The possible causes of sleep incontinence depend on the dog s age.
Older dog incontinence while sleeping.
And while sometimes the cause of the incontinence can be something more serious more often than not it is just a leaky bladder and in the case of fecal incontinence many times it is related to a spinal issue and not life threatening.
If your dog is incontinent and there is no treatment to stop it you can make some adjustments to improve your dog s quality of life and preserve your sanity.
In some cases your dog might need surgery or medication to get rid of the source of the issue.
Simply put incontinence is when urine leaks out from the bladder.
Although urinary incontinence can afflict dogs of any age breed or gender it is most often seen in middle aged to older spayed females.
However this is rare.
Causes of urinary incontinence in dogs.
However incontinence due to dementia cannot be treated the same way.
To help manage urinary incontinence lay out clean dog blankets and towels in your dog s favorite sleeping spot or put waterproof pads under the bedding to absorb any moisture.
How to treat incontinence in dogs.
To avoid urine buildup take your dog for more frequent walks including first thing in the morning shortly after he wakes from a nap and last thing at night.
Managing incontinence in a dog can be frustrating.
Treatment of course depends on the cause.
Dogs may develop urinary incontinence at a very young age due to congenital deformities of the bladder.
Sadly incontinence both bladder and bowel is one of the main reasons people put their dogs down.
You keep finding and having to clean up dog pee in the house and you may even start to feel angry or upset.
Cocker spaniels springer spaniels doberman pinschers and old english sheepdogs are among the breeds often prone to incontinence.
Young dogs suffering from incontinence might have a physical abnormality that causes urine leakage.
This is because there are several different possible causes of a dog leaking urine when lying down.
Some dogs will benefit from medications and supplements for urinary incontinence.
Older dogs who suddenly start wetting overnight can have bladder infections or blockages in their urinary tracts from stones or tumors.
While some issues that cause incontinence in older dogs can be treated it can also be a part of the aging process.
In most cases incontinence occurs in older dogs due to a drop in reproductive hormone levels.
For example very large dogs are considered middle aged when they reach around five while small terriers are still considered young at this age.
Unfortunately dog incontinence while sleeping can be a real problem.
While many people associate a dog urinating when sleeping with older dogs it can happen to pets of all ages.
Incontinence in dogs often begins when the pet enters middle age but different breeds become middle aged at different times.
