My twelve year old Lab has always been healthy. He is acting fine and eating fine and playing fine. However he is drinking excessively and going outside to pee quite a bit. The house is extremely dry from the heat, but just today he has gone in the house twice. This is something he never did.
By Sully D
Dogs can get diabetes and kidney diseases. Please take him to the vet.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
My oldest dog has started peeing on my bedroom floor. He has never done this. He's 13yrs old, but you wouldn't know it in how he plays outside. I want to take him to the vet, but am a little strapped for cash. Any over the counter meds I could get him from Petsmart or Petco?
By loneladywolf5
My 14 year old Bichon has kidney / bladder stones and surgery is not recommended due to her age. The vet recommended doggie diapers ... She just dribbles pee all day in the house and doesn't realize it!
Our dog has started peeing inside, she doesn't know she is doing it. She is a 10 year old cross Jack Russell.
By ALEX KLEIN from Bradford, UK
There are so many possible causes for this that it would be impossible to give advice. You really need a Vet to exclude fixable problems before deciding on what you need to do.
I have a female dog who is 15 years old and is unable to hold her urine for the 7 or 8 hours we are gone? I was thinking about trying the doggy pads any thougths?
North Shore under pads on amazon.com sells reasonably and they are free shipping. I buy from them all the time and have never been disappointed with their product. They do not leak through and they are large enough I can scissor cut in half and make two that lasts longer. I just put the cut end toward the back and the pad is placed in a hard plastic liner just in case my dog goes too close to the edge.
My dog is getting old, she is part Jack Russell and part Chihuahua, she is about 10 or 11 years old in dog years. I know her sight and hearing is going, she used to be potty trained, but no longer seems to be. I am a great dog lover, she is a rescue dog, we adopted her 7 years ago. Anyway, I know she is old, and stressed, but she is also very spoiled, she is my fur baby child.
Today she has peed on the carpet twice and even crapped on the carpet, she has been doing this a lot lately, why, I don't know, but my carpet is completely covered in spots. When I catch her I tell her no, and put her outside. I watch her go out there, but then she comes back in and she does it again. What else can I do? Any solutions, what might make her stop, or is this just normal behavior, as I think she may be beyond retraining.
Also, I just want to mention we have another dog who always goes outside to do his business. She is still pretty active when she is happy, she sings and dances, and loves to go for car rides, and walks, if any of that matters.
Thank you.
This may be age related incontinence. A veterinarian will help you diagnose the condition.
I have two 9 year old Border Terriers and one of them (not sure which) has started to pee in the house, mainly in the same area in the kitchen. They even do it when we are in the house. They have their own dog door. How can we stop this? They are both neutered males. Do you think crating them would help?
By Sue S
Our four legged children are like people. As we age health issues start, organs don't function properly. Have your vet check out your baby to rule out any health issues.
My Pug, soon to be 9 years old, all of a sudden started peeing in the house. He knows where he needs to go, but it's like he doesn't care and will pee right in front of me.
I just don't know what to do and what would be bothering him.Almost all changes to bladder (or bowel) habits are because the dog has a medical issue going on. Urinary tract infections and bladder stones are very common in dogs and can cause them to pee in the house or need to go out more freqently. It is very important to get this checked ASAP as the UTIs expecially if left untreated can cause serious issues.
If the pup gets a clean bill of health, the vet can go over other possible causes and solutions. The vet may even suggest a brief course of crate training (or retraining).
Post back with an update. Prayers for healing!
My miniature Yorkie is 13 years of age and has started peeing constantly in the house. She goes out and pees on demand when told even though she has done two or three large puddles in the house. We are constantly putting her outside every time she gets out of her bed. She has stopped asking to go out, but yaps quite loud to come back in. Has anyone got any answers to this problem?
By W M
It does sound like diabetes, or kidney disease. Both are treatable, and your dog can continue to enjoy life. See the Vet ASAP and good luck to you.
