Dog won't pee indoors during emergency. Can I express her bladder?

Question

I am stuck in the upper floor of my house in Houston Harvey flooding. Can't take my dogs out to go to bathroom, Three have gone on papers I put down. The fourth - a miniature pinscher - will not use the papers. Her bladder is very full. It's been over 24 hours. I am afraid she will be sick, and we are stuck in house for as long as it takes for water to go down - perhaps rest of week or longer. Is there any way to safely massage her bladder to help her to urinate? Any other suggestions. Pet's info: Dog | Miniature Pinscher | Female | spayed | 16 lbs

Lauren Jones VMD · Accepted Answer

Oh dear, I imagine this is making an already stressful and difficult situation even more challenging. Instead of papers, you could also try using an old towel on the floor to try to encourage Arya to urinate. If she is still resistant, consider having one of your other dogs urinate on the towel first, hoping that Arya will then try to "mark" over the other dog's urine on the towel. If this does not work, you can use firm (but not hard) steady pressure over the rear half of her abdomen to attempt to express (empty) her bladder. Once you start feeling her abdomen, the bladder may feel a bit like a water balloon. Try to use either one hand on either side of her abdomen, or at least several fingers on either side to provide maximal compression with this firm steady pressure. This can be difficult to do, even for those of use with years of training. I hope this helps! Please stay safe and feel free to post any additional pet questions you have and we will do our best to help you as much as possible!

Dog won't pee indoors during emergency. Can I express her bladder?

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