# 5 month old puppy won't stop drinking water



## spinkamor

We have a 5 month old German Shepherd puppy who won't stop drinking water to the point that we have to regulate him, or else he would drink himself to death. We would give him 3 huge bowls and he would finish it all in one sitting. We've tried giving him one of those bottles with a metal ball at the opening so he can drink slower. He sits there for an hour and licks it continuously until the whole bottle is finished. 
We've been to the vet, and he has a clean bill of health. Our vet recommends regulating his water, but I feel like that encourages the water hoarding even more. We've never experienced this with any of our other dogs, so we are at a loss at what to do. 
Any suggestions?


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## robk

What are you feeding him? He may have too much sodium in his food.


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## spinkamor

We used to feed him Acana, and realized that was too much protein. Then we switched to Now!, but he didn't seem to like it. So now we're currently feeding him Performatrin Large Breed Puppy. 
We occasionally give him cut up fruits like strawberries and bananas. 
Doesn't seem like an abundance of sodium


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## doggiedad

what test did your Vet do? what do strawberries
and bananas do for a dog's health?


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## Jo Ellen

doggiedad said:


> what do strawberries
> and bananas do for a dog's health?


Vitamins? Potassium? Pleasant eating experience?  

I'd want some tests done. Is he too young for diabetes? This woud scare me, honestly. Dogs can get bloat from drinking too much water too quickly, I'd be very careful about that  Hate to worry you, but it happened to one of my dogs and I almost lost her.


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## spinkamor

Urine test for a possible urinary tract infection. Perhaps I should request for a blood test as well.
I'm not sure what it does for his health, but my vet says it's safe and he loves them!


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## Jo Ellen

There's nothing at all wrong with mixing it up a little here and there, with their food. Feeding doesn't always have to be about nutrition, sometimes it's just about feeling good. And what a great way to feel good about feeding when you give real, healthy foods. 

We're not talking mashed potatoes and gravy here


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## Freestep

It may be psychogenic, meaning, there's a pyschological cause for the excessive drinking. If the vet finds nothing physically wrong, you might want to talk to a behaviorist. Does he behave like a normal dog generally? Was he ever sick as a young puppy?


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## spinkamor

He generally behaves like a normal puppy; plays with my other dogs non-stop, very energetic, loves people (except kids) and other dogs, great temperament, very attentive, etc. The only thing is this excessive water hoarding. He's been like this since we first got him. And no, he hasn't been sick as a pup. The vet said he was very healthy.
I really hope it's not diabetes as he's so young..


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## Jo Ellen

spinkamor said:


> I really hope it's not diabetes as he's so young..


That was a stab in the dark, it's unlikely. There's literally a hundred 
reasons for excessive thirst in dogs, it could be so many things. It could be nothing.

You need to measure how much your dog is drinking. Give him measured amounts and keep track over a 24 hr period. This is information you vet will want to have. Not how much you think your dog is drinking, but how much he actually is drinking.

What do you consider to be a huge bowl?


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## spinkamor

That's a good idea. I'm just afraid of letting him drink as much as he wants (which is never-ending!) and he might get water intoxication or something. 
A large bowl is one of those big stainless steel bowls. Holds about 4-5 cups.


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## Jo Ellen

Water intoxication is a real concern, yes. 

I'm reading that a healthy dog drinks about 1/2-1 ounce of water per pound, per day. How much does your dog weigh? My Spirit, being 80lbs, would get about 2.5 quarts/day, which I believe is around 9.5 cups.

Let's start with what's healthy for your dog, based on his weight. I would get a special pitcher and fill up the daily amount at the beginning of the day and then pace his water intake this way throughout the day.

Never-ending? Really? Do you literally mean he won't stop himself at some point or feel he's had enough?


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## BowWowMeow

Did your vet do bloodwork? I would certainly rule out kidney disease and diabetes first.


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## BlackthornGSD

How much water does your puppy get per day? Do you add water to the puppy's food?

Make sure the puppy is getting ENOUGH water. Maybe offer a rationed amount multiple times a day--so he can't fill his belly all at once but he's getting plenty to drink.


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## pfitzpa1

My girl has always been a big water drinker. She will have 2 bowls of water for breakfast, 2 or 3 more during the day and another 2 in the evening. (Her bowl holds about 2 cups of water) She's always been like that, ever since a puppy. She gets a lot of exercise, 2 miles walk in morning and 4 in the evening ( the 2,4 miles is me walking, she runs about 3,5 chasing rabbits and squirrels). She usually drinks 2 full bowls with her meals.
She's been healthy ever since a pup, and is 2 yrs 3 mo, now.
The vet wasn't overly concerned when I asked.

