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My senior dog drinks and pees a lot. Is it kidney failure?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Siberian Husky | Female | 40 lbs

I have a female husky that is 11 years old. She is drinking water excessively and urinating excessively. She is going potty all over my house and outside. She also has bad legs where her knees caps are fused out of place. She is having a really hard time getting up stairs or walking. I of course Google symptoms of the water drinking and urinating and it says kidney failure. Is that what is happening? I have a local vet but do not have the funds to take her in to vet. Can you help?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Amy S. Eutsey, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on June 22nd, 2018

Hello. Drinking excessively and urinating large volumes of urine can be signs of a few different ailments including kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, Cushing’s Disease and another type of Diabetes called Diabetes Insipidus. Sometimes, the excessive drinking is psychogenic and the pet is not actually sick....just drinks a ton of water and then has to urinate more to get rid of it. Unfortunately, the only way to distinguish between these problems is with blood work and sometimes a urinalysis. If she is experiencing sudden weight loss or a decrease or dramatic increase in appetite or is vomiting...those signs point more towards kidney disease and diabetes. Perhaps your veterinarian offers Care Credit which can be used to help spread out the costs of an exam and testing. I hope you can gain the information that you need for Shelby. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    There are many diseases that cause increased thirst and urination: liver disease, diabetes, Cushing’s disease, Leptospirosis, a uterine infection or pyometra if she is not spayed and certain types of cancers. Kidney disease can cause these symptoms as well. Unfortunately I don’t think you’ll be able to get an answer unless you see a veterinarian. Some of these diseases can cause characteristic changes that would be obvious on physical exam, but often blood work would be recommended as the first step. You could ask your vet if they take Care Credit or if they have any other payment options: www.carecredit.com

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