Psychogenic polydipsia in dogs – a review of pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment

Polyuria and polydipsia represent a common clinical presentation in dogs and may result from numerous disorders affecting different body systems. Compulsive water consumption is characteristic of psychogenic polydipsia, a primary polydipsia disorder rooted in neurologic, behavioural or environmental factors. While psychogenic polydipsia is relatively common and well described in people, little published information on its pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment exists in dogs. Most dogs diagnosed with psychogenic polydipsia are young and systemically healthy, have significant polyuria and polydipsia, often have a nervous or anxious disposition, and may display stereotypical, compulsive or hyperactive behaviours. No specific test diagnoses psychogenic polydipsia definitively, and systematic elimination of other causes of polyuria and polydipsia is required. A multimodal approach to treatment may be most successful, including water restriction, environmental and behavioural modification, and pharmaceutical intervention.