peeing while sleeping?? or what?
 

I now realize how new I am to owning a female dog haha... my whole life we've only owned males, now Tikka my first female has made me thing of SO many questions have been coming up...

Lately like over the past few days, I've noticed she "leaks" when she sleeps, I'm pretty sure it's urine. But it's like she doesn't know she's doing it or she just doesnt care. She is fine when she's awake, NO ACCIDENTS, NO LEAKAGE at all for almost two weeks now. But as soon as she lays down to nap or go to bed she ends up with a wet spot under her! It has never soaked through all the way, infact it didn't even make it through the comforter, which she's not allowed on now lol so it's not A LOT but a damp spot about the size of my fist, sometimes smaller.

Do dogs wet the bed? Could she have a urinary problem? Am I not letting her out enough? She was just laying on my lap and I could smell it and sure enough there was a damp spot!

She should not be leaking urine while she sleep and needs to be seen by your vet. How old is she? Sometimes older dogs will leak but not young healthy dogs.

Hmm, I agree young pups shouldn't be "leaking". It could be an infection in the bladder or kidney. I mean she could be just barely able to hold it when she's up a moving and when she's asleep, she's relaxing and it comes out.

My brother's dog did that and he ended up having a bladder infection. But I'd get he checked out. I don't know if you've ever had a bladder/kidney infection,but they're miserable.

Poor girl! Keep us posted!

Do you know what the problem could be as far as a name for a condition? I'll take her into the vet on Monday since they're closed all weekend and I don't think this is an emergency, she seems totally fine and dandy, but obviously bed wetting isn't normal.

She has been checked out with a clean bill of health previously, so I'm thinking this might be like a urinary infection, because we've been switching housetraining methods and I think that's got her holding her pee longer than she should be. She's been doing great until I noticed the leaking.

Also... she didn't "leak" all night or during our nap today but on my lap was her only time she's done it today. So it's not like EVERY time she's asleep just periodically.

Well, as far as the "she doesn't care", if she is doing it in her sleep it is something she has no control over during that sleep time as I understand it. Does it smell like urine? If so, perhaps she is dreaming and sort of submissively peeing a bit in her dream - the way they half run and half bark in their sleep when they are dreaming. I don't know if that is even possible but maybe it could be. Otherwise, maybe the muscles of the opening of the urethra are weak and when she sleeps and relaxes, they relax a bit too much, allowing some leaking. If she is a young dog, this may stop as those muscles mature. You might try Googling "dog peeing in sleep" and see what you get but a vet check now is probably the best thing to do.

Lastly, maybe a UTI or small cyst in the opening of the urethra could allow leaking when relaxed. I'm just throwing out anything I can think of as I haven't heard of this before except in old dogs.

If she is grown, there may be some medication that will help or you could diaper her.

oh yeah i guess i forgot to mention her age in my last reply, she is only 8 months old. so still young and vibrant! i will definitely take her into the vet next week, she needs to get some vaccines updated and a booster anyways so might as well hit it all in one shot!

also, i woke her up on my lap and put her outside and she went pee. so that's comforting that as soon as she woke up she realized she should go potty and she didn't just stand there unaware. i will also start letting her out more! we usually do 3-4 hours, but I'm thinking since she's still so young maybe I messed up there, and it should be every 1-2 hours.

Pooter is 3yrs old and sometimes I forget their age and maturity difference since he's so small and puppy like! He can hold it all day if he had to with no problem, but I forget she's still learning :/ Now I feel bad.

My Chloe has an incontinence problem- I noticed it when she was only a couple of months old. At first it was only once and awhile, I actually thought she was falling into her water dish at first because I would get her out of her pen and she would be wet. Then it started getting more frequent and she would do it when sleeping on the couch or bed and it became clear that it was urine.

She had to have many tests to rule out more serious health problems. Now she is on proin for incontinence and will need to be on it for life.

I'll make sure to mention that to my vet! Can they test for that or is it more of a diagnosis based on tests for infections coming back negative?

Have you had any bad things happen on Proin? I'm researching it now... other sites are calling it a "KILLER" How long has your pup been on it?

It was more of a ruling out everything else kind of thing. She had urine tests done, ultrasound of her kidneys, I did a test where I measured her water intake for a day (was a pain because she had to be locked away from my other one so we knew exactly what she drank), blood tests, etc. When everything came back normal, it was determined that she was incontinent.

I have had no issues with PROIN, it was recommended by a board certified internal specialist at a specialty hospital I go to- she said they had never seen a problem there in all the years they prescribed it. We did test her blood pressure after 6 months on the medicine to make sure it was no rising- but this was more at my insistence, they didnt really think that was even necessary. She has been on it over a year now.

Well that good to hear! About how much does that run for the prescription? She was bought from a family and I haven't been able to get a hold of them to find her breeder or anything, so that kind of sucks. I've been really lucky with her vet checks coming in normal and saying she's super healthy so hopefully we get this figured out!


