When a dog (or basically anybody) is leaking urine when lying down or generally has issues with holding in pee, it is referred to as urinary incontinence.
To be more specific, though, urinary incontinence would most probably only be used for dogs who leak pee despite being house trained.
However, it begs looking into if your dog is peeing on their bed or their house, whether or not they are house trained. And the reason is that dogs are known to be biased towards their own space. So, while they might pee around your stuff, they most likely won’t do that near theirs.
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Why Is My Dog Leaking Urine When Lying Down?
Interestingly enough, there are a number of different reasons for urinary incontinence. However, one common reason (that you’ll even find with adults) is a weak sphincter.
Weak Sphincter
The sphincter is a pack of muscles that is responsible for contracting and releasing the urethra when one needs to go. You can now see how a weak sphincter will make it difficult for your dog to hold in the pee till they can go.
Hormonal Imbalance
This is kinda related to the weak sphincter thing, especially with spayed dogs. The thing is that female dogs who have been spayed have basically had their reproductive organs removed for whatever reason.
This usually results in a decline in the production of oestrogen. And oestrogen is one really important hormone for sphincter or urethra control.
So, the older a spayed female gets, the more likely she is going to leak and the leaks will only get bigger.
Age
While this might not happen with all dogs, consider it a significant possibility that as your dog gets older, they will begin to have less control of their bladder. This might have nothing to do with being spayed or neutered.
Diseases
Certain diseases like diabetes and kidney problems could also be the reason your dog doesn’t have so much control over when and where they go.
Measures To Be Taken If My Dog Is Leaking Urine When Lying Down
Take Them To See A Veterinarian
As with any abnormality you might notice with your dog, your first response should be to visit a vet. The truth is, there is nothing you can do on your own to solve the pee issue. So, please visit the vet.
Now, one of the major things that your vet would do is to give your dog medications, especially if things aren’t too complicated.
Some of the medications would be to help strengthen the sphincter and some others would be for correcting the hormonal imbalance.
However, if things are really complicated, your vet might need to conduct a surgery. Whatever the case though, your veterinarian is in the best place to make that decision.
Consider Dog Diapers
There is that slight possibility that the medications will not make much of a difference. And for the greater chance that they do, things might be slow to kick in.
So, what you could do in the interim is to invest in diapers. You only want your dog to wear this when they are sleeping or relaxing, though, so that they are not embarrassed as they walk on the streets.
- 30-pack of Small disposable wraps for male dogs with a 12- to 18-inch waist
- Provides leakproof protection and eliminates urine messes; ideal for indoor/outdoor/car use
- Color-changing wetness indicator for knowing at a glance when diaper is wet
- Absorbent core and breathable layers; repositionable fur-resistant fasteners ensure a secure, comfortable fit
- Measures 21.7 by 8.1 by 0.2 inches; weighs 21 grams; backed by an AmazonBasics limited one-year warranty
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Look Into Their Beds And Beddings
The basic idea here is to get beds and/or beddings that make taking care of the mess easier. Since the pee is kinda frequent, you’re going to need to do more than just sun-dry or sponge the spot.
So, one thing to consider is getting machine washable beds. This makes things easier for you because washing a bed manually could be very difficult.
An alternative is to getting waterproof beddings or bed covers. This way, pee cannot penetrate into the bed. And a little disinfecting and rinse should get the bed cover back in shape.
Keep Clean
Through all these you want to keep everywhere clean. It is kinda like how things were when you were house training your dog.
Clean pee immediately so that your dog does not begin to get the idea that peeing just anywhere is acceptable. Also, do not allow your dog remain in a pee soaked bed for whatever reason. Change their bed and /or beddings immediately you notice they are soaked.
Don’t Punish
Finally, taking care of a dog who is going through this might be tiring. However, do bear in mind that they are not peeing themselves because they want to or because they are stubborn; they really cannot help it.
So, punishing them will not make the peeing stop. Take them to see a vet and ensure that they are taken care of throughout the process.
Watch This Doctor Say A Couple Of Things About Urinary Incontinece In Dogs
