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Accident in bed.

Species: Dog
Breed: Golden Retriever
Age: 2-5 years
Hi Dr. Marie,

I am writing to you because Max (who normally sleeps in our bed at night) urinated in the bed at 2 am Saturday morning. That has not happened since he was a few months old. He's an active 3 yr old dog now/75 lbs.

Eating, urination frequency, drinking are all normal.

Several things are happening concurrently:

1) I trimmed around his privates for sanitary reasons on Monday. Between Monday and Tuesday he was licking the area enough to cause a small rash on the surrounding skin and some redness on the top of the sheath. I placed him on cone from 24 hrs a day Wed-Saturday (today), which he didn't seem to enjoy very much.

2) I came home at 7:30pm Friday as opposed to my normal 6:00pm.

3) for the past two weeks he has seemed a bit more aggressive - jumping on people, leaping in the air to grab food, refusing to let go of things. I make a point of taking him on weekly long outings because he gets a bit cottage fever if he's housebound too long. I hadn't taken him out for more than a trip to the store and back in the last few weeks.

So, I'm wondering if it's possible that anxiety, if this is what it is, could have lead to the nocturnal peeing? No sign of UTI that I can tell. I'm hoping it's not something physiological or neurological.

Today I took him for a 5 hour trip downtown and will take him to pee at 6pm AND just before bed from now on. Hopefully that will help?

Thanks,

Jay




Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

Hi Jay,

It's good to hear from you again. Hope you are well.

I can't believe Max is 3 years old already!

If Max has just had one accident in the bed it may mean nothing. But, if it continues then there is probably an underlying reason for it.

It could certainly be related to the irritation from where he was clipped. If he is still red in this area it's probably a good idea to get him checked. It's possible he has a bit of a scrotal dermatitis which is a skin infection which can happen if he was clipped a little close. Scrotal dermatitis shouldn't directly cause him to urinate in the bed though. But it could be that it has stressed him and the stress caused him to have an accident.

Or, it's possible that he has been holding his urine because perhaps it hurts when he pees. If he accidentally urinated on some irritated skin then this could have been uncomfortable and he may have held his urine too long and then had an accident later that night.

I don't really have an explanation for him being more aggressive than usual. I can't really tie it in to his other issues.

If you are noticing that he is continuing to have accidents and that he is excessively thirsty then I would get worried about some sort of kidney toxin but again, we are far too premature to even think about this if there has just been one accident. Plus, the chances that there are two separate things going on (the urinary issue AND the irritated skin) are small. I think they are probably related.

I'd probably watch him for now and as you mentioned, take him out before bedtime. If he has more accidents or if the skin isn't clearing up then he'll need to see his vet.

Hope he does ok!

Dr. Marie.


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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:

I did take him to his vet. The vet said the irritation was minor and put him on derma cool TID. He doesn't seem to hesitate peeing but pees a little bit on a number of shrubs and things.

I'm hoping that it is all somehow stress related, if that's possible.


Customer reply:

Also there is no excessive drinking. And his diet is unchanged. No excessive peeing just lots of little pees as we walk


Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

Hopefully! It doesn't sound too serious.

Dr. Marie



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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.