Hello,

My 8 week old puppy drinks his urine with the enthusiasm of gobbling down a nice steak. It is disgusting, and we can't get him to stop.

We are crate training, and having to take him out to pee every half hour OR we hear furious, happy lapping of the tongue and we know he has peed in the crate AGAIN and is savoring drinking it up.

Has anyone ever heard of such a thing? Are we doing something wrong? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Put a towel in the crate to soak it up, and think about the possibility of a vet check for a bladder infection. Every half hour he goes so I would think about taking him out every 25 minutes. but thats just me.

I agree with Jeff to put in a towel to prevent drinking and take the pup out as often as possible - AND reward for any outdoor potty! I found a little more information that leads me to also suggest to you to make sure your pup is going outside often enough, and that it knows what to do outside (from rewards) and make sure that you are giving your pup better things to do, both while in its crate and while out. Maybe a couple stuffed type toy or bone could keep your pup busy for 20-25 minutes at a time? Feeding your pup in his crate can help your pup view it as "home" not "potty."

If your pup is drinking water excessively as well, a trip to the vet is in order.

Here is one piece of info I found, this one from a veterinarian:

"There isn't much information that I can find on dogs that will urinate and then lick or drink the urine. The
only references I can find to this suggest that it is a learned behavior in some dogs that are constantly penned when young (usually pet store dogs) and that it occurs in other situations in which excessive boredom is likely. Some people have associated this behavior with hormonal changes in unspayed female dogs but I don't know if there is really any data to support that
association.

The only treatment options that I have seen for this is to use amitriptyline (Elavil Rx) or clomipramine (Clomicalm Rx). I am not sure what the rational is behind using these medications, though."

Mike Richards, DVM
3/14/99

Well, I took him to the vet and guess what--he has a bladder infection! He said bladder infections are very rare in puppies this young (8 weeks), but he gave me some antibiotics.

He thinks Charlie is drinking urine because he is excessively thirsty due to the infection. So, hopefully, this will end with the medicine.

Thanks so much for your replies, they really helped! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Kudos to you for taking your pup to the vet. I'm glad it's a straightforward problem and hope he gets better quickly!