I have a 10 year old Lab that is peeing in the house. It is always on her bed. I have changed the bed thinking once done that she will not do it again. She did on the new bed. I have taken her to the vet and her health is good (bloodwork and urine work). She is outside all day with her buddy, but she will go within 30 minutes of being in the house. I now keep her in the mud room and even put a puppy pad down. She still pees on the bed. Now she gets nothing. Help.
By Doris
This is a common problem. Your dog is not aware she is being naughty. In fact she is may not be aware of what is happening. Doggie diapers are not expensive and work very well. Dogs don't seem to mind wearing them. Some are quite fashionable.
My 15 year old Jack Russell terrier is peeing without control and he won't leave diapers on. He's deaf and almost blind, but he can just be on my lap and pee on me.
We can't put anything in his cage anymore cause he even pees in it. I'm at my wit's end, any suggestions?See your vet. He can probably give him something to help alleviate the situation. Your dog can't help it; he's no longer young.
I feel you on this. OUr dog towards the last few years of his life was completely incontinent. He ended up spending most of the day outside.
Acording to some online sources, vets can prescribe treatsments that proscribe incontinence. www.vets-now.com/
Some of the problems with older dogs are hormonal imbalances, kidney/bladder diseases, neurological issues, or plain old anxiety that is heightened by age. A simple urinary tract infection could also be occurring. Different conditions have different solutions. ONce again, a vet visit is probably needed for you to fix the problem www.seniortailwaggers.com/
Hi there so we had the same problem with our 18 year old Pomeranian. He was deaf and could hardly see. He still walked around fine but he was getting pretty bad for awhile there. He had bladder problems as well. The vet can prescribe something bit with his age you never know what other problems can occur from that. What we did which probably wasn't very fair but we had a designated spot for where he'd be for the majority of the day and put down some news papers we also bought a steam cleaner to clean up any accidents that he'd make on the carpet. And as for while he's on your lap I know it's inconvenient but you can always put a towel down and make sure you take him out before hand but since he's older it's going to happen. If you have the money definitely see what the vets says first. I hope everything works out
There are medications and surgery available to treat this problem. You will have to ask your vet what the best option is. The vet may also know of some diaper that will not be able to be removed.
I also have a Jack Russell who will be 15 next week. He's deaf and almost totally blind also. He began peeing in the house about 2 months ago. He has lost all bladder control.. He will be right in front of me and do it. I've taken him to the vet 2 times and there is nothing they can do. I bought diapers also, he won't wear them. It's sad... They just lose all muscle control. Mine is beginning to fall a lot on stairs... best wishes to you and your pup...
My 16 years old Jack R was doing same. Vet explained she wasn't peeing she was "leaking" due to age and loss of muscle tightness. Not much different than older humans with bladder control problems. She was prescribed Diethylstilbestrol, is a type of estrogen. It is used for the treatment of urinary incontinence in dogs. At first the vet prescribed twice a week dosage but my doggie continued to leak. I up the dosage to every other day and that solved the problem. After a few months I started to diminish the dosage (like all meds it had some side effects). It's been over a year and now all she needs is 1 pill a week, for life of course but she is dry and so is my furniture. Best of luck
My old blind dog peeing in my house and he is always walking around in circles. What could be wrong?
By Annmarie
If he is old, peeing could be incontinence. In other words, he can't control his bladder anymore.
Walking around in circles could be any number of things, including OCD or neurological degeneration.
You will have to take him to the vet to find out if he can be helped.
My 9yr old Cocker Spaniel started peeing on the rug in front of the door. About 6 months ago she started peeing on the rug randomly. I made sure to start letting her out more often. She's done it when we're home and when we've been gone. She knows how to tell us when she has to go (she will even wake me up in the middle of the night) so it's not like that's an issue.
I've washed the rugs and changed the rugs (on my third one) and nothing is working. The urine is so strong that I can tell right away when she does it and it's very hard to clean. I thought maybe it was a bladder infection, but I tried going without a rug there for a few weeks and she never peed on the tile. I have to have a rug because I live in MN and need it for winter. She is an anxious dog and the older she gets the worse it is. She licks her paws a lot. Also, any tips on cleaning the rugs and getting rid of the awful smell?