I found a good article here are a couple excerpts:
Although she isn't spayed yet, this describes it:
Hormone-responsive incontinence occurs in neutered dogs of both sexes and occasionally in spayed female cats but occurs most commonly in female dogs. The pet can urinate normally, but they leak urine while resting. Physical examination and blood and urine tests are usually normal in these pets. Hormone-responsive incontinence can occur months to years after a pet is neutered.

And this:
A less common cause of incontinence in female dogs is called vulvovaginal stenosis. It is a condition in which the vagina at the level where the urethra ends is narrowed. Occasionally when the pet urinates, some urine will get trapped in the vagina in front of this narrowed area. Then when they rise after lying down the urine pours out. This condition can be diagnosed by feeling the vagina with a gloved finger. In some dogs the narrowing can be stretched under anesthesia. The incontinence may or may not resolve as sometimes other defects are also present.


I'll have to check and see if it's slowly leaking, or if it's pouring out when she stands. Poor little girl, she was completely healthy...hopefully incontinence isn't the problem... I'm going to start letting her out more see if that helps.

I just switched to the liquid version "Proin Drops" because she wouldn't take the pill. I paid 10.00 for the bottle and it will last be about 8 months. So it is extremely cheap medicine. The pill form is even cheaper, but like I said she wouldn't take it.

The specialist we saw was almost certain Chloe's problem is a weak spinchter (sp?)- bladder muscle- so basically she drinks too much water (which is a separate liver related issue she has) and then her bladder is too full and because the muscle is weak when she is asleep she can't control the release of urine- they call it "overflow incontinence".

But again- we went through a lot of testing to get to this result- there are many other things to be looking at first- what she has is pretty rare.

Oh yeah Tikka def. doesn't drink too much. But I am really praying for good news like something like just an infection that will go away, but I guess if she has to go on Proin that's pretty dang cheap for that long of a supply... can't complain about that if that's her only health issue!! When I see other's on her dealing with much worse!

Let's cross our fingers!

Looks like it's time to start thinking of purchasing washable diapers for nap/bed time!

UPDATE!
Just talked to two different vets, about to call my third. But the second vet was awesome over the phone she asked me a TON of questions her age, if she was spayed/when was her last heat cycle, how often, how much pee etc. She is going to bring us in on Thursday to start a 10day regime of pills for UTI because she said it sounds like she could have gotten UTI which is common after a heat cycle, Tikka's just ended and that's when it started so it makes sense. So for $100 she will get an exam, boosters, and pills for UTI for 10 days and go from there. She said it's very hard to get a urine sample from females, so unless I can do it, they'd rather not poke needles in her bladder.
The first vet was just cranky and quoted me the exam price, urinary analysis price, etc. for $200. She did not explain the bladder draw by needle or ask any questions!
I'm going to call a third vet and get their opinion as well as pricing.

I'm really hoping for UTI! Lol... Tikka seems to only leak right at bed time, and right in the a.m. so the lady says it sounds more like a UTI or full bladder vs. incontinence but we wont know for a couple weeks while she's on the pills.

Sounds like a good plan to start with :) and hopefully that will take care of it. It is really hard to collect a urine sample from a female, especially a very small one. She'd probably need a cystocentesis to collect the urine and I wouldn't recommend that being done without an ultrasound guiding the process, so just giving the meds for UTI is best for now. Second vet sounds good :)

If she has an infection, you might want to hold off on vaccines. They tax the immune system. I would wait a week.

So like a week AFTER she's done with the pills, I was wondering about that too if the booster would affect the antibiotics or whatever type of pill the give for UTI. Because I know sometimes things counteract or react badly.

I know in humans we do not vaccinate if there are signs of active infection. The vaccine inhibits the body's ability to fight off infection. I have heard the veterinary experienced ppl on the site say the same holds true w dogs. We usually wait a week post infection.

Okay sweet, I hadn't even mentioned the boosters to my vet, so she probably would have told me that. We are going to try a new vet this time 1. because she's way friendlier, just over the phone she seemed worried for tikka, and 2. just a bonus she's cheaper.

I couldn't believe how many questions she asked me and the time she took to tell me all the different ways to go about treating her. And Saturdays are BUSY days at the vet in our small town areas so for her to take the time to talk about it was reassuring. So I'm happy to be trying this lady out and will be super happy to get Tikka treated and find out what's wrong :/ I'll post the diagnosis once we find out if the UTI pills work or if those fail and we move on to something else.

Glad you found a vet that you like.

A few thoughts:
Could be a UTI (hopefully because then you won't have to give Proin for life).
If it isn't a UTI, other things will need to be ruled out.
Probable UTIs should never wait several days to be looked at. They are extremely uncomfortable, can be painful, and are very unhealthy for the bladder. She needs to be seen tomorrow.
They may just do a quick urinalysis. If they are sending out urine for culture, I would hope they would do the cysto. Urine for culture isn't supposed to be taken free catch, technically. And it isn't hard at all...
U/S guided can be good for small bladders, but that usually isn't necessary. There is a slight risk with a cysto like any procedure, but it is minimal and helps get an accurate diagnosis.

