The first thing to say about this is that not all urine leaks and accidents are a sign that your dog is incontinent.
Young, old, male, and female dogs can all have a little leakage or accident occasionally.
Incontinence in dogs is not when a dog pees in the wrong place; it is when they leak urine, often when they are sleeping.
We will look at this subject in more detail in just a minute, but we wanted to mention another post we have written before we do.
If you see this post about the best waterproof, washable dog beds for dogs with incontinence issues, you will find some useful ideas and coping strategies for dealing with the dog’s leaky bladder.
You can read here about dog beds for incontinence.
Table of Contents
- Always Take Your Dog to the Vet
- Urinary Incontinence In Dogs While Sleeping
- Dealing with the Symptoms of Sleeping Doggy Incontinence
- Some Useful Advice from a Vet
Always Take Your Dog to the Vet
The most important thing you should know about any potential bladder issues with your dog is that they might be the sign of a more serious health condition.
So the very first thing you should do if you have any concerns at all is to take your pet dog to the vets for a thorough health check-up for their incontinence.
(While you are visiting our site this post looking at urinary incontinence natural remedies for dogs or this one asking is incontinence a reason to put a dog down might be of interest?).
Urinary Incontinence In Dogs While Sleeping
One of the most common types of urinary incontinence dogs can suffer from is called hormone-responsive incontinence.
It is most likely to happen in a female dog that has been spayed, but it can also occur in male dogs.
As the name suggests, it is caused by a canine hormonal imbalance from the operation or other reasons.
When you take your dog to the vets, they will take blood and urine samples for laboratory analysis to confirm the issue.
Once it has been identified, the treatment is medication, which is both safe and very effective.
Dealing with the Symptoms of Sleeping Doggy Incontinence
So, while a trip to the vets with your dog is the first job, what can you do to help deal with the issue until it is cured (if a cure is possible).
- Buy a washable, waterproof bed for the dog.
- Take the dog out to its potty area more frequently.
- Keep the dog in an uncarpeted area of your house when it sleeps.
Buy a Washable, Waterproof Bed for the Dog
As most urinary leakage occurs in the evening, one of the best things you can do is invest in an excellent quality bed for incontinent dogs.
It should be wipe-able, waterproof, washable, and very durable. Just doing this one thing will make cleaning up after your pet pooch much, much easier.
Take the Dog Out to its Potty Area More Frequently
If you can make an effort to take your dog outside a lot more often, it will help with the mess that goes along with canine urinary incontinence.
Especially before and after the dog has been sleeping, take him or her outside more regularly.
Keep the Dog in an Uncarpeted Area of Your House when it Sleeps.
If you can fence off or shut your dog in an area without carpeting when it sleeps, this will help manage the smell and spillages from their incontinence.
As you well know, dogs do not always choose to sleep on their beds, so if your dog sleeps on the carpeted floor, it can cause terrible staining, which is really hard to clean up properly.
Some Useful Advice from a Vet
It is always good to hear advice from a qualified veterinarian when looking at urinary incontinence issues in dogs.
In this very short little video, the vet explains that many pet owners are not aware of the available urine incontinence treatment options for their pet dogs.
He encourages you to visit your local veterinary surgery and ask for help with your dogs’ treatment and advice.
Next, he gives a straightforward way of looking at urinary incontinence in dogs by breaking it down into two types of problems.
The urinary incontinence can either be caused by what he called a “plumbing issue” or muscle tone loss.
The plumbing type of problems that can cause urinary incontinence might be conditions like urinary tract infection, kidney disease, ectopic ureters, bladder stones, or bladder infections.