Are you tired of cleaning up the mess every night? Do puppies pee in their sleep? Yes, puppies do pee in their sleep, but there is always an underlying cause behind it. Many people think that lack of potty training causes this, but potty training has nothing to do with it when your puppy is wetting the bed frequently in its sleep. You must be wondering that what is the reason behind it, and can we stop them from doing so. You are at the right place!
Is it normal if a puppy pees in its sleep?
No! There is a general rule that puppies can hold their pee according to their age or one month more than that which means, a 3 months old puppy can hold its pee for 3-4 hours. It is not accurate, but most of the time it is true. Well, the most interesting part here is that during sleep, a healthy and normal puppy can hold it even for more long. It must be surprising for you if your puppy is doing the opposite because that is not normal.
When your puppy is sleeping, you should wake up once a night to take him outside, even if you think he doesn’t want to go. In this way, it will somehow manage to urinate and both of you can sleep peacefully without even concerning that either the pup will pee in bed or not.
Causes of puppy peeing while sleeping:
Puppies If you are comparing the puppy with your baby, and predicting that it might be the young age of the pup which is causing him to wet the bed, then you are wrong. Also, do not mix this behaviour with improper potty training. One thing you should be concerned about is the dog’s health.
Do puppies pee in their sleep due to poor health? Yes! The sphincter muscles of the bladder are too weak, that they make the dog unable to control his pee while sleeping. Well, there can be multiple health conditions aiding it, but let us have a look at some of them.
Urinary stones and masses:
By urinary stones, we mean that there are any stones present in the bladder, it can aid this condition. At first, they are smaller hence, do not cause any disturbance but when they increase in number and size, they obstruct the urine flow. Any blockage in the bladder will let the urine build up in it causing leakage.
Also, any kind of polyp or tumour in the bladder can cause blockage, which further can lead to muscle damage. As a result of muscle damage, the bladder will make contractions at the wrong time leading towards accidental leakage of the pup.
Prostate disorders:
In male dogs, when the prostate gland is enlarged, there are chances that the bladder becomes overactive. The overactive bladder then makes false contractions and it can lead to the involuntary discharge of urine. Also, in some cases, you will observe blood along with the urine of your pup. The puppies which are not neutered show this behaviour often. Castration or medicine can be used to treat this condition.
Multiple health concerns:
If your puppy is suffering from diabetes, it will more likely require more and more water due to increased thirst. Well, it is obvious that the more dog drinks, the more it has to excrete. If the bladder of the diabetic dog is not empty when it is awake, then most probably it will pee in its sleep. An increase in appetite, lethargy, and weight loss, are some of the other symptoms regarding diabetes in a puppy.
If your puppy has started having accidents, this may be a symptom of kidney disease. Puppies tend to drink more water when the kidneys do not function properly. The disorientation and weakness that is caused by the kidney problem can lead to accidental leakage of the dog in bed.
Spinal cord injury or degeneration:
When there is some injury in the spinal cord of the puppy, it will more likely sense things less than normal. Hence, if your pup is peeing in the bed it can be due to a loss of sensation. Also, even if your dog is sensing when it has to pee, lack of movement due to spinal injury will make it pee in the bed.
Neutering and spaying incontinence:
When a female dog is spayed, 1 out of 5 of them is prone to face spay incontinence. Their levels of estrogen hormone are decreased largely, which brings changes in the muscle tones of sphincters. Hence, accidental leakage is quite common in such cases during sleep. Especially, if the puppy is spayed before the first season, there are a lot of chances for this. In the case of male dogs, the sphincter muscles are weakened as well after neutering, but the chances are low.
Urinary tract infection:
A pup does not realize when it has to pee while sleeping if there is any inflammation in the bladder. Urinary tract infection leads to excessive thirst hence, more peeing at night.
Can it cause serious complications when puppies pee in their sleep?
If you do not cater for this problem by taking your dog to the vet, some serious complications can occur. Any of the above-mentioned problems can be the underlying cause of the pup peeing in its sleep. Although peeing in its subconscious is not a life-threatening condition for the pup, but if the problem is not addressed properly, these health concerns can be deadly as well.
Besides, your puppy tends to show some strange behaviour when there is a lot of accidental leakage in its sleep. After waking up, the puppy will more likely lick its private areas. It does not seem dangerous, but it sure can cause urine scalding. Dirty hair and reddish skin may be the result of such behaviour. Also, we know that the sphincter tone of the dog is quite lowered. This may allow the bacteria to cause infection by entering the urinary tract. One can keep a check on the pup’s condition and prevent such risks by running some urine tests of the dog every 6 months.
What to do when a puppy pees in its sleep?
