Pets thrive on routine and rarely vary their normal daily habits. If your furry pal’s eating and drinking habits change, they may have a serious underlying health issue that needs veterinary attention. Pay close attention to your pet’s appetite and thirst, and read our Boca Midtowne Animal Hospital team’s guide to learn why they may have veered from their routine.

Reasons your pet is eating more

Some pets eat just enough to live, while others seem to live to eat. However, if your furry pal is eating more than usual, consider the following possibilities:

  • Inadequate nutrition — A low-quality diet consisting of subpar ingredients and unbalanced nutrition can fail to satiate your furry pal, so they eat more than they would if their diet consisted of a high-quality food.
  • Intestinal parasites — As they attach to their host’s intestinal walls, parasites can leach nutrients from your pet’s food, causing your four-legged friend to experience insatiable hunger and failure to thrive.
  • Absorption issues — If your pet is unable to absorb the nutrients from their food because of a disease such as exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) or gastrointestinal (GI) lymphoma, they may eat more to try to fulfill their dietary needs.
  • Diabetes — When the body cannot metabolize glucose for energy properly, your pet will eat an increasing amount, trying to create fuel for their bodily functions.
  • Cushing’s disease — Cushing’s disease is caused by an increase in cortisol, an appetite-triggering steroid hormone.
  • Hyperthyroidism — Cats are more commonly affected by high thyroid hormone levels than dogs. Thyroid hormones can kick a pet’s metabolism and hunger into overdrive.

Reasons your pet is drinking more

Fresh, cool water can entice almost any pet into drinking more, but excessive thirst typically indicates a serious underlying health problem. If your pet is drinking more than normal, they may have developed one of the following conditions:

  • Dehydration — Boca Raton gets extremely hot and muggy during the summer, and too much outdoor playtime can cause your furry pal to become dehydrated. If your pet drinks a ton of water after outdoor exercise, they have likely become overheated and dehydrated.
  • Urinary issues — Urinary tract infections (UTIs) and feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC) are two urinary problems that can cause a pet’s thirst to increase. These conditions lead to increased urination, and your four-legged friend must drink more to replace lost fluid.
  • Diabetes — Pets with unregulated diabetes drink and urinate more than usual because the overabundance of sugar has a fluid-drawing effect on the bloodstream. As the body works to filter excess sugar, fluid is pulled along with it and excreted through the kidneys.
  • Kidney disease — Senior pets commonly develop chronic renal failure, which causes progressive kidney damage. As the kidneys lose their ability to function, they cannot properly concentrate urine, causing a spike in thirst and urination.
  • Medications — Certain medications, such as steroids and diuretics, cause pets to drink and urinate more than usual.

Reasons your pet is eating less

You may appreciate spending less on your pet’s food bill when their appetite decreases. However, a sharp decline or chronic decrease in your furry pal’s hunger can be attributed to several significant problems, such as:

  • Pain — Pain is often the cause of a pet’s poor appetite and may be the only sign they exhibit. Osteoarthritis, dental disease, intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), and countless other conditions can cause your pet an extreme amount of pain, making them lose their appetite.
  • Stress — Many pets, especially cats, are highly sensitive to stress, and the smallest changes in their routine or environment can cause their appetite to decrease. If your pet stops eating, they may be stressed, anxious, or afraid.
  • Illness — Any illness that causes your pet to feel under the weather can make them lose their appetite. Fever and lethargy are common illness signs associated with inappetence.

Reasons your pet is drinking less

If your pet shuns their water bowl or fails to drink as much as usual, that’s a sure sign of a problem. If your four-legged friend’s thirst has decreased, consider these potential causes:

  • Dirty water — Stale water in a dirty bowl can turn your pet away, no matter how thirsty they are. Always provide clean, fresh water and change their water daily after washing your pet’s bowl with mild soap and thoroughly rinsing.
  • Pain — Pain can cause both your pet’s appetite and thirst to nosedive.
  • Nausea — If your pet is nauseated, they may not want to drink because they fear they will throw up.

If your four-legged friend has turned down their favorite treats several days in a row, or they keep walking past their water bowl, they are likely feeling unwell. If your furry pal’s eating or drinking habits have changed, schedule an appointment with our Boca Midtowne Animal Hospital team.