Why is my spayed Doberman suddenly suckling her bed and leaking pee?

Question

2 year old female doberman starting to suckle her dog bed..has never done it before. She is also starting to leak pee (she is spayed). Pet's info: Dog | Doberman Pinscher | Female | spayed | 2 years and 3 months old | 55 lbs

Lauren Jones VMD · Accepted Answer

Poor Bella! Dobermans are a bit notorious for their suckling behavior either on their flanks or on blankets, or beds in this case. The majority of the time, this is an anxiety-induced compulsive behavior. The goal should be trying to reduce any anxiety or stress-inducing triggers, but it is possible that her urine leakage could be stressful to her. You can try using calming pheromone collars or diffusers, such as Adaptil. Severe cases of ongoing suckling will sometimes need to be started on anxiety medications. Bella's urine leakage could be due to urinary incontinence (not uncommon in young spayed female dogs), urinary tract infection, crystals in the urine or bladder stones. To start, I would recommend taking Bella to her vet for an exam and urinalysis. If there is no evidence of infection or crystals on the urinalysis, her vet may discuss starting Bella on medication to improve the urethral sphincter's ability to contract and hold urine. If infection is present, antibiotics will be needed. As I'd mentioned, it is possible that Bella's urinary issues are stressful to her and are triggering this suckling behavior. I hope that all goes well!

Why is my spayed Doberman suddenly suckling her bed and leaking pee?

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