The dog often urinates (pees): causes and treatment

Pollakiuria is the term for frequent urination in dogs. This phenomenon may be a harbinger of a developing disease, may signal that the pet is experiencing stress, and sometimes this is the norm. When you should worry and contact a veterinarian, and when you can help your pet at home, this article will help you figure it out.

The frequency of urination depends on the health of the genitourinary organs. The condition of the lower urinary tract affects the storage capacity of the bladder and the nerve pathways that stimulate the act of urination itself.

Thus, frequent urination may indicate a disease of the lower urinary canal, damage to the bladder or urethra.

How often should a dog urinate?

Each dog has its own normal frequency of urination. This largely depends on the regime in which you and your pet live.

If you walk your pet two to three times a day, and he does not have free access to the street, then he will only urinate during these walks (with proper upbringing).

It is worth considering that all dogs behave differently during walks. Some perform their need at one time, while others urinate a little several times during a walk, thus marking their territory.

Here it is important to distinguish the natural process of “marking” from painful frequent urination (a responsible owner will be able to see this from the behavior of the pet).

If your dog has free access to the street (it’s good if it’s a private yard, because self-walking on the street is deadly) or at home there is an adapted toilet (tray or diaper), then the frequency of urination can be about 7-8 times a day. It depends on the size of the dog, the amount of water consumed and some other factors.

It's different for puppies. Up to three months they urinate approximately 12 times a day and during this time they do not control this process.

Causes and symptoms

The causes of frequent urination can be divided into natural and pathological.

Natural causes

High water consumption

This occurs during the summer months when it is hot. Or if the dog was active a lot during the day. The more water you consume, the more often you urinate, this is natural. However, if water consumption is many times higher than normal, then this is an alarming symptom called polydipsia.

Overexcitation of the nervous system

Typically, small breed dogs can pee from emotional overstimulation. The individual characteristics of the pet or gaps in upbringing may play a role here. It happens when you don’t spend enough time with your dog. In those rare moments when you pay attention to your pet, she can forget herself in joy.

Stress

If the dog is under stress. Pollakiuria is a common symptom, even if everything is fine with your health. Stress can be provoked by a change of place of residence, the appearance of new pets, punishment, even quarrels between family members, affecting the pet.

Sexual characteristics

It has already been said above that cables can urinate frequently and little by little during a walk. This is how they mark their territory. Neutered females usually do not do this. Bitches usually cope in one or two times during a walk. But when a dog is in heat, frequent urination accompanies this entire period.

If the causes of frequent urination are natural, then usually there are no other symptoms other than pollakiuria and the urine is normal: without impurities, transparent, light yellow. The exception is during estrus. Also, stress can manifest itself as several symptoms, or just one.

Pathological causes and their symptoms

Nephritis, glomerulonephritis and some other kidney damage

Nephritis is an inflammation of the kidneys caused by an infectious agent. A dangerous disease in which all tissues of the kidney are affected, and subsequently the inflammation spreads to the tissues of other organs. If no measures are taken, death is possible. Symptoms:

frequent urination in small volumes;
Blood is found in the urine. In some cases, this can only be done by conducting laboratory tests, and in advanced cases, the color of urine even changes due to blood;
proteinuria (increased protein in the urine, detected during laboratory testing);
pain when urinating. The dog arches unnaturally and may whine;
difficulty urinating;
elevated temperature;
violent, profuse vomiting;
the hind legs may be weaned for a short period of time.

Various forms of cystitis

Cystitis is an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the bladder. Often, together with cystitis, there is inflammation of the urethra - urethritis. Symptoms:

urination is frequent and painful;
increased body temperature;
appetite decreases;
the dog is losing weight;
vomiting is possible.

Sand in the bladder, kidneys or urethra

If such a pathology is detected, then it is necessary to take therapeutic measures as soon as possible, since stones can form over time. In some cases, this sand can be sharp, which causes extreme pain to the pet. Symptoms:

urination is frequent, but in very small volumes, sometimes just a few drops come out;
blood is often found in the urine;
the main symptom is difficulty urinating due to pain. The dog sits in one place for a long time, strains, and sometimes whines in the process.