Yes, it is best to avoid vaccines while they are fighting an infection (not really sure what vaccines an 8 month old could possibly need unless you waited on rabies). However, a lot of vets would probably do it anyway.

Thanks for the concern, and trust me I am worried about her and would have taken her in the day I posted, but honestly living in a town of 3000-6000 people with one vet and the closest secondary vet being a half hour away and those two being the only vets near us I don't have much of a choice whether to wait. Yes, we are trying to get her in Tuesday actually, but the two small town vets near us are by appointment only unless your animal is dying due to the high volume since these two vets take in A LOT of people from surrounding smaller towns/farms. We are supposed to call them Tuesday morning to see if there an opening :D But until then I will be keeping an every on her.

Also, I think I posted in another thread about UTI and how it's only one of the many possibilities when it comes to the problem we're having, I know it could be a lot of other things, praying for the best though!

We got her from a family that did not give her the last set of boosters in Jan. and I do not believe she's had her rabies because that wasn't written on the vet sheet they gave us... so that'll be soon as well. But like we've been told we'll hold off until we know what's going on and once it's diagnosed.

Hey all just an update:

I'll be calling the vet in the morning to see if they can get us in early tomorrow morning before I have some photography sessions... she seems okay, but getting worn out a lot easier. We went on our usual walk, only for an hour, and she's been laying in her bed all day, she's usually whining to play fetch! so I am fairly certain this is an infection of some sort, hopefully nothing worst than a bladder or uti, but she just looks like me when I have a good cold.
Poor girl :/ pray/hope/cross fingers that they can get us in, in the a.m. or Tuesday morning at the latest, I hate to think she's not feeling good and really hate to sit here thinking it could be worse than UTI/Incontinence... not that UTI is a light matter but as mentioned there are other diseases that can cause this too that are worse.

After Bubba sleeps on my bed, he licks the sheets where he has been sleeping. Maybe that what she is doing.

It's definitely urine, trust me I was hoping it was just her licking herself lol.
I bought her some Pamper's diapers size 1 today, cut tail holes, and viola! No more wet spots, and after she naps there's definitely urine in the diaper, it's stinky. Which is another sign of UTI... the stinky-ness.
It doesn't happen every time she sleeps more like right at bed time, and right in the morning, and once during the day. So I've been letting her out more and the spots got smaller/diapers are showing less in them. I also wash her after every time I change the diaper or let her out to pee, and cleaned out the water dishes, and cleaned all her kennel sheets.... major sterilizing going on haha.
She did get up to play for awhile but she's definitely more tired today than usual and just wants to cuddle so we'll be going in as soon as we can.

You gave me a chuckle w your creativity - good idea!

I don't even have a baby or kids at all, just dogs, I felt so weird buying diapers haha! I'm 21 and look like I'm 15 so I got weird looks from the cashier... that gave me a chuckle!:p

They seriously fit her perfectly... the bag says "8-14lbs" but they still fit her great!:thumbup:
There's no where in town to buy doggie diapers unless I drive like almost 3hrs, and I can't order any offline/off here because of shipping time, so hey it works! $12.99 for a pack of 50 lol. :cool:

IMO I would not be taking her for long walks if she is fighting an infections (or whatever she has going on). A UTI is going to not only cause pain but she will most likely have a fever as well. Just imagine how you would feel going for a walk while you have a fever. :( I totally agree with EM that she needs a cysto to be diagnosed properly. They will do a culture of the urine to see what antibiotics need to be used to kill the bacteria properly. I sure hope that you are able to get her into the vet first thing in the morning. If she does have a UTI it\'s very painful and will only continue to become more painful each day she is left untreated by the vet. I wish you luck tomorrow and please check back to let us know how it goes.

Just called the vet, they are going to put us in at 10:30 this am... so in an hour! YAY! Hopefully soon she\'ll be all better!

Just checking to see how little Tikka\'s appt went today.

Hey we just got home, they actually were able to get da urine sample by slightly pushing on her bladder! The doctor noticed she was "dribbling" so she just grabbed a cup quickly and pushed lightly for about 15 seconds a had what she needed for an analysis!

Drum Roll for the verdict please! ....

Tikka is diagnosed with UTI. :D for me :( for Tikka. I was glad it wasn\'t something more serious, but with all the options and possibilities I wanted to just get it over with! We will be getting Tikka spayed in August at the same vet. She is on one 25mg pill a day of Zeniquin for 14 days.

The Dr. was amazing, she was so nice and talked to us for a bit, her mother owns yorkies! So she knew a little bit about them too. I\'m glad I spent an hour [30min there, 30 min back] driving to take her there vs. our one in town.

I feel bad Tikka is sick, but I\'m so glad it\'s something that is curable and wont effect her long term since she\'s still so young!

It\'s a UTI - glad it\'s something that\'s fairly easy to treat! Her dribbling did turn out to be helpful :rolleyes: - that\'s good. Hopefully, in a couple of days she will be all back to new!

If you are still using the "designer doggie diapers", you\'ll have to post a pic!