My dog is leaking urine in her bed and on the floor. What's wrong?

Related Answers from Veterinarians

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  Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

  Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

  Published on December 2nd, 2016

  These are signs of urinary incontinence, which is a very common problem in older spayed female dogs. Most of the time, it's caused by the bladder sphincter muscle weakening with age, so that Tess can't control when she urinates and may not even be aware when she does it. I would recommend having her examined by a vet as soon as you are able to - he/she can do a urinalysis or other testing if needed to make sure that she doesn't have some other issue causing the urine leakage. Incontinence is normally very treatable with medication, so your vet should be able to prescribe something to help.

  

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  Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

  Veterinarian

  Published on November 9th, 2018

  I see that Sophia is spayed. It could be she is suffering from spay incontinence, which is when the urethral sphincters become weakened leading to leakage of urine. It could also be she is suffering from a UTI or bladder stones. I'd take her into the vet on Monday for this problem. The good news is that all of these possible diagnoses can be treated. The vet can diagnose the problem, and can discuss treatment options with you. I hope this helps!

  

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  Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

  Veterinarian

  Published on July 18th, 2018

  Hello, it sounds like Nala has urinary incontinence. Very common in older female spayed dogs. Here is a link to an article regarding this condition. I suggest you speak to your vet about this as there is medication available for treatment which is effective. Of course, it is impossible for me to diagnose her over the internet - many other things could be going on. Incontinence is just the most common. That is why your vet is needed to help you figure this out. Hope this helps. Best wishes. ( https://www.petmd.com/dog/general-health/incontinence-senior-dogs-what-do-and-how-help )

  

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  Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

  Veterinarian

  Published on February 20th, 2022

  Hello, thank you using PetCoach. Sorry Toro is having this issue. Based on your description of the problem I would agree that urinary incontinence seems likely however, you need to get a diagnosis first before making any plans or worrying about medications. There are other possibilities like ectopic ureter, UTI, bladder atony, etc that need to be considered. Your vet will most likely do an exam and urinalysis (with culture and sensitivity) to start with and go from there. In many instances we do not treat incontinence unless it is happening very frequently (like every day or a few times a week). If it is just once a week or once every couple weeks we often delay treatment until needed. If it comes to the point where she does need medications and you chose not to use them, complications can arise as the urinary sphincter is weak and will allow bacteria to travel up the urethra and into the bladder so they will get recurrent UTIs. Bacteria can also ascend higher up the ureters and into the kidneys and they can get a kidney infection which may be fatal. PPA is the drug we usually start with to manage incontinence. If PPA fails to control the issue we will either add in DES or use it instead of PPA. I have attached a link to an information sheet about these drugs. ( https://www.petplace.com/article/drug-library/drug-library/library/phenylpropanolamine-proin-ppa-for-dogs-and-cats/ ) ( https://www.petplace.com/article/drug-library/drug-library/library/diethylstilbestrol-des-for-female-dogs/ ) Hope this helps to answer your questions. Best wishes.

  

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