Detrusor hyperspasticity (overactive bladder)

The detrusor is a muscle that contracts the bladder when it is full. When this muscle is overactive, the bladder empties even when it is not even half full.

This phenomenon may be associated with the individual characteristics of the dog’s body, but more often this occurs after an injury, when there are disorders of the spinal column, as there is a disruption in the innervation of the bladder. Another name for this pathology is neurogenic bladder.

Symptoms:

sometimes, such a deviation does not bother the dog in any way, except for frequent urges to go to the toilet;
in other cases (after injuries), the dog experiences involuntary urination, leakage, etc.

This pathology has different ways of development and manifestations. Many complications are possible, most often urinary tract infections.

If a dog drinks a lot (polydipsia) and urinates frequently (pollakiuria), then the combination of these two symptoms may indicate a number of diseases:

Diabetes

It is an endocrine disease caused by a variety of causes that interfere with insulin production.

Pyometra

This is purulent inflammation of the uterus. Occurs only in unspayed female dogs, usually over five years of age.

The general conclusion regarding the pathological causes of frequent urination (we have listed the main ones) is that in pathologies of the genitourinary organs, pollakiuria is not the only symptom of the disease. Based on the general condition of the pet and accompanying signs, it is easy to suspect a particular disease.

Which breeds are more susceptible

Representatives of any breed can show signs of pathological thirst. Dogs that are “hairless” or have a very short, “plush” coat drink more water, as they are more exposed to environmental influences. They are also more susceptible to colds due to hypothermia, so they are more likely than others to suffer from rising temperatures and kidney problems.

In animals with short legs and a long spine, pinched nerve roots are more likely to occur, which can also cause thirst. These are mainly dachshunds, basset hounds, English and French bulldogs and other breeds.

First aid

The first thing you should do is contact a veterinary clinic for a full diagnosis of your pet.

Attention! You should not give any medications from your home medicine cabinet to your pet. Even if it helped the neighbor's dog. You can only do harm.

All you need to do is provide your pet with enough water (especially if urination is frequent and little by little) and walk it more often.

If there is bad weather outside, if possible, provide the dog with a toilet in the house - lay out a diaper or show a tray (if the dog’s size allows it). The dog's place should be warm so that a draft does not blow in.

If urination is frequent, but without difficulty, in moderate quantities and the urine is normal (light yellow, transparent and without impurities), then it is worth considering that the dog may be under stress.

But even if nothing else bothers your pet, it’s better to play it safe and have his urine tested in a laboratory; perhaps they will find impurities that are invisible to the eye.

Diagnostics

A complete diagnosis is only possible in a clinical setting. First of all, it is important for the veterinarian to know what the pet is fed, whether it is vaccinated, what has bothered it recently, and in general what diseases/surgical interventions the animal has suffered during its life. These questions must be answered by you, the owners.

Then the veterinarian examines the dog and prescribes the necessary laboratory tests, standardly these are blood and urine tests.

If necessary, additional research methods will be prescribed, for example, ultrasound or x-rays.

What to do at home

A sick animal should be provided with a calm, quiet and warm place, protected from drafts, out of the reach of small children and other pets. You need to give your dog plenty of water, or whatever the vet says. If she urinates on herself, you will have to use diapers.

Medicines are given strictly as prescribed by the doctor, without trying to treat the dog yourself. It is especially dangerous to give your dog medications intended for humans.

The water given to the animal must be clean and boiled. It must be changed regularly and the dishes must be washed thoroughly.

The diet needs to be checked and foods that can provoke and stimulate thirst should be excluded. If excessive water consumption is caused by switching the dog exclusively to dry food, it is necessary to provide it with constant fresh drinking water in large quantities.

