Drinking excessively

When an animal drinks more we refer to this as Polydipsia. Your dog should drink approximately 90mls/kg/day and your cat should drink approximately 45mls/kg/day. If you are concerned your animal may be drinking more than usual then measuring their daily intake can be a useful first step.

For example a 20kg Labrador could drink up to 1.8litres per day and a 4kg cat could drink up to 180mls per day. Cats are notorious for drinking out of anything other than their water bowls so this may be more difficult to monitor!

Normal and expected reasons for increased water intake are heat and increased loss of fluids (vomiting and diarrhoea).

Unexpected increases in water can be due to a number of medical conditions and the next step would be a clinical exam.

Urinating excessively

When an animal urinates more we refer to this as Polyuria. Normal urine output for dogs is approximately 45mls/kg/day and for cats 40mls/kg/day. However, it is not feasible for you to measure this output at home!

An indication of polyuria is that your animal will ask to go outside more or may urinate inappropriately in your house. Often drinking more (polydipsia) and urinating more (polyuria) will come hand in hand and your animal may present with both of these signs together.

However, there are lots of other reasons why your pet’s urination may have changed. If your animal is urinating more it is useful for you to note down the following:

• Where your pet is urinating more (outside, in their bed, at the back door).
• The volume of urine passed each time (small amounts or large volumes).
• Urine appearance (Colour, smell, blood).
•  Whether your pet is straining to urinate.

If you are concerned that your pet is drinking or urinating excessively the please phone 01606 880890 to book an appointment.