Dog is drinking A LOT of water…
Skinny medium-ish sized dog, beagle/chihuahua mix (I think), male, in tact, 12 years old (about to turn 13), roughly between 15-20lbs
About 2 and a half weeks ago I noticed he was drinking a lot more water than normal, and subsequently ended up peeing for a longer period of time when I’d take him on walks. Sometimes he’d just stand there and pee for like a minute straight and create a whole puddle.
He also had a couple of accidents in the home. 2 of them were on my bed, the other was when I had guests over, but I assumed the guest one was because he was really excited/anxious because he’s done that before, but now I’m not sure that was the case.
He’s still eating regularly, has high energy, still gets excited to go on walks, etc. It seems like he’s lost a bit of weight, but I don’t know if that’s just the fact that he’s been shedding his coat. Even when he pees, it doesn’t seem like he’s straining or in pain. He’s pooping regularly as well. Nothing has really changed except for the increased water intake and more peeing.
Is this incontinence due to old age? Should I be worried about a kidney infection/kidney failure? Do I take him in to get tests done? The only reason I haven’t is because I’m not in a place financially to pay any additional costs on top of a basic urgent care exam fee, and I already know the vet will tell me that he needs additional testing done since they won’t be able to tell if he has an infection from just looking at him.
I did call 2 clinics, told them my dog’s symptoms, and both places didn’t give me any advice on whether I should bring him in. They just told me how much an urgent care exam visit would cost. When I asked about payment plans for any additional costs, both of them told me they don’t do payment plans and that I’d have to look into some other form of credit payment or just look for a different clinic.
Just looking for some logical advice about next steps. Thanks. :/