Worried about our puppy...

Our puppy Conor is around 8.5 months old, and seems absolutely fixated on water - obsessed even. We give him a bowl 3x/day and he can never get enough. As much as we try and stop him, he drinks the bath water (he would drink it all if he could - bubbles included!), and when it is raining he drinks water off the sidewalk, water coming from the gutters, puddles in the yard... any and every bit he can get his little Westie tongue on! We finally had to separate the two dogs during feeding time because Conor will drink all the water out of both of the bowls. At first we just thought it was a phase or that it might just be a quirk but now we are beginning to worry. He still goes to the bathroom in his box several times a week even though we take him outside at least 5x a day. We really only have our Dachshund to compare him to, and he does not possess any of these behaviors.

So I'm wondering if any of you have come across this before?? I've read on the internet that this can be a symptom of some pretty big health issues (diabetes, kidney issues, etc.) but it seems like vets have varying opinions on it - some say it's normal and others say it's not. We are waiting to speak with our neighbor who is a vet after he gets home tonight to see what he thinks...

hmm I know that on certain days my dogs tend to drink like crazy...but it seems like this might be a bit more. Hopefully some of our doggie experts will chime in

My cousin used to have a puppy that would drink so much that his belly got so full. I'm talking really really bloated and hard as a rock. I can't remember what was wrong with him.

If he goes to the bathroom a lot too, it could be a bladder infection. I dunno though- I'm not sure though. I hope your neighbor can offer some insight. I know I worry about my doggies all the time.

Jack has been drinking a lot more water now because it's hotter out. He is an indoor dog, but when I walk him he starts panting right away and comes in and drinks most of his water....of course, he is in his kennel for 7-8 hours a day, so I would be super thirsty if I didn't drink for that long too...

But, you are right....My cat that died last summer from feline luekemia virus drank a lot of water. I don't mean to scare you, but you asked for opinions.

Def. get him checked out!!!

Has he always been this thirtsty? Did you take him to the vet when you first got him to get checked out? Is he current on shots?

I wrote the head of the Westie Rescue that we adopted him from and this is what she had to say...

I used to work for a vet and excessive drinking was something that definitely led them to look into diabetes. It could be something or it could be nothing. It also depends if this is a change from his normal behavior or if he's always needed more water than you would think is "normal". Best advice would be take him to a vet. Can't hurt and its worth the cost of the appointment just to put your mind at ease. Hope everything turns out to be fine...

Aww, I know how it can be when something just isn't right with a pet :/ Another possibility could be that he's lacking something in his diet, and his body thinks it can somehow fulfill it by drinking lots of water. If only our little furry friends could talk and tell us what the problem is. I'm sure your vet will put your mind at ease

Aww, I know how it can be when something just isn't right with a pet :/ Another possibility could be that he's lacking something in his diet, and his body thinks it can somehow fulfill it by drinking lots of water. If only our little furry friends could talk and tell us what the problem is. I'm sure your vet will put your mind at ease

RE: him tinkling in his kennel....His kennel might be too big. The kennel should only be big enough for him to lay down in. When Jack was a teeny thing, we had to block off more than half is kennel with cardboard because a few times he had an accident in the back part.

If there is only enough room for him to sleep, he more than likely will not pee where he sleeps. He is probably having accidents because he is drinking so much!

Try the cardboard thing! It worked immediately for Jack. Now that he is bigger and potty trained, he has the whole kennel to himself!