urine overnight or for more than 6 hours, we begin to suspect a metabolic problem is causing the excessive drinking.

To determine how much the puppy drinks, we recommend calculating water intake over 3-5 days and taking an average. If your puppy is drinking too much water (more than 2oz/lbs/day or 100ml/kg/day) and having potty training issues, it is time to contact your veterinarian.

Problems Caused by Drinking Too Much Water

True metabolic diseases that cause excessive drinking and, as a result, excessive urination (polydipsia/polyuria) in young puppies are uncommon. Congenital/familial kidney disease, liver disease, juvenile diabetes insipidus, juvenile diabetes mellitus (found in less than 1.5% of diabetics), juvenile hyperadrenocorticism/juvenile hypoadrenocorticism, and juvenile hyperparathyroidism are the most common, but rare, causes.
Psychogenic polydipsia is another diagnosis. This is a behavioral issue. It is more of an exclusion diagnosis, which means we rule out all metabolic causes. Interestingly, we demonstrate it by hospitalizing the puppy, carefully withholding water, and demonstrating the dog’s ability to concentrate his urine. Then we talk about behavioral changes to help manage it.

Think About Your Puppy’s Diet

Finally, think about what the puppy is eating. Is it an AAFCO food trialed homemade, boutique, or mainstream diet? Homemade, novelty, and boutique diets may be poorly formulated and contain excessive sodium, leading to an increase in water consumption. Water consumption may be influenced by dehydrated treats such as rawhides and pig ears.

Wet food diets consist of 70% water. If an owner compares the water intake of a puppy on dry dog food versus a puppy on wet dog food, the dry dog food puppy will almost certainly drink more water.

Get Assistance When You Need It

Please do not withhold water if it appears that your puppy is drinking too much water or is having difficulty potty training. Water deprivation can be extremely dangerous to a puppy if excessive drinking is caused by an underlying disease process. Calculate your average water intake over the next 3-5 days and consult your veterinarian for more information.

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