How much water-Diabetes?

I have a question about how much water he needs. I took him to my parents' home over the holidays and they were astonished about how much water he drinks. Our family Maltese (who is almost three years old) does not drink half as much as the new four-month old puppy drinks in a day. I have noticed that my puppy drinks alot of water but I have just assumed that it is due to the fact that he is a growing, happy and active puppy. My parents, on the otherhand, thought it is quite unusual and thinks that might be a clue as to why he urinates so much (true!) and they think I should limit his access to water. I am not sure if that is the right move though...I have seen about four different veternarians over the past three years and they have all told me that a dog must always have fresh, clean water at hand at all times. When my first Maltese was a puppy, he was hospitalized for dehydration as a result of not having access to water for too long a period. This new puppy was demanding water so badly (he would hit the dish whenever it was empty) that I went out and bought him one of those gallon size water reservoirs. I fill that thing every five to seven days. Should I consider limiting his water intake?

This next question may also be ridiculous: My dad is a diabetic and he has suggested getting the puppy's blood sugar tested since that over-excessive thirst was a clue to his diagnosis of diabetes. Sounds a little crazy, but prompts me to ask, can dogs suffer from diabetes?
Paula

• My maltese drinks lots of water, too. I have bowls of water on all three levels of the house. I haven't much worried about it, but, of course, she isn't peeing everywhere either!

  As to your question about diabetes in dogs. My mom (who also has diabetes)always says the same thing about the water. I thought she was just a little over the mark, but in fact, dogs DO get diabetes. I used to live in an apartment building where one of the residents had two dogs from the same litter (not maltese) and both had diabetes. One, actually lost its eyesight to the disease. Both dogs were old at the time, but he told me diabetes was not an uncommon ailment in the dog world. So maybe you should have your baby checked out, just in case.
  Cathy Brown