I rarely give her water during walks (maybe in summer I will give her the tiniest drink) and I never let her drink when she is panting from exercise (not counting a little drop during hot days). For example after a 4 mile walk, no water until we drive home (10-15 min later). Sometimes on walks she will come across a stream/puddle and drink. I don't really mind that.


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## spinkamor

He weighs about 42 lbs, and we usually give him approximately one large bowl of water a day, which holds about 5 cups of water. That should be enough for his weight, no? And we usually regulate each time because he will drink the entire 5 cups (and more) all at once if we give it to him. During the night, he doesn't get water though. Would this cause him to want to drink everything he can in the morning? But if I give him a bowl in his crate at night, he would just drink it all at once again.. :s 

I will definitely see the vet this week for a blood test to rule out diabetes and kidney disease..


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## spinkamor

pfitzpa1 said:


> My girl has always been a big water drinker. She will have 2 bowls of water for breakfast, 2 or 3 more during the day and another 2 in the evening. (Her bowl holds about 2 cups of water) She's always been like that, ever since a puppy. She gets a lot of exercise, 2 miles walk in morning and 4 in the evening ( the 2,4 miles is me walking, she runs about 3,5 chasing rabbits and squirrels). She usually drinks 2 full bowls with her meals.
> She's been healthy ever since a pup, and is 2 yrs 3 mo, now.
> The vet wasn't overly concerned when I asked.
> 
> I rarely give her water during walks (maybe in summer I will give her the tiniest drink) and I never let her drink when she is panting from exercise (not counting a little drop during hot days). For example after a 4 mile walk, no water until we drive home (10-15 min later). Sometimes on walks she will come across a stream/puddle and drink. I don't really mind that.


Do you regulate the water? Or give it to her until she doesn't want it anymore? For example, the 2 bowls in the morning, when she finishes the 2nd, would you give her a 3rd? Or just stop until the next meal? Does she seem to want more? 
And how much does she weigh?

By the way, thanks so much for the input, everyone!


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## BlackthornGSD

Do you put water in the kibble you feed?


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## spinkamor

BlackthornGSD said:


> Do you put water in the kibble you feed?


Only sometimes because when he doesn't finish his food, it gets all soggy and he won't eat it later. Should I do it all the time anyway?


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## spinkamor

We just came back from the vet, and he says he wouldn't worry about diabetes or kidney disease for such a young pup. We also talked to a trainer who used to show GSDs, and she says some pups just really love to drink water. She told us to regulate throughout the day, and never let him drink more than 2 large bowls in one sitting, or directly before/after exercise. I'm a little less worried now, but will keep an eye out for anything else!


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## Jo Ellen

Good! I'm glad you feel better


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## stealthq

spinkamor said:


> We just came back from the vet, and he says he wouldn't worry about diabetes or kidney disease for such a young pup. We also talked to a trainer who used to show GSDs, and she says some pups just really love to drink water. She told us to regulate throughout the day, and never let him drink more than 2 large bowls in one sitting, or directly before/after exercise. I'm a little less worried now, but will keep an eye out for anything else!


I hope your vet did some blood work and isn't just assuming there's nothing wrong because your dog is a puppy. There is a juvenile onset diabetes in dogs just like there is in humans, and there are congenital defects that cause kidney failure in young puppies, too. 

Maybe this isn't a health issue, but if I were concerned enough to go to the vet, I'd want more concrete proof, especially since one blood draw would let you know for sure and as a side benefit give you a nice healthy baseline for future comparisons if there's nothing physically wrong with him.


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## Capone22

You need to get blood work ASAP. Kidney problems still show in puppies. 


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## Kayos and Havoc

spinkamor said:


> We just came back from the vet, and he says he wouldn't worry about diabetes or kidney disease for such a young pup. We also talked to a trainer who used to show GSDs, and she says some pups just really love to drink water. She told us to regulate throughout the day, and never let him drink more than 2 large bowls in one sitting, or directly before/after exercise. I'm a little less worried now, but will keep an eye out for anything else!


I was going to add this after I read all the posts. Some puppies just like to drink. Lydi, my 10 month old is a water hog. I also find she slops a lot on the floor too so is she really getting that much water? Her drinking slowed down about 7 months and I notice her thermostat seems a bit higher than the other dogs. 

I would not worry over much. We just fill the bowl half way a few times a day to insure water is available but not all at once.


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