NeylasMom Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 I'm sorry for your loss. And yes, it could be behavioral. It's called psychogenic polydipsia and usually is a diagnosis when everything else has been ruled out. It can be caused by stress. It's possible he could just be picking up on your own stress, or perhaps his routine has changed with you needing to care for your mom? I would try to return to a normal routine and increase his exercise and mental stimulation (maybe you guys could take a fun training class together - it might help you with your grief as well) and see if the drinking continues to dissipate. I can't remember what testing you've done, but I would certainly make sure I'd done a urinarlysis and urine culture just to rule out obvious infection. The specific gravity can tell you a lot as well. If he's not concentrating his urine then I would be more concerned about a medical cause for the drinking. So those along with a blood panel would clue you in to something obvious. Quote Jen, CPDT-KA with Zuri, lab in a greyhound suit, Violet, formerly known as Faith, Skye, the permanent puppy, Cisco, resident cat, and my baby girl Neyla, forever in my heart "The great thing about science is that you're free to disagree with it, but you'll be wrong." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fudge Posted November 24, 2015 Author Share Posted November 24, 2015 RJ is doing really well. He's had all the Tate's mentioned earlier. It must have been stress. How awful for him. I didn't realize how much my stress extended to him. We both do much better when we get out and walk at the state parks and trails. He loves car rides to anywhere so if it raining out we go for a car ride. or too cold we go to the pet store 😊. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeylasMom Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Glad to hear he's doing better. That was in the end what apparently was causing Zuri's heavier drinking. It was so excessive for him and his life didn't seem to have changed much so I had a hard time believing it, but now that more time has passed and more info I have been able to identify some of the factors. If your guy tends toward stress fairly easily, you could always try some of the various natural calming/anxiety reducing options. DAP (Adaptil) works really well for Zuri. He wears a collar that needs to be changed each month. Composure chews are a good option, and I really like L-Theanine supplements (get a brand with Suntheanine and no Xylitol). Any of these can be used on a daily basis and the latter two can be given as needed. They can all be combined safely. You could also look at other potential stressors in his life and how to manage or change them. But it sounds like exercise is a big factor that yoyve already identified so that's good. On rainy days, food dispensing toys and interactive puzzles are also great ways to expend energy. Quote Jen, CPDT-KA with Zuri, lab in a greyhound suit, Violet, formerly known as Faith, Skye, the permanent puppy, Cisco, resident cat, and my baby girl Neyla, forever in my heart "The great thing about science is that you're free to disagree with it, but you'll be wrong." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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