peeing while sleeping?? or what? - YorkieTalk.com Forums

sweet_tikka · 05-13-2011, 04:44 PM

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!

megansmomma · 05-13-2011, 04:51 PM

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.

Taryn0405 · 05-13-2011, 04:54 PM

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!

sweet_tikka · 05-13-2011, 04:55 PM

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.

yorkietalkjilly · 05-13-2011, 05:00 PM

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.

sweet_tikka · 05-13-2011, 05:09 PM

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.

ArmaniMan · 05-13-2011, 05:42 PM

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.

sweet_tikka · 05-13-2011, 05:52 PM

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?

ArmaniMan · 05-13-2011, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweet_tikka

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.

sweet_tikka · 05-13-2011, 06:12 PM

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.

ArmaniMan · 05-13-2011, 06:17 PM

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.

sweet_tikka · 05-13-2011, 06:21 PM

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!

sweet_tikka · 05-14-2011, 08:24 AM

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.

AlicetheYorkie · 05-14-2011, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweet_tikka

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

gidget529 · 05-14-2011, 08:43 AM

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

05-13-2011, 04:44 PM	#1
sweet_tikka YT Addict Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Peace River, Alberta Posts: 322 Blog Entries: 3	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! __________________ Tikka&Pooter Dogs>Other Humans. Any day.

05-13-2011, 04:51 PM	#2
megansmomma Donating YT 10K Club Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: S. W. Suburbs of Chicago, IL Posts: 12,235	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. __________________ “Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.” Mark Twain

05-13-2011, 04:54 PM	#3
Taryn0405 Owned by a Gremlin Donating Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: The Mitten State! Posts: 3,706	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! __________________ Taryn Momma to Gizmo AKA Monkeyman My husband, daughter, son, and dog make me who I am "My goal in life is to be as good of a person my dog already thinks I am."

05-13-2011, 04:55 PM	#4
sweet_tikka YT Addict Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Peace River, Alberta Posts: 322 Blog Entries: 3	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. __________________ Tikka&Pooter Dogs>Other Humans. Any day. Last edited by sweet_tikka; 05-13-2011 at 04:57 PM.

05-13-2011, 05:00 PM	#5
yorkietalkjilly ♥ Love My Tibbe! ♥ Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: D/FW, Texas Posts: 22,140	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. __________________ Jeanie and Tibbe One must do the best one can. You may get some marks for a very imperfect answer: you will certainly get none for leaving the question alone. C. S. Lewis

05-13-2011, 05:09 PM	#6
sweet_tikka YT Addict Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Peace River, Alberta Posts: 322 Blog Entries: 3	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. __________________ Tikka&Pooter Dogs>Other Humans. Any day.

05-13-2011, 05:42 PM	#7
ArmaniMan I ♥ Armani & Chloe Donating Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 3,895	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. __________________ Armani & Chloe

05-13-2011, 05:52 PM	#8
sweet_tikka YT Addict Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Peace River, Alberta Posts: 322 Blog Entries: 3	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? __________________ Tikka&Pooter Dogs>Other Humans. Any day. Last edited by sweet_tikka; 05-13-2011 at 05:54 PM.

05-13-2011, 06:12 PM	#10
sweet_tikka YT Addict Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Peace River, Alberta Posts: 322 Blog Entries: 3	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. __________________ Tikka&Pooter Dogs>Other Humans. Any day.

05-13-2011, 06:17 PM	#11
ArmaniMan I ♥ Armani & Chloe Donating Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 3,895	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. __________________ Armani & Chloe

05-13-2011, 06:21 PM	#12
sweet_tikka YT Addict Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Peace River, Alberta Posts: 322 Blog Entries: 3	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! __________________ Tikka&Pooter Dogs>Other Humans. Any day.

05-14-2011, 08:24 AM	#13
sweet_tikka YT Addict Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Peace River, Alberta Posts: 322 Blog Entries: 3	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. __________________ Tikka&Pooter Dogs>Other Humans. Any day.

05-14-2011, 08:43 AM	#15
gidget529 Gidget & Sidney's Mom Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: PA Posts: 3,462	If she has an infection, you might want to hold off on vaccines. They tax the immune system. I would wait a week.