Hi all,
       A friend has messaged me saying her 5 month old dog is peeing constantly indoors and out and drinking to the point of vomiting and trying to drink his own urine.
She is restricting water now, which I don't think is ideal. She said the vet has said there's no water infection, and I have suggested testing for diabetes, as by coincidence the only dog I've known with it showing the same symptoms was a pup of the same breed.

How prevalent is diabetes in younger dogs? As far as I can see, this breed is not predisposed. Not sure how strongly I should suggest getting him tested, she didn't seem to think it could be because his body condition is good, and I'm not sure how common it is in young dogs? Any insight? I did suggest back to the vet regardless.

Thanks :)

I would be asking the vet to test for this     http://www.caninediabetes.org/pdorg/diabetes_insipidus.htm

LIMITING WATER INTAKE IN THIS CASE COULD BE FATAL!

What is Diabetes Insipidus?

Diabetes insipidus (DI) is a disorder of water balance.  The animal is unable to concentrate urine, so the urine volume is very high and the urine is dilute. "Insipid" means tasteless -- referring to the dilute urine. This disease is rare in both dogs and cats. The condition is usually permanent, and the prognosis is good. Without treatment, dehydration leads to stupor, coma, and death.  This is a completely different disease from Diabetes Mellitus (DM), a disorder of sugar metabolism involving the hormone insulin.  We include the information here because people are often looking for resources and we had some owners of pets with DM  who also have experience with DI.

Perhaps your friend should be reading this urgently, if she is limiting the poor pup's water intake

It is known in young puppies too

Good Luck

>She is restricting water now, which I don't think is ideal

NO!  It isn't ideal.     

And she could be prosecuted under the Animal Welfare Act.  Doesn't she know that it is ILLEGAL to withhold water from her dog.

It could also be a serious kidney problem. Withholding water is utterly stupid you cant survive without water

I didn't mean the pup is getting no water, rather he is getting regular drinks provided rather than access to a bowl full all the time (which he would empty and vomit). But I didn't think it was good to 'restrict' water in dogs with diseases such as this (and kidney linked diseases).

Thank you guys, I will suggest to her that it's rather important to get him tested. Thanks Dill I'll pass on that link too. Fingers crossed for the little one :)

I heard from this owner today, after many vet visits and finally getting to a vet who accepted that this wasn't behavioural, pup has had some tests and is trialling some meds for diabetes insipidus. In 3 days he has gone from peeing more than 30 times a day all over the house and drinking more than 2 litres per day, to all of his wees outdoors and just having 2 bowls of water over the day :) and he will have his urine tested over the next few days too.

Thank you guys for the info, pleased I wasn't overreacting and hopefully the youngster can be sorted now.

That's encouraging news :-)

Fingers crossed for a good outcome for this pup (and his humans)

It's hard enough when they're ill as older dogs,  doubly hard when they're just pups :-(