Rescued puppies

Question
We have rescued two Jack Russell looking pups.  Both came to me hungry,
frightened, and thin.  They're urine smelled like sulphur.  Seriously.  The first
three days they drank and drank... and then drank some more.  We've had
them five days. The problem?  Their noses are warm and dry and they pee
almost constantly (not much of an exaggeration).  Could they have a bladder
or kidney infection?  They wrestle, when they are not peeing, and play every
waking second.
One more thing, how can we determine their age?  One of the pups is three to
four times larger than the other, but both have the same feet, coat, teeth size
etc..  My opinion is that they are from the same litter.  Is this possible?

Thank you so very much,
Sherry

Answer
Hi Sherry-

Thank you for taking in these two little wayward puppies. I'm glad they are in better hands. It may be that they have a mild urinary tract infection and that is why they are peeing so often and their pee has such a strong smell. Are they peeing very small amounts often, or they are just drinking a lot and urinating normal amounts? I would take them into the vet for a urinalysis just to make sure, as well as a standard new dog health check, to make sure there is nothing wrong with them. You can tell a dog's age by their teeth, eyes, and bone structure, but its really all estimates. A puppy is under 6 months if they still have thin, sharp puppy teeth instead of adult teeth. After that, you guess by tarter and wear, but that can really depend upon the dogs environment. Just like humans, some dogs can just have bad teeth, and it makes them look older. With mixed breeds, its entirely possible for two litter mates to be of different sizes, shapes, colors etc. Each puppy can technically have a different father if the breeding is indiscriminate (each mating can produce just one or multiple puppies), and so take on completely different characteristics. I remember a client of mine who had two littermates from the same mother (a terrier mix) and one was a little 12 pound shorthaired tan dog, and the other a 55 LBS hairy sheepdog looking beast.

Anyway, your best bet, lots of water, good food, and a vet trip just to be safe. Thanks again for rescuing the pups!