excessive drinking

[drc85]

hello guys, i am away at school and my mom is watching my 3 year old cairn terrier for me back home. she told me today that recently she has been drinking a lot of water and peeing a lot. she said once she peed by the door inside the house (not typical of her, she is potty trained).

i of course called the vet and they suggested my mom bring her in asap, but they don't have any openings until monday.

i've read up a little bit on the possible causes... urinary tract infection, diabetes, cushings disease, kidney malfunctions, etc, but i was just wondering if anyone had exeperienced anything similar with their dog, and what the outcome was. any advice would be appreciated!

btw, she is about 16 pounds, 3 years old, we very recently switched her dog food from science diet to nutri-something... perhaps that has something to do with it?

[KatzNK9]

At the young age of 3, I'd be inclined to think it was a urinary tract infection which is usually easy to treat with antibiotics although some dogs & cats are inclined to have them recur often. The other diseases are possible but they're more common in older animals.

Although certainly not ideal, if she's not showing other signs of illness or significant distress, I'd think she'll be fine until Monday. Are there any other vets in the area that could be contacted? I'd try to get her in somewhere if at all possible, but it sounds more like she is showing more minor, early symptoms whatever the reason.

[drc85]

i believe there are some emergency clinics around but my mom says she's doing ok other than the drinking - playing with her toys, running around, etc. so i think it will be okay until monday.

yes - i'm thinking it won't be anything too serious being that she's only 3! she's just never done this before. i appreciate your support! (like most people with their dogs, i consider her my kid! :D)

[KatzNK9]

Yes, it does sound to me like she'll be OK until Monday too. I just hate to give anybody advice that a health issue with a pet can be put off till a later date. If I was ever wrong ... I'd never forgive myself. Always better to be safe than sorry.

Any UTI can be dangerous if not kept under control so I didn't mean to make it sound like it wasn't a serious issue. Luckily, most cats & dogs respond very quickly to the right antibiotic. I bred cats for 20 years, so I've had my fair share with cats. I've found it best to do a culture right away and start antibiotics immediately knowing that when culture results come in, you might have to switch if your vet chooses the wrong one. Most vets will prescribe a broad spectrum antibiotic & I've had good luck getting it right from the first dose.

I had a cat that got UTIs every 3 to 6 months the last 4 years of her life. It seems she was always on antibiotics. The good thing is that after about 8-12 hours from the first pill, she was completely back to her normal self & it just required long periods of staying on the meds. Nearing the end of her life, she'd go on a 2-3 month course of antibiotics every time symptoms cropped back up. If I took her off too early, she'd have symptoms in about 5 days.

[Honeygirl]

My dog did the same thing, I was lucky as it is a urinary track infection as well her thyroid is acting up as well. Like you if your dog is overweight it could that as well. I am glad that I caught it in time and have a really caring vet. Glad to find one who the money does not matter but taking a dog at . I knew that HOney was sick and now she is on her way to getting off 20 pounds, lots of walks will do just fine. once you believe me if is a sigh of relief