Increase in Dog Urination – Causes and Concerns
An increase in your dog’s urination can mean a lot of things. If you’re someone who is facing this issue and is need of help, then you’ve come to the right place.
There could be a lot of reasons why this is happening. For instance, it could be a new dog food, a sudden environmental change, or medical issues.
In this article, we discuss a number of reasons as to why this happens.
While it’s fine to check up on symptoms on the internet, please make sure you visit the vet as quickly as possible if the situation hasn’t changed or has somehow gotten worse.
On that note, let’s start with the health concerns first. Here is a list of health issues you might need to look out for.
1. Bladder Stones and Infections
An increase in urination can be caused by both bladder stones and infections. There is, however, a way to differentiate.
In case of an infection, only a small amount of urine will pass every time your pup urinates.
Other common symptoms of an infection include pain while urinating, or lethargy or fever, or blood in the urine.
With bladder stones, urination will be frequent but blood-stained. Chances are that your dog will experience pain in their urethra, leading to partial or full blockage.
It’s best not to take chances if you notice these symptoms and take your dog to the vet immediately.
2. Diabetes and Cushing’s Disease
While it’s not uncommon for dogs to have diabetes, a sudden increase in urination may be caused by diabetes.
The most common symptoms to look out for are an increase in appetite, weight loss, frequent thirst, and recurring urination.
Although Cushing’s disease is normally frequent in older dogs, there’s a possibility your dog might have it too.
Usual signs include a saggy stomach, uncurbed panting, hair loss, and drinking water too much. If you notice these symptoms take your dog to the vet straight away!
3. Liver and Kidney Failure
Liver and kidney failure are also common causes for urinating frequently. For liver failure, keep an eye out for signs of diarrhea, vomiting, and a loss of appetite.
Usually, an inflammation or a shunt in the liver may cause your dog to hydrate more than necessary, resulting in frequent urination.
Another reason for excessive water consumption and frequent urination is kidney failure. Dehydration, loss of weight and appetite are imminent, and so is a dry hair coat, and lastly depression.
Check the color of your dog’s urine. If it’s pale it’s again a sign for chronic kidney failure.
4. Tumors and Cancers
A few other serious causes for frequent urination can be bladder and vaginal tumors or a prostate cancer.
The symptoms of a tumor in the bladder is very similar to a bladder infection, but it’s known to be more aggressive than an infection.
Signs of urinating regularly, blood in the urine, and having difficulty urinating are common.
Prostate cancer in dogs is very rare, but when it happens, they’re very vigorous and fast-growing.
It causes the prostate to enlarge which causes an increase in urination. Other common signs are walking in a weird gait, blood-stained urine, fever, and constipation.
Vaginal tumors are known to be associated with older female dogs, but the symptom is the same – recurrent urination.
Some other ways to identify this is looking for vaginal discharge, often licking of the vulva, and a mass sticking out through the vulvar lips.
5. Behavior Issues and Poisons
Other than tumors, kidney failures, and prostate cancer, there might be some other reasons why your dog is urinating too often.
Firstly, it could be Psychogenic Polydipsia – a behavioral problem. A dog with this problem may show an irresistible impulse to drink water regularly and excessively.
There’s no legit reason why dogs do this, but many doctors think it’s because they’re bored or super stressed out. An increased set of physical activities is an easy cure for this as it’ll keep them busy and distracted.
Another reason could be poisoning. Toxins, such as, organophosphates or methylxanthines are present in poison baits and chocolates which can lead to continual urination in dogs.
Other symptoms, such as drooling, vomiting, seizures, or diarrhea are also signs of poisoning.
Concerns Regarding Food
Aside from health-related issues, there are some other reasons why your dog might be being the way they are. Let’s take a look at the list of reasons below.
Food Sensitivities and Allergies
Many dogs are sensitive to certain types of food which may result in allergies and an intolerance towards that kind of food.
A simple definition of food intolerance is the digestive system’s inefficiency to break a particular food down. This intolerance or sensitivity may make your dog thirsty.
Other than an irritated bowel, there are other symptoms that may cause a food allergy or intolerance. For instance, an itchy throat, rashes, and swelled up hive face, diarrhea.
Most times, the lack of a digestive enzyme is the main problem. For instance, a dog that is lactose intolerant doesn’t have the necessary enzymes to digest milk or other dairy products.
An allergy can cause problems in the immune system entirely and that could result in these symptoms to occur. Consult your vet right away and test your dog for any food allergies or sensitivities.
Too Much Salt
Too much salt can make anyone thirsty. It works the same with dogs. If the food you’re providing contains a high amount of sodium, then chances are your dog will be extra thirsty.
There are rules that are set that entail the minimum use of salt in dog foods. It’s recommended to have a 0.3 percent of sodium available in your dog food.
Dogs usually excrete sodium along with their urine and anything higher than that may cause health problems. While it’s true that salt usually makes the body absorb water, but there is a limit.
So, the higher the sodium is in your dog food, chances are they’ll be super thirsty and will urinate regularly. Remember to check the ingredients on the dog food labels before buying one.
Canned Dog Food
If you feed canned food to your dog then that might be reason enough for him to urinate often. Canned food already has a high percentage of water in them.
Not to mention, the moisture that’s in them is enough to cause this slight change. Small breed dogs or puppies may urinate more than larger breed dogs if fed canned food.
A dry kibble for dogs contains less water than any canned food. So, be mindful when you’re buying canned food to feed Fido. It might be the reason why he is urinating more.
Overheating Problems
A change in weather might also be the reason for this messy situation. Many dogs like to be outside, play around all day.
Just like human beings, dogs get tired and thirsty too. Spending time under the sun all day and the warmth from it alone will make them want to drink plenty of water.
Dogs don’t sweat normally, they adjust their body temperature by panting. It’s only natural to crave water in these circumstances. This creates a cycle of consuming more water and urinating repeatedly.
During hot weathers, make sure your dog doesn’t spend a lot of time under the sun. This will expose them to heat much less and thus they’ll consume only a moderate level of water.
Thoughts and Concerns
Often times you may be clueless as to why your dog is urinating more than usual. You may not come to any sort of conclusion, but instead, find yourself looking up symptoms online and freaking out.
There are too many aspects involved regarding this particular case, for instance, old age, weight, size, breed, diet.
If you notice drastic changes and come across any of the symptoms discussed above, then you have to take your dog to see a vet right away. The vet will determine the cause and direct you accordingly.
Don’t be alarmed by the new change, be calm and keep an open mind and do what needs to be done. At the end of the day, all a pet owner wants to see is a happy and healthy dog.
About the Author
Shawn is a content writer at FeedFond. He’s a doting father not only to his two children but also to his two Golden Retrievers. Check out more of his articles at FeedFond.com.
Related Products |
|||
The Equalizer Carpet Stain and Odor Eliminator (20 oz) |
Earthbath Hypo-Allergenic Wipes (100 counts) |
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!