Dog ate chocolate?

 ask a vet

Dog leaking urine when sleeping.

Species: Dog
Breed: Weimeraner
Age: 8-11 years
My dog is leaking urine when she is sleeping. She pees on the bed or on the couch. She doesn't seem to know that she is doing this. Is she incontinent? Should I get diapers? Is this just an age thing?


Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

Hi Sheila. I have some questions about Spooky before I answer:

Is she spayed?
Do you think she is drinking a lot of water?
Does she have any other health issues?


Do you have a pet website? Interested in learning more about SEO for Wix?

Check out our dog age calculator and cat age calculator.

Want to receive pet coupons, vet advice and info on new pet products in your inbox?

* indicates required

We'll only send you great stuff, never spam. Unsubscribe any time.

Disclaimer: Although Dr. Marie is a qualified veterinarian, the information found on this site is not meant to replace the advice of your own veterinarian. AskAVetQuestion.com and Dr. Marie do not accept any responsibility for any loss, damage, injury, death, or disease which may arise from reliance on information contained on this site. Do not use information found on this site for diagnosing or treating your pet. Anything you read here is for information only.

Customer reply:

Thanks for the fast response Dr. Marie. Spooky was spayed when she was 6 months old.

I don't think she is drinking any more water than usual. She has been healthy other than a skin infection one year after swimming but that was a few years ago.


Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

There is a good chance that your girl has something called estrogen responsive incontinence. This is something we often see in spayed female dogs.

For some reason the bladder of a female dog needs a certain amount of estrogen in order to maintain muscle tone to stay closed. Sometimes after a dog is spayed, as they get a little older these muscles can weaken and we see urine leak out when they are resting or sleeping.

The good news is that this is usually quite easily controlled with medication. The bad news is that it is usually a life long condition.

Your vet will likely want to do a urine test to rule out other causes for this problem. Anything that causes an increase of urine in the bladder could possibly cause urine to leak out. This includes problems like kidney disease, cushing's disease and others. However, estrogen responsive incontinence is the most likely.

Related:


Article on USMI in dogs.





Search for similar questions:

ask a vet

Popular questions...

Nosebleed, won't eat. We have an 11 yr old black lab. About 2 mos. ago we noticed blood dripping from her... (21095 views)

Sick after spay. She was spayed a week ago and has been fine (no problem with incision, etc.).... (70558 views)

Dog leaking urine when sleeping. My dog is leaking urine when she is sleeping. She pees on the bed or on the couch. ... (126194 views)

Very sick kitty. just found you, wish we had found you earlier. maybe kitty will still be with us... (9086 views)

Cat is shedding a lot. I have noticed a dramatic increase in the amount of hair Abby loses every time I... (8865 views)

Dog has heart failure. Hello, I am considering adopting a special needs dog. He is 3 and has a grade 3... (10096 views)

Red gums next to baby teeth. Hi Dr, This question concerns Max gums. Recall a month ago he had two occluded... (15772 views)

Dog has lump on top of head. My great dane will be 1 year old on Dec.10th, 2010. We had gotten him from a... (37800 views)

Lump on dog's lip. I have contacted you several times about my dog, Honey. I tend to over think things,... (83854 views)

Tumor in belly. I recently discovered my 13 year old cat has a probably cancerous mass growing in... (9806 views)

See all questions...

Dr. MarieDr. Marie is a veterinarian who practices in a busy animal hospital in Ottawa, Ontario. She created Ask A Vet Question as a resource for good, accurate veterinary advice online. Dr. Marie treats dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rats. She has been a vet since 1999.

Is an online vet visit just as good as a trip to your veterinarian? No! But, many times, asking an online veterinarian a question can help save you money. While Dr. Marie can't officially diagnose your pet or prescribe medications, she can often advise you on whether a vet visit is necessary. You can also ask Dr. Marie for a second opinion on your pet's condition.