Bladder control: gone
September 8, 2012 2:07 PM

My dog has started urinating out of control from time to time. What's wrong with her?

She is a corgi/heeler mix, housebroken. The past couple days she's started peeing in the house with a guilty look, walking while squatting so it dribbles everywhere on the floor. Her urine has a particularly pungent odor, more than normal and it's yellower too. We haven't changed her diet at all (a cup and a half of dry food once daily, and water). On rare occasion she'll get a bite of human food if we drop something.

She has defected in the house a few times lately too, with the same out-of-control look and squat-walking. I don't know if that's related. We moved to a new home in a different state, her first move, about two months ago and that disrupted her routine quite a bit. I'm not sure if this may just be a lingering effect of that.

Is this something that will go away on its own or do we need to seek veterinary help?
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis to Pets & Animals (9 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
I'd take her to the vet. It could be a bladder infection.
posted by MegoSteve at 2:08 PM on September 8, 2012


Take her to the vet.
posted by lilac girl at 2:09 PM on September 8, 2012


Sounds like a urinary tract infection. Take her in!
posted by cecic at 2:10 PM on September 8, 2012


How old is she? First move -- I'm betting it has to do with that. She hasn't figured out that where she is now is her new home, and she's wondering when she'll be back at the old place. (Moved a lot with dogs as a child.)

But do find a vet and take her in, because it could indeed be a UTI.
posted by trip and a half at 2:21 PM on September 8, 2012


Another one for the vet. When my dog was urinating frequently, it turned out to be diabetes. Once that was under control, it was fine, until she get a UTI. She urinated frequently and her pee had an odd odor to it as well, which had prompted me to bring her in.

She might be defecating as a way to "alert" you that she's not feeling well. Best of luck, and keep us posted!
posted by andariel at 2:27 PM on September 8, 2012


Yeah, dribbling dark pungent urine turned out to be diabetes for my dog too. He started having epileptic seizures around the same time, and I gather from fast Googling that there's a link between epilepsy and diabetes, in that both are related to fluctuations in blood sugar. So don't be scared if your dog develops seizures. Even thirty years ago, they were controllable with medication.

Good luck.
posted by Susan PG at 2:47 PM on September 8, 2012


What's her new yard like (if she has one)? One of my friend's cats started doing this and it turned out she had a wee thorn stuck up her urethra and it was causing her tremendous pain. Could your pup have encountered some kind of new plant?
posted by These Birds of a Feather at 2:51 PM on September 8, 2012


ANY change in urination or defecation needs to be addressed by a vet as soon as possible. So vet, asap!
posted by biscotti at 3:50 PM on September 8, 2012


Look into Cushing's Disease as well.
posted by delight at 7:28 PM on September 11, 2012


« Older What song is this?   |   Pining for orchards, but where to go? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.