The Tribune

By Dr Basil Sands How many times do you come from home, from work or school and meet puddles of urine on the floor? Have you ever wonder why your house broken dog would start to urinate in the house? In times like these, you need to do detective work to determine the cause. In order to be successful in determining the exact cause the following questions have to be answered: 1) When did your dog start urinating in the house? 2) How often do these accidents occur? 3) Is the urination in large amounts or small amounts? 4) When in general do the accidents occur? After she has gone to bed for the night or when she is left home alone? 5) Is she drinking more water than usual? 6) Is her bottom or tail sometimes wet? 7) Is she also defecating in the house? 8) Is she dragging her hind feet or have trouble walking? Once you have answered these questions you will be able to determine the dog's problem. These facts should match some of the answers. 1) A dog who is drinking more than usual and needs to urinate all the time may have a bladder infection (CYSTITIS), diabetes or kidney disease. Let your vet run a blood test to find out. 2) A female dog who leaks urine when she is sleeping or resting may have a urinary incontinence caused by a weaken urethra sphincter. Her bed will smell of urine or her tail or bottom is sometimes wet. This condition is fairly common in older female dogs and can be treated with the drug Phenylpropanolamine which helps tighten the urethra sphincter. 3) An older dog who is both urinating and defecating in the house or wondering in the house, may have canine cognitive dysfunction or doggy Alzheimers. 4) A dog who urinates when left home alone may have separation anxiety. 5) A new dog added to the household may trigger a "pissing" contest amongst the other dogs to mark their territory and establish who the alpha/dominant dog. 6) A dog who is having seizures may urinate. 7) A dog who is having trouble with their hind legs may have a nerve disorder that affects the ability to control the bladder.