Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Three dogs with gut disease drinking too much water explained
By Henderson, S M & Elwood, C M·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2003·Park Veterinary Centre·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A potential causal association between gastrointestinal disease and primary polydipsia in three dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Three dogs were brought in for drinking excessive amounts of water and showing signs of gastrointestinal issues, like vomiting or diarrhea. After testing, the veterinarians found that their kidneys were functioning normally, indicating that the increased thirst was not due to a kidney problem. Once the gastrointestinal issues were treated, the dogs' excessive drinking stopped. This suggests that there may be a link between gastrointestinal disease and increased thirst in dogs, although the exact reasons for this connection are still unclear.
People also search for: dog excessive thirst causes · dog vomiting and drinking a lot of water · treatment for dog gastrointestinal disease
Abstract
Polydipsia, defined as a water intake of over 100 ml/kg/day, is a common presenting medical complaint in dogs. Polydipsia can be secondary (eg, to central or nephrogenic diabetes insipidus) or primary in origin, where increased water intake cannot be explained as a response to obligatory water loss. Primary polydipsia is confirmed by ruling out other known causes of polydipsia and demonstrating that renal concentrating ability is intact. The causes and associations of primary polydipsia in dogs are poorly defined. This report describes three dogs presented with signs of gastrointestinal disease with concurrent polydipsia. Investigations (including water deprivation testing) showed normal renal urinary concentrating ability and indicated primary polydipsia. Treatment of the gastrointestinal signs resulted in resolution of the polydipsia in each case. This is the first description of a possible association between gastrointestinal disease and primary polydipsia in the dog, the pathophysiology of which remains obscure.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12831107/