Excessive Thirst Later In The Day

[AstasMinion]

For the last 10 days, our boy Ewan has been excessively thirsty, mostly in the evening. He'll drain his water bowl a few times from late afternoon into the nighttime, and then once or twice per day — outside his regular walks and yard visits — he'll need to go out for a very long/high-volume urination. That first day we noticed the extreme thirst, he had one accident in the house (his first since his first few weeks living with us well over a year ago), before which he asked to go out and then started urinating on a hall rug before I could get him outside (it went on seemingly for minutes). No other accidents, but we've been routinely putting him out two additional times each day since that accident and also expecting him to get back to normal.

 

We've done some searching for possible causes (I see quite a few options: kidney, lever problems; Cushings, diabetes; UTI; etc.), and I'll be calling the vet tomorrow, but I'm wondering what others may have experienced. Does it seem typical for any particular issue that the thirst only occurs at a certain time of day? Ewan has a good appetite and seems healthy and alert when he's up, but he is definitely sleeping more during the day. He sleeps more deeply and is wanting to be off by himself, which is concerning.

 

Just before this became an issue, Ewan spent the month of July recovering from surgery after injuring his feet ramming into (and almost through) our fence in pursuit of a bunny he absolutely could have caught. He had some pads re-attached and was on antibiotics for a couple of courses. But he healed well! When the thirst issue first came up, I wondered if it was connected to all that, but now I don't know.

 

Any experiences or insights would be appreciated!

[4My2Greys]

Diabetes insipidus is what comes to mind to me.

[AstasMinion]

Diabetes insipidus is what comes to mind to me.

 

That's what my husband is thinking based on Ewan's "new normal" and the search results he's had. We will find out, I hope.

[3greytjoys]

Just guessing, but secluding himself could be due to higher air temperature or noise in his usual resting place, perhaps leftover surgery recovery discomfort or meds., UTI or other medical concern. Not sure how much Ewan typically drinks, if he gets water mixed with kibble, or his typical number of daily outings, but the west coast has had some extreme heat (and smoke from wildfires) recently, either of which could increase water intake and eliminations.

 

If I recall correctly, typical water intake averages approximately 5-7 cups of water per day for Greyhounds (depending on weight and activity).

 

Our hounds remain in a comfortable temperature inside the house. They're provided water in their kibble meals, and their water bowl is a large stainless steel bucket which they nearly empty daily. They drink more during the afternoon and evening which coincides with raised temperatures, household activity, and their awake time. They average 6-7 elimination outings per day.

[AstasMinion]

It has been warm, but he didn't drink like this last summer and we have air-conditioning now (new this year), so the house temp is regulated, and he gets his main walk early in the day when it's cooler. His surgery was July 2 and it's been a few weeks since he was on any meds.

Edited August 19, 2015 by AstasMinion