You can feed the animal as usual if it is not sick and the cause of thirst was not the food itself. If there is a disease, you need to make sure that it is easy for the dog to eat food, if necessary, grind it more or even put it through a meat grinder.

The most important thing a dog needs during illness is the attention and love of its owners, so spend more time on it. This will help you recover faster.

Treatment

Treatment is prescribed exclusively by a veterinarian after a full diagnosis and diagnosis has been made.

Also, the pet is prescribed a special diet, in which it is very important to maintain the required level of protein and closely monitor water consumption.

Of the ready-made feeds for urinary tract diseases, Royal Canin urinary is usually prescribed.

It is very important to follow all the veterinarian’s recommendations in order to stabilize your pet’s condition and prevent relapses.

After spay or neuter surgery

The sphincter directly depends on the amount of hormones released into the blood. If you remove the gonads, disrupting this clear balance, you can get big problems. Veterinarians must warn the owner about this before surgery. For large breeds, the probability of trouble occurring is close to 8-15%, and for small breeds it is about 5%.

There is also a predisposition by breed. Lapdogs, Dobermans, setters, and almost the entire group of schnauzers are highly likely to urinate involuntarily after surgical deprivation of reproductive function. It is impossible to restore all this back. Even hormonal therapy may not give the expected effect due to damaged nerve endings.

Urolithiasis disease

The appearance of stones disrupts the urination pattern and the entire process as a whole. Stones are formed due to health problems, poor diet or dangerous water composition. The stone simply blocks the path of urine, causing dysfunction of the entire system as a whole. The size of these formations can be reduced using ultrasonic crushing or special preparations. If the size is particularly large, only surgical intervention and removal of the foreign body will help.

Cystitis and prostatitis

The first disease is more common in females, while males often suffer from problems with the prostate gland. The entire series of ailments is associated with infections and colds. The most common causes of their occurrence are the following factors:

Sexual relations with stray relatives due to the owner’s oversight can lead to numerous sexually transmitted diseases. Pets living in kennels may develop cystitis and prostatitis during the cold season. This also affects animals that constantly lie on their stomachs and on concrete. You can catch it when swimming in cold water, as well as when walking in the rain and snow. The infectious course can be provoked by concomitant diseases. Viruses, bacteria and fungi enter the genitourinary system from other organs.

The prescribed treatment usually consists of intensive therapy with antibiotics and antibacterial drugs. The prognosis is often positive if everything does not become chronic due to the owner’s oversight.

Briefly about the main thing

Frequent urination is called pollakiuria.
The causes of pollakiuria can be natural or pathological.
Natural ones include: high water consumption in the hot season, emotional overexcitability, stress, estrus in females, marking territory in males during a walk.
Pathological include: various diseases of the urinary tract (nephritis, cystitis, urolith, sand in the bladder or kidneys, etc.). And also, disruption of neurogenic conduction as a result of injuries to the spinal canal.
Diagnosis is carried out in a veterinary clinic, since, at a minimum, it is necessary to conduct laboratory tests of blood and urine.
Treatment is prescribed by a practicing veterinarian; you should not resort to traditional methods, much less use drugs from a human first aid kit without prescription.

Possible complications

Depending on what disease triggered the thirst attack, complications can be dangerous and even fatal. Especially dangerous are calculi (stones) in the kidneys and pinched nerves in the spine, as well as pyometra.

Stones threaten to block the ureter or urethra, which can lead to an attack of severe pain and the development of very serious complications, including kidney failure or damage to the ureter by the sharp edges of the stone. This can be fatal.

Pinched nerves and displacement of intervertebral discs can lead to complete or partial paralysis and disability of the animal. He will need special conditions or the dog will not survive such a complication.

With pyometra, there is a powerful source of inflammation in the dog’s body. Pus can enter other organs, leading to their infection and the development of an inflammatory process. The most negative diagnosis is sepsis, or general blood poisoning. If the condition is neglected, you may not have time to save your pet.