Our 25 lb. dog is 13 years old and is peeing on our beds, rugs, furniture, and you name it. He seems to forget to let us know he wants to go out. When he does actually come and want us to take him out he will let us know and then run and hide. After 6 or more tries to put him on the leash, he'll go out to do his business. We love him and can't figure out what's going on. He doesn't seem to be in any pain or distress.
We take him to the vet regularly for his check-ups. He takes one Prilosec every day because prior to taking the Prilosec he ate loads of grass and threw up a lot. He is not dripping urine so diapers aren't needed. Any recommendations would be appreciated. He eats Blue Buffalo canned food and a few Milk Bones here and there. His name is "Buddy".
My Pom will be 10 shortly, in September, and has started drinking water in excess and wetting in the house. She has never done this before.
I have a male 13 year old Sheltie. He is peeing in the house all the time or just dribbling. What to do?
My 12 year old Cairn Terrier girl has been peeing on accident in our house once a day at around 9 pm at night, for about 2 nights. What should I do? Should I be worried?
My dog was laying down inside. Mind you it's pretty warm today 80/90 inside. She has been licking herself clean and I noticed it seemed like she peed inside. She is an 11 year old Pitty so I assumed incontinence. I sent her out to go potty and she came back in and laid back down.
It seemed she left another wet spot so I went to have her go back outside and she threw up. I looked in her throw up and she could have eaten something weird outside, but I can't really tell it just looks like her food.Our 12 year old Border Collie, a female, has started urinating on her bed and in our sun room corners. How can we prevent this?
By Frankie
First this is to have her checked by a vet to make sure that this isn't a Urinary Tract Infection or a renal issue. Also make sure that she isn't in pain with arthritis, as an older dog she might be having an issue getting up and out. Basically rule out all the medical possibilities before thinking it is behavioral.
Absolutely have her checked at the vets to rule out any medical problems. There are many medical issues that can cause this. If everything is OK, there are any number of things to try. Your vet can prescribe a medicaton that can stop the leaking if it is from weak bladder muscles. This is not uncommon in older female dogs. You also may need to take her outside more often. Like older people, older dogs just do not have the same ability to hold their bladder as when they were young.
Our 12 year old dog started peeing in the house. She does not do it all of the time, only when we leave. She can go all day and night and not have an accident; once we leave she does.
By Cindy
Please take your fur baby to the Veterinarian for an exam. Ask your Vet to do a urinalysis to find out if anything is going on. Your baby is probably due for his senior exam anyway. A senior exam is very important to older dogs. Your vet can tell you many things that you can do to make your baby more comfortable. Good luck
Today I let my 10 yr old dog sit on my bed. This is the first time she has peed on my bed. What does that mean? Is it because she is 10 yrs old and is getting old and what do I do?
By Esta K.
Your dog is older and may have developed a medical problem that needs immediate treatment to improve his behavior. Please take him to your vet now as the vet will be able to clarify and treat any medical problems. The vet can also suggest ways that will help you help your dog to change his unacceptable behavior.
How can we get our elder dog to stop urinating on the floors? We have a miniature Poodle that is 21 yrs old, had cataracts, and has a leg that cannot work on any type of flooring except carpet.
By Joyce
We had the same problem with our dog when he got old. We took him to the vet and found out he had diabetes so he was drinking excess amounts of water which was causing the peeing problem. So if you notice that your dog has been drinking a whole lot of water, find out if he has diabetes. If he does they can give him medicine which will stop the excess drinking which in turn will stop the peeing problem.
We adopted a senior dog, who is also blind, in December. William is a Beagle Dachshund mix. I was told he was housebroken by the rescue. He pees in the house and we've done everything we can think of to try to stop him. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
By Maureen S. from Salem, NH
Does he "ask" to go outside? I have a blind dachshund....got her when she was 8 weeks old. I immediately hung a large bell by my back door & taught her to ring it when she needs to go out. She still used it to this day & she is now 12 yrs. old. My daughter got 2 new puppies a few months ago.....she did the same thing and it works for her too. Because your dog is blind he might be confused as to how to let you know he needs to go out. Give the bell a try.....mine caught on to it really quick.