Urine leakage in dogs
A dog can lose urine both consciously and unconsciously. Incontinence (unconscious urine loss) is different from true house soiling, as seen in puppies, where the pup deposits feces and/or urine inside the house and (still) does not understand that it should do so outside.
Indoor urination (conscious urine loss)
With indoor urination, a dog assumes the urinating posture before the animal urinates. This can happen, for example, because the dog can no longer hold its urine. Often this is the result of an underlying illness causing the dog to urinate more than usual. Think, for example, of a bladder infection. In this case, the dog urinates more frequently than normal in small amounts. Bladder crystals or stones can also lead to urinary tract problems. If there is no medical cause, it may also be due to behavioral problems.
Incontinence in dogs (unconscious urine loss in dogs)
With unconscious urine loss, you may find wet spots where the dog has been lying or your loyal four-legged friend may lose small amounts of urine while walking. You may also notice that the fur on the back of the dog starts to discolor and smell. The most common cause of unconscious urine loss is a poorly functioning sphincter muscle of the bladder and urethra. This is often seen in a spayed female dog due to the loss of the hormone estrogen.
Causes of urine loss in dogs
To better understand incontinence in dogs, it is good to know that there can be various causes of urine loss in dogs. If your dog is incontinent, it is often difficult to pinpoint a clear cause. Many different things can be going on. These can range from a bladder infection to overweight. We have listed the possible causes of incontinence in dogs for you:
- The loss of estrogen in the spayed female dog
- Old age
- Overweight
- Stress and other intense emotions
- Prostate problems
- Problems with the bladder sphincter
- A congenital defect
- A tumor around the bladder
- A bladder infection
- Behavioral problems
- Back problems
- Bladder stones
Treatment of incontinence in dogs
If you want to stop the urine loss in your dog, your four-legged friend must of course be treated. After determining the cause, the veterinarian can tell you what the proper treatment is. This could be surgery to remove a tumor near the bladder, but medication to improve the function of the sphincter muscle is also possible. However, if your dog's urine loss is due to behavioral problems, it may be necessary to consult a behavior therapist; together with the behavior specialist, you can identify the cause of the behavior and then correct it. The treatment of incontinence in dogs varies from animal to animal and depends on the cause of the unwanted urine loss.
What should you definitely not do if your dog is losing urine?
In most cases, an (adult) dog does not urinate indoors intentionally. Take it from us that incontinence is not pleasant for your dog either. Many dogs realize they are losing urine and know that this is not desired indoors. Therefore, do not get angry if your dog has urinated inside. Of course, it is frustrating to have to clean up again, but if you get angry, your dog may become afraid of you. Be aware that your pet really cannot help the urine loss.
Also, just keep giving your dog water. If you spend day after day scrubbing because your dog has had urine loss, you may become desperate at some point. However, it is not wise to give your dog less water to prevent unwanted urination. If your dog is incontinent due to an underlying illness, it can have very unpleasant consequences if your four-legged friend becomes dehydrated due to insufficient hydration. This only contributes to the problems instead of solving them.
