Jump to content
CairnTalk

obsessive drinking

Rate this topic


Rylee's mama

Recommended Posts

So today I took Rylee to the vet because he is peeing so much but not drinking a lot. He didn't have anything medically wrong but the vet said that something that terriers get often is obsessive drinking(they get excited when they drink and want to drink even more). He told me that that is what is wrong and to give him an ice cube when he plays hard or when he eats. He said that when I take him out that i should have him on a leash until he pees then let him off after he pees. Any other suggestions or opinions on ways to slow down his drinking or speed up his potty training?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This might be a dumb question, but did your vet do a urine and blood panel?  We have always had terriers and never noticed excessive drinking. I would be nervous holding back water. Second opinion from another vet?

Edited by Terrier lover
  • Like 1

Until one has loved an animal, a part of  one's soul remains unawakened.  - Anatole France

Adventures with Sam &Rosie

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I haven't seen that with my Cairns either. One of them plays more in the water than drinks, and the other drinks so little, I add water to her food. A second opinion may be a good idea.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with Terrier Lover re the vet doing urine, blood panels. It seems to me that drinking and/or urinating excessively can sometimes be the result of underlying health issues.

Ruffy actually exhibits the same symptoms, but in a different and probably unrelated way: He does something I've never seen in another dog. We used to go to a dog park with wading pools and Ruffy loved the water to the point of obsessiveness, splashing and barking furiously at the water, slapping at it with his front paws, continuously trying to "bite" it, submerging and gargling as he swallowed a lot of it to the point that I would stop him to prevent choking. I'm guessing that the reflections and splashing movement of the water caused his excitement. He would chase all the other dogs out and loved the pool so much he would never leave unless I carried him out bodily in order to allow other dogs to use the pool! Then for the next several hours, he would pee huge quantities. Although the pool water was clean and changed constantly, I didn't think this was healthy for him, so we stopped going. 

Peculiar, huh?

Edited by sanford

FEAR THE CAIRN!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I take it Rylee is a younger dog so my comments will be appropriate for house breaking a pup.  The best way we have found to work with pups is simply the use of excessive praise every time the dog went outside in the preferred area--we made the "event" like Christmas Morning, straight A report cards, Fourth of July for the first few weeks.  Two fools out in the yard loudly praising, clapping hands, dancing around--all proceeded with the command "Go Potty!".  We found that our pups responded very well to praise and phrase, in the same way, responded well to "No Potty!!!" when they started to go in the house.  Once they get the idea the problem is over.
Don't know what to tell you about the excessive water intake, not even sure what that might be--we have one dog that is constantly at the water bowl and one that isn't--my guess is that some dogs want/need more water than others.  I know this, I would never restrict the dogs from water, especially in the Spring, Summer, Fall--in climates that are hot and muggy, like where you live or hot and dry like our area.  Dogs self regulate and each one is different.  Sans some physical problem I wouldn't be inclined to worry too much about water intake--especially a young dog that is going to go thru a whole series of developing behaviors.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Rylee's mama said:

So today I took Rylee to the vet because he is peeing so much but not drinking a lot. He didn't have anything medically wrong but the vet said that something that terriers get often is obsessive drinking(they get excited when they drink and want to drink even more). He told me that that is what is wrong and to give him an ice cube when he plays hard or when he eats. He said that when I take him out that i should have him on a leash until he pees then let him off after he pees. Any other suggestions or opinions on ways to slow down his drinking or speed up his potty training?

I am a little confused. Your first sentence says he is not drinking a lot, but your last sentence ask for suggestions on ways to slow down his drinking. Was that just misstated?

Sassy Jan 22, 2005

 

AM. CH. THARRBARR LITE MY FIRE ZOMERHOF

Link to comment
Share on other sites

He's a pup. Pups pee a lot. I would not keep water away.When Angus was small I took him out  on leash to the designated area very frequently every half hour then every hour and so on as he grew. Praised when he went like Idaho suggests. I don't think potty training can be "speeded up". Rylee will soon learn what's the right thing to do but may not always make it in time. Puppies bladders are small and the muscles not very strong. Some pups train easily some not. Angus was quite slow. I learned to be patient!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

He has had urine and blood panels everything is perfect on them. When he goes to the water bowl he isn't there long but he gulps it down. The vets sister is owner of the akc best obedience cairn terrier so I trust him. After doing the leash and ice cube method I haven't been seeing as much peeing or peeking in the house. So doing great again thanks for all the advice. I really appreciate all the help that this forum gives me with this being my first cairn/dog!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I might be a little late to the conversation. We had to add ice cubes to Molly's water to get her to drink enough water. Especially with a heat index over 100 all summer! In addition, we had to add soft food to the dry food. That helped in two ways; first, it had water to her diet, and second, it keeps her bowls moving. That is really important because she likes to try everything she can get her teeth on including acorns, rocks, sticks, paper, shoes, drywall! ( It was the paper off the drywall.), and the list goes on. We are still in puppyhood and I hope the chewing stage ends.

The potty training is still coming along at 10 months. Last January, it was so cold and she was so tiny that we got a pee pad for her. We just cannot seem to get rid of it now. During the day, she is really good about going outside. However at night, she goes on the pee pad. If she cannot get to it, she picks a spot on the carpet. Argh! She used to pee the moment I came home right in front of the gate where she was in the kitchen. I had to learn to give her attention before she could pee. She will not be ignored. Good luck with training Rylee.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I have good news: Rylee after trying many different strategies but finally found one that works. My strategy is to take him out on a leash then, let him come in on on a leash, drink some water for 15 seconds at the maximum, and then walk him into the living room where i let him off the leash. If he drinks a lot of water then I take him out 3 to 4 times in 30 minutes and I don't expect him to be perfect until later on but I definitely see MAJOR improvement from where I was at (it went from 7 to 8 accidents a day to only 1 to 2 a day). He is come so far, I am so excited about it!!!!!!!:D:D:D

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register after. Your post will display after you confirm registration. If you already have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

CairnTalk.net

  • A meeting place and
    online scrapbook for
    Cairn Terrier fanciers.

ctn-no-text-200.png

Disclaimers

  • All posts are the opinion and
    responsibility of the poster.
  • Post content © the author.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Site Guidelines | We put cookies on your device to help this website work better for you. You can adjust your cookie settings; otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.