Why Is My Dog Peeing So Much? Frequent Urination In Dogs

Just like humans, dogs need to urinate regularly — just one of the reasons it’s important to take your pup for walks during the day. But, if your dog is starting to urinate more frequently than usual, it could be a sign of a potential health problem.

If you’re concerned that your dog is peeing a lot, don’t ignore the issue. You may need to consult your vet for further advice, especially if it’s starting to happen a lot over a period of time.

Excessive urination in dogs

With a dog, frequent urination can be divided into two categories — an incessant need to urinate which can be a sign of other diseases, and incontinence, which is more of a lack of awareness of urination.

While incontinence can be the result of other diseases, it’s also an affliction itself, and maybe a sign of other problems in the body such as bladder infections, urethral blockage, or even natural aging. If you notice your pet urinating in abnormal places or at abnormal times, it may be incontinence.

Frequent urination can be the sign of many other diseases or an indicator of urinary incontinence in your pet. If there are other accompanying signs, it’s possible that frequent urination could be a sign of diseases such as cancers, kidney diseases, or systemic disease like Diabetes Mellitus.

Depending on what other signs your pet is exhibiting, it can be determined if the frequent urination is a sign of the actual disease.

If your dog is peeing a lot — a lot more than usual, that is — then the symptoms are typically obvious and unsurprising. The main symptom, believe it or not, is… peeing a lot!

Peeing frequently

Incontinence

Let’s deal with incontinence first. These are the main causes of urinary incontinence:

• Urinary incontinence caused by ectopic ureters
  An ectopic ureter is an abnormal urethral opening. This is most common in female dogs, and the following breeds are particularly susceptible: Miniature Poodle, Collie, Welsh Corgi, Fox Wire-haired Fox Terrier, West Highland White Terrier, Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, Siberian Husky, Newfoundland and English Bulldog. Urinary tract infections are common with this form of urinary incontinence.

• Urinary incontinence caused by decreased urethral closure pressure
  Typically the result of neurological problems, a thorough neurological exam is required. The urinary incontinence will vary in occurrence, duration, and intensity.
  

• Bladder infection
  Though a bladder infection isn’t true incontinence (the pet is aware of urination), it presents in a very similar fashion. A bladder infection increases your pet’s urge to urinate or scars the bladder (when long standing) so that it cannot hold urine. This may cause urination in abnormal locations or frequent urination.
  

• Blockage of urethra
  If the dog is unable to completely empty their bladder because of the blockage, the built up pressure may force leaking.
  

• Hormone-responsive incontinence
  This occurs most commonly in female dogs though it can occur in male neutered dogs as well. This happens after the pet is neutered and may occur months or years after the actual procedure. It is more common in larger breeds of dogs.
  

• Age-related incontinence
  This is a more natural form of incontinence as it results from normal aging. This can result from a weakening of muscles or an overall susceptibility to disease that younger pets don’t have. Older pets can also become senile and not realize that they are urinating. 

If it’s not incontinence, why is my dog peeing so much?

If your dog isn’t suffering from incontinence but is still peeing a lot — you’ll no doubt be asking why. Why is my dog peeing so much all of a sudden? There are other potential causes, including:

• Pyometra
• Urinary Tract Infection
• Cystitis
• Diabetes
• Kidney Disease
• Cushing’s Disease
• Cancer

There are a variety of tests that can aid in the diagnosis of incontinence or another condition that could be causing your dog to urinate frequently. What test is used will depend on what signs are present and other health factors, such as the age of your pet.

Some tests used by vets in diagnosis might include:

• Blood and urine testing
• X-rays
• Ultrasound 
• Urine cultures
• Cystoscopy (endoscopy of the urinary bladder through the urethra)
• Helical computed tomography (CT scan) 

Treatment for a dog that’s peeing a lot will vary depending on the cause.
Some common treatments include:

• Surgery

• Medications – which drugs are prescribed depends on the cause. If no specific cause is determined, the veterinarian will likely prescribe drugs in trial periods and monitor results to determine if the treatment is successful

• Hormone replacement therapy

The post-treatment recovery and management period following a case of excessive urination in dogs will largely depend on the course of treatment administered.

Clearly, if your dog has medication to treat the issue the recovery period will be short, providing the course of medication has been completed and there are no side effects.

Surgery has a longer recovery timeframe, with a post-surgery period that may include follow-up appointments with the veterinarian. Should pharmaceuticals or hormones be administered, you will likely need to monitor effectiveness and try multiple treatment options to find something that works.

In all courses of treatment, you will need to monitor your pet’s urination frequency, duration and severity to determine the effectiveness of the treatment. Do contact your vet if, at any stage, you have concerns about your pet’s recovery.