Chief of Staff, Dr. John A. Coyne South Clinic
Lecturer
Dr. Gene Pavlovsky is a 2003 graduate of Ontario Veterinary College of the University of Guelph (Ontario, Canada). He spent about 17 years in general practice before joining the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine faculty in 2020.
Dr. Pavlovsky serves as the chief of staff for the Dr. John A. Coyne South Clinic, which is part of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, and as head of the Small Animal Primary Care Service. In 2023, he achieved board certification by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in canine and feline practice. His clinical interests lie in behavior, anesthesia/analgesia, management of chronic diseases, and nutrition.
His wife is also a veterinarian who teaches first- and second-year students at the College of Veterinary Medicine. They have three children, two cats, and two dogs.
Psychogenic Polydipsia in Dogs
Polyuria and polydipsia (PU/PD) represent a common clinical presentation in dogs and may result from numerous disorders affecting different body systems. While psychogenic polydipsia (PPD) is relatively common and well described in people, little published information on its pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment exists in dogs.
In veterinary medicine, cases of primary polydipsia for which no other explanation has been found may be labelled as psychogenic, even in the absence of behavioral abnormalities. As such, the terms psychogenic and primary polydipsia are often used interchangeably when diagnostic testing fails to confirm a specific cause.
However, confirmation of primary polydipsia in a dog with PU/PD does not necessarily equate with the PPD diagnosis, and like in humans, PPD in dogs may be a specific category of primary polydipsia disorders. This presentation outlines currently published information on PPD in dogs, diagnostic approach, and treatment recommendations.