Pet World: Dogs excessive thirst of concern to pet owner

Dear Cathy,

We have a four-year-old male mini-golden doodle who is obsessed with drinking water. He will drink from flower pots, puddles, and a dripping garden hose reel. He reaches for the water dispenser, puts his nose in the sink, flies upstairs to the bathroom when he hears bathwater running, heads straight to the water dish at the dog park, and so on. When we first got him we had him tested for diabetes, among other things. He passed all the tests. At this point we don’t know what we can do. I’m tired of petting a wet face.

–Bob, Bayshore, New York

Dear Bob,

Usually a dog who drinks that much water has a health problem. There are several underlying conditions besides diabetes that your veterinarian may need to consider.

Having said that, psychogenic polydipsia is a term used to describe excessive water drinking not related to illness or psychosis. It is considered a behavioral condition with a physical manifestation of excessive thirst. From what little I know about it, water-loving breeds and sometimes bored puppies who like to play in water, drink a lot of water consistently. Have your veterinarian examine him again, and do not restrict his drinking unless under the care of a veterinarian.

Dear Cathy,

We have two five-year-old cats, Bailey and Jasmine. They are sisters, not declawed, and are inside cats (except for being out on a our screened-in patio). A few months ago, Bailey started attacking Jasmine. We finally figured out the cause. When Bailey sees another cat outside, she rushes from the patio into the house, and attacks Jasmine. Jasmine hasn't done anything to Bailey, and Jasmine can't understand why Bailey is doing this to her.

We purchased pheromones, but so far, we haven't seen that they are helping. How do we stop this behavior?

–Maris, Coconut Creek, Florida

Dear Maris,

This is a classic case of redirected aggression. Bailey gets upset when she sees another cat. Because she can’t get to that cat, Bailey takes it out on Jasmine. The outside animals are the trigger for redirected aggression.

Switch to pheromone collars for both of them, and then look for ways to block Bailey’s view of cats in your yard. You may have to block her view with blinds or limit her access to the screened patio when you know there won’t be other animals in sight. You also can look for ways to discourage cats from coming into your yard, like installing a motion-detection sprinkler.

Dear Cathy,

We rescued my dog, Ivy, from Puerto Rico through our local Golden Retriever rescue group about 18 months ago. She is an amazing addition to our family. Our problem is, she is afraid of the clicking noise that our gas stove top makes when we light the burner. We know it’s the clicking noise because our neighbor across the way has a bug zapper that makes a similar noise at dusk, and she is scared of that too.

We have tried various things, mostly with treats, but nothing has stopped her from hiding at dinner time or running away to another room when she knows we are lighting the stove. Any suggestions?

–Vanessa, Boca Raton, Florida

Dear Vanessa,

You may never know why Ivy reacts to this specific noise, but she definitely has some anxiety around this sound that may relate to a past experience for her.

Consider getting her a pheromone collar and an Anxiety Wrap® or Thundershirt® to wear. Also, put a white noise machine in the kitchen or play calming music to mask the sound a bit. These things won’t resolve the problem, but it helps to put her in the proper state-of-mind for some desensitization training.

Next, use the strategies above to get her in a calm state, then put her on a leash and stand as far away as you can from the stove where the sound won’t trigger much of a reaction from her. Using a cell phone, ask someone on the other end to light the burner. Her ear may twitch, but hopefully you are far enough away that the sound is not stressing for her. Over the next few days and weeks move a little closer to the sound each day, always giving her a treat for not wanting to flee.

When she is outside and hears the bug zapper, call her to you, ask her to sit, and then give her a treat. It will take time to desensitize her to this noise, so be very patient with her.

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(Cathy M. Rosenthal is a longtime animal advocate, author, columnist and pet expert who has more than 25 years in the animal welfare field. Send your pet questions, stories and tips to cathy@petpundit.com. Please include your name, city, and state. You can follow her @cathymrosenthal.)