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My spayed dog leaks urine while sleeping. What should I do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Shiba Inu | Female | spayed | 3 years and 1 month old | 18 lbs

My spayed female shiba inu leaks small amounts of urine when she is lying down or sleeping. I suspect she has spay incontinence. What are the complications of untreated USMI and what are the indications for initiation of medical therapy (e.g. with PPA)?

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4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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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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Other Answers

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    Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on October 31st, 2018

    Hello, I’m sorry to hear about Shadow. The signs you are describing are consistent with the syndrome of female urinary incontinence. This syndrome can develop in some dogs after they are spayed due to the lack of estrogen, as this hormones helps them hold their urine. No mistakes were made during the spay procedure that! Prion is the most frequently used medication for this condition, and usually works quite well. If Shadow is still leaking urine I would recommend having her rechecked by your veterinarian. They may elect to adjust the dose of her medication. Hope this helps!

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on April 14th, 2020

    This can be a sign of spay incontinence. This is due to weakening of the urinary sphincter muscles. The good news is that this can be treated with medication. I'd have Brandy seen by a vet today get this diagnosed and treated. I hope this helps!

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    Answered By Jessica Keay, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on August 2nd, 2017

    I am sorry to hear about Ketta! The most common reason for urine leakage while sleeping/laying down is a weak bladder shincter (the muscle the holds the urine in the bladder isn't strong enough and when the bladder is full and pressure is applied as in when a dog is laying down, urine will leak out. This is especially common in spayed female dogs, as it can be related to hormonal changes. We can also have anatomical abnormalities where urine is pooling in the vaginal area or the ureter and then spilling out when the dog is laying down. I would recommend a visit to the vet to be certain that the urine is normal and no signs of infection or metabolic disease (such as diabetes) are present, and they can start your dog on medication if they think the problem is a weakened sphincter.

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