It is quite obvious now that puppies pee in their sleep due to any solid reason behind it. But you do not want any further infection to happen so never forget to clean the dog’s damp bed. Not only it makes the dog uncomfortable but also, increases the chance of bacterial infection. Now after dealing with the question that do puppies pee in their sleep, we have to know how to treat this condition. Let us have a look!
Treatment in the home:
If the pup is having accidental leakage in its sleep without any other warning symptoms also, the frequency is low, then most likely it is due to a weak bladder or something. There is nothing to worry about, just give your pup some time to grow the habit along with good health. NEVER scold or punish your dog by showing harsh behaviour. Instead of peeing less at night, their nervousness will make them start to pee accidentally when they are awake as well.
Treatment by a vet:
If your pup is accidentally leaking in the bed frequently while sleeping at night, then it is something to be taken seriously. There can be any serious health condition that might be causing this problem hence, it is important to take your dog to the vet. The vet will determine that either any other serious condition is paired with a weak bladder causing frequent incontinence. Before suggesting any treatment, the vet will most likely run some urine tests to identify the problem, commonly urinalysis.
This test examines four properties of the urine including the assessment of colour and turbidity, pH, measurement of concentration, and examination of cells or any solid material. If the dog is suffering from UTI or any other kidney disease, this will be clear from the test results. Whereas, if the results are fine, then it must be something from the other issues. In short, the vet will let you know the condition along with the treatment before the condition becomes worse.
What information will a vet need to cater for the problem?
When you visit the vet, he will most probably ask you some questions related to the dog’s behaviour. For that, you have to monitor the activities of the pup. First, you have to monitor that how much water the pup is drinking in the entire day. Also, some of the important questions that the vet may ask you for the proper diagnosis are:
- Is the colour of urine normal or you observed any change?
- Does the urine give off any unpleasant odour?
- Does your dog make a lot of effort while urinating?
- Is urination normal or frequent?
- How many times the does pup urinate during its sleep and the day as well?
Monitor all these things before going to a vet so that, you may have a piece of proper information for the right diagnosis and treatment.
Does walking prevent the puppy from peeing while sleeping?
If only the weak sphincter muscles are the reason behind pup incontinence, then it can be treated or prevented in many ways. In our opinion, strengthening the muscles and improving their tone is the optimum way to prevent accidental leakage of the pup during its sleep. Exercise will help the muscle to improve their tone also, after walking, the fatigued body and relaxed muscles will let the dog pee.
How to prevent puppy peeing in its sleep?
Although different medical issues can cause this problem, keeping the dog healthy can prevent it largely. Here are some measures that can aid in keeping your pup healthy hence, preventing peeing in its sleep.
- You should give the pup plenty of water to keep it hydrated also if there are any crystals or stones, they will be taken care of naturally. Also, a wet diet can help in this condition as well.
- Neutering the dog reduces the risk of prostate enlargement. We have discussed that enlarged prostate can be the cause of accidental leakage of the pup during its sleep hence, get your dog neutered to prevent this condition.
- Provide a safe environment for the dog to prevent any spinal damage. Also, provide the dog with healthy nutritious food in adequate amounts to prevent obesity, because that can lead to spinal damage as well.
- Instead of pharmaceuticals, use natural pest control in your house.
- For keeping the dog active, healthy, alert, and normal-weighted, promote an adequate amount of exercise in its routine.
- Try to treat the dog with natural remedies such as Turmeric or CBD.
Things to do when the dog is peeing in its sleep:
To deal with the situation, you can follow the below-mentioned steps:
Use of diapers:
When the pup goes to sleep, make it wear diapers to prevent the mess in the bed. Do not cut off circulation but make sure that the diaper fits with the pup’s leg. Also, do not leave the pup wearing it all night as it can cause infection as well.
Last pee:
Before you take your pup to the bed, make sure he has done with the last pee. It will reduce the chances of accidental leakage in the pup’s sleep also, gives you a little peace of mind.
Waterproof bed:
If you are tired of cleaning the bed daily, you can either have a waterproof liner or a waterproof bed.
Do puppies pee in their sleep and cost you some money?
Well, treatment of the pup’s peeing in the sleep depends on the severity of the condition. The more is the condition severe, the more you have to pay. If your dog is suffering from a Urinary tract infection, the treatment will cost you around $350 on average. However, one has to pay anywhere between $50-1500 for treating other diseases, depending on the health condition.
Bottom line:
We hope that we have made everything clear related to the question, “Do puppies pee in their sleep?” It is not normal for puppies to pee in their sleep as a healthy pup can hold it for hours. If you observe this behaviour, it is better to take your puppy to the vet before the condition turns into something serious.