Why Is My Dog Drinking So Much Water and Vomiting?
Why is my dog throwing up and drinking a lot of water?
Why Is My Senior Dog Drinking Excessively and Vomiting?
"My 13-year-old Dachshund has been drinking water excessively for several months and is now throwing some of it up with blood in it. How can I make her comfortable?"—Anita
Reasons an Older Dog May Drink a Lot of Water
The vomiting may be a sign of an underlying disease that caused excessive water consumption. Some of the reasons a senior dog will drink excessive water are:
Medications
Any medication that makes a dog thirsty will cause dogs to drink excessively; if they are diuretics they increase urine output so dogs feel more thirst. Some medications, like prednisone, affect the hormones that cause thirst. You did not mention that she is on any medications, but if she is on a medication like prednisone, there are other medications that will reduce this side effect or make it go away. (1)
Diabetes: Dogs that have excessive sugar in the blood need to get the levels down and one way they try to get rid of it is by dumping it into the urine. Since they urinate more, they need to drink more. There are usually a lot more signs than just drinking a lot.
Liver Disease
Diseases like leptospirosis, an infection that your dog can get when exposed to rats, can destroy the liver and cause excessive urine production and increased thirst. There is a vaccine for this but if your dog is inside and you do not live in an area affected by this, then it is not really necessary.
Gastrointestinal (GI) Disease
Some diseases of the stomach or intestine will cause dogs to have an upset stomach and drink just because of that. It may be something as serious as cancer or as mild as a just bacterial infection or hookworms, but any disease that causes a dog to bleed into the gut will cause dogs to drink more water. (2) When dogs are bleeding into the gut you will also see black or very dark stools.
Kidney Disease
When dogs get older or suffer from certain diseases, the kidneys no longer work properly and they lose their ability to concentrate urine. They have to drink more, but even then the toxins build up in the bloodstream and they eventually start vomiting.
Pyometra
This only affects females that have not been spayed so it may not be an issue with your dog. There is a bacteria build-up in the uterus and they release toxins that cause the kidney to produce a lot of urine. Dogs then have to drink a lot more to stay hydrated, and if this goes on they start vomiting. It is fatal if not treated, so if she is not spayed have her seen as soon as possible.
Less Common Causes
Diabetes insipidus (a hormonal disease) and some other hormonal problems will also cause excessive water consumption, but they are much less common and the problems I listed above need to be ruled out first.
But your question was: How can you keep her more comfortable? There is not a lot I can recommend at this point except for basic nursing care. The only way you are going to make her more comfortable is to find out what is wrong and take care of it.
How Will Your Vet Find the Problem?
Some of the things that your veterinarian may need to do to find out what is wrong include:
- Physical exam: Some causes of excessive thirst will be obvious in the exam, but other things may be necessary to confirm the diagnosis.
- Bloodwork: This may be the most important part of the exam since it will tell the veterinarian if there is an infection, a liver disease, diabetes, a kidney problem, etc.
- Urinalysis: This may be necessary because of her signs. They will look for sugar in the urine, excessive protein from the kidneys, crystals, bacteria, etc.
- Fecal exam: This will reveal intestinal parasites.
- Abdominal x-ray: They may need to do this if they suspect kidney stones or pyometra.
- Ultrasound: This is the only way some cancers can be found.
- ACTH test: If your dog has a hormonal disease that is causing the signs, this test can tell you what is going wrong. The majority of dogs have obvious problems before this test is even needed.
Your dog can still be with you for another 5 years or more if you find out what is wrong and take care of it. Make an appointment with your regular veterinarian and find out what is wrong today.
References
- (1) Galati P, Archer T, Jolly R, Sullivant A, Wills R, Lathan P. Effects of desmopressin acetate administration in healthy dogs receiving prednisolone. J Vet Intern Med. 2021 Sep;35(5):2271-2276. doi: 10.1111/jvim.16250. Epub 2021 Aug 27. PMID: 34448503; PMCID: PMC8478070. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34448503/
- (2) Boysen SR. Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage. Small Animal Critical Care Medicine. 2015:630–4. doi: 10.1016/B978-1-4557-0306-7.00119-7. Epub 2014 Jun 25. PMCID: PMC7152172. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7152172/
This article is not meant to substitute for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, prescription, or formal and individualized advice from your veterinarian. Animals exhibiting signs and symptoms of distress should be seen by a veterinarian immediately.
© 2023 Mark dos Anjos, DVM
