Old dogs becoming PU/PD

RE: Old dogs becoming PU/PD

Iain Richards — Fri, 28 Dec 2018 14:53:14 GMT

[quote user="Julie Innes"]I think the real issue here is that he has the owners up a few times every night.[/quote]

Fit a dog flap! Or remove the water at night for quick concentration test.

I didn't know the boiled water trick though.

RE: Old dogs becoming PU/PD

Anthony Todd — Fri, 28 Dec 2018 12:09:44 GMT

[quote user="Julie Innes"]I think the real issue here is that he has the owners up a few times every night. So maybe more for their benefit than the dogs....![/quote]

I forgot to mention that the boiled water trick is a good way to reduce a "psychogenic" drinker to less, or normal, if you only give boiled water after, say, midday, so they don't flood the place overnight...... worth a try?

RE: Old dogs becoming PU/PD

Julie Innes — Fri, 28 Dec 2018 11:53:40 GMT

Thanks both! Yes, I know the boiled cooled water test, and have used it previously. I have also asked the owner to measure water consumption over a week and come back to me with another urine sample. I think they are keen to investigate thoroughly, so will probably end up doing an ACTH stim test, and if that is normal might have in for a modified water dep test.

Interesting what you are saying, Ian. With my old dog I just let him be, but the downside was that he piddled the floor several times a day (although as I say, he was senile!) I think the real issue here is that he has the owners up a few times every night. So maybe more for their benefit than the dogs....!

RE: Old dogs becoming PU/PD

Anthony Todd — Fri, 28 Dec 2018 10:46:06 GMT

Easy [to howls of derision] to separate true polydypsia from psychogenic is the old trick of boiled water [cold] only.

Dogs will only drink this if they need it, whereas some dogs just love nice cold tap water.

In a normal dog ie no other signs that was always the first thing I did and got the owner to measure the amount of water daily being drunk.

Surprising how often "lots of water" wasn't too much.

But then this approach usually didn't give you all those lab fees......

RE: Old dogs becoming PU/PD

Iain Richards — Fri, 28 Dec 2018 09:38:10 GMT

There's a variety of papers on fluid balance in the elderly/geriatric, but too many for me to search! I'd suggest a couple of things - that the response to ADH may be reduced with age (as with all hormones); that an ageing kidney may be less efficient at water preservation without overt renal failure signs; that the pain meds maybe producing a PU or PD; and lastly that you/we medicalise the normal (for age). I find my thirst has increased in recent years, this may be age (56) or meds (isosorbide, omeprazole and aspirin).

If the drinking is outside the normal for the dog's size, then see if it can concentrate. If it can't then there is a problem, but is that problem a problem? IF no renal failure, no diabetes, no hyponatraemia and the dog can pee out what he drinks, is it significant?