Adult dog going to the bathroom inside the house
August 13, 2012 9:09 PM Subscribe
My 5 year old dog is suddenly peeing in the house. Help me figure out why (possible side effect of medication?).
My 5 year old neutered male dog has peed indoors 3 times in the last 3 days. The first time was 2 days ago, in an upstairs room he usually doesn't go in, during the middle of the night. The second time was today, in that same room while my mother and I were in a different room. The third time was right now in the middle of the hallway, after he was just taken on a walk. We can't make any sense of this, since he is walked multiple times a day and he always goes downstairs to scratch on the door if he needs to go, even in the middle of the night.
He was just at the vet the week before last because he has seasonal allergies and had been itching a lot. He has been taking prednisone and an antibiotic daily. He has been drinking a lot, and peeing a lot (outside when we walk him). We are calling the vet tomorrow morning but I'd like to know if this has happened to anyone else after their dog was on similar medications, or if this could be entirely unrelated.
There have been no big changes in our house or daily lives so I don't think it is a behavioral thing, but it doesn't make any sense for him to go 10 minutes after a walk. Afterwards he stands there wagging his tail like nothing has happened, so I don't think he is in pain from bladder stones or something like that.
My 5 year old neutered male dog has peed indoors 3 times in the last 3 days. The first time was 2 days ago, in an upstairs room he usually doesn't go in, during the middle of the night. The second time was today, in that same room while my mother and I were in a different room. The third time was right now in the middle of the hallway, after he was just taken on a walk. We can't make any sense of this, since he is walked multiple times a day and he always goes downstairs to scratch on the door if he needs to go, even in the middle of the night.
He was just at the vet the week before last because he has seasonal allergies and had been itching a lot. He has been taking prednisone and an antibiotic daily. He has been drinking a lot, and peeing a lot (outside when we walk him). We are calling the vet tomorrow morning but I'd like to know if this has happened to anyone else after their dog was on similar medications, or if this could be entirely unrelated.
There have been no big changes in our house or daily lives so I don't think it is a behavioral thing, but it doesn't make any sense for him to go 10 minutes after a walk. Afterwards he stands there wagging his tail like nothing has happened, so I don't think he is in pain from bladder stones or something like that.
Pred and pee can go hand in hand. It happens to my dog, who is on it frequently. It's probably a temporary side effect.
posted by bolognius maximus at 9:19 PM on August 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by bolognius maximus at 9:19 PM on August 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
Prednisone could definitely be the cause. They need to drink more, and that means they need to pee more. He just needs to go outside a lot more (like every hour when you're awake). Clean it up with an enzymatic cleaner, this should stop once he's off the pred.
posted by biscotti at 9:25 PM on August 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by biscotti at 9:25 PM on August 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
I'm not your vet, so this isn't medical advice.
Pred could indeed be part of the issue. Instead of his normal quick pee walk, take him on an extended walk every time so that you're sure his bladder is totally empty. Is he on a reducing dose? This will most likely cease within a few days of being off the prednisone.
Please do not withhold water under any circumstances.
posted by Nickel Pickle at 9:45 PM on August 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
Pred could indeed be part of the issue. Instead of his normal quick pee walk, take him on an extended walk every time so that you're sure his bladder is totally empty. Is he on a reducing dose? This will most likely cease within a few days of being off the prednisone.
Please do not withhold water under any circumstances.
posted by Nickel Pickle at 9:45 PM on August 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
My dog has the same problem on prednisone. She actually leaks without even noticing she's doing it -- before I got her on an anti-leaking medication, she would go to take a nap and wake up in a puddle. Or she would get a panicked look on her face, bolt for the litter box, and not make it in time. If your dog is going to be on the prednisone long term, there are a couple of medications they can take for the continence issues.
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 9:58 PM on August 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 9:58 PM on August 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
Yup, pred and pee. I have one dog with seasonal allergies (the other two are unaffected), and after five years of prednisone every spring, this year she was like a freaking sprinkler the first few days on it. She peed on the couch, and this is a dog who has waited until nearly bursting before having diarrhea in the house, she's got such strong housebreaking. She peed on the floor three nights running after that, and then as her dose started tapering down she was fine again.
We cleaned the spots very very well, and took her out to the most desirable pee-mail spots so she'd pee herself empty before being left alone. We also gated off her inside pee-area when we weren't in the room, so she'd at least go on the tile if she didn't make it outside.
You'll probably be fine in a day or two. Do clean those spots as best you can, and keep him away from them unattended for a couple of days.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:59 PM on August 13, 2012
We cleaned the spots very very well, and took her out to the most desirable pee-mail spots so she'd pee herself empty before being left alone. We also gated off her inside pee-area when we weren't in the room, so she'd at least go on the tile if she didn't make it outside.
You'll probably be fine in a day or two. Do clean those spots as best you can, and keep him away from them unattended for a couple of days.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:59 PM on August 13, 2012
I haven't had my dogs on Prednisone, but it could also be a urinary tract infection. Two of my dogs had them a week apart (one boy, one girl) and the only reason I knew anything was wrong was that there were suddenly lots of accidents in the house when it's been years since they've had any.
posted by cecic at 6:10 AM on August 14, 2012
posted by cecic at 6:10 AM on August 14, 2012
Prednisone is a steroid, and that'll make dogs pee like you wouldn't believe. Keep an eye on things and call the vet if needed. If it doesn't clear up after the pred is done, or if his pee changes (color, straining, etc) then get him seen again, because there could be a UTI involved. He'll probably slow down when the pred does, though.
posted by azpenguin at 6:41 AM on August 14, 2012
posted by azpenguin at 6:41 AM on August 14, 2012
Nthing everyone else; it's probably a side-effect of the medication.
Additionally, you might want to take him back to kindergarten on the whole house-training thing until the symptoms pass. Keep him under a close watch - leashed to you in the house if you must - and be ready to take him out the instant he starts to sniff around. Even if he wasn't about to pee, he might very well go anyway since the medication might just make him feel like he constantly has to go.
The above would just be a failsafe to prevent him getting the idea in his head that peeing in the house is now okay/easier than scratching at the door even after his round of meds is over.
posted by Urban Winter at 8:22 AM on August 14, 2012
Additionally, you might want to take him back to kindergarten on the whole house-training thing until the symptoms pass. Keep him under a close watch - leashed to you in the house if you must - and be ready to take him out the instant he starts to sniff around. Even if he wasn't about to pee, he might very well go anyway since the medication might just make him feel like he constantly has to go.
The above would just be a failsafe to prevent him getting the idea in his head that peeing in the house is now okay/easier than scratching at the door even after his round of meds is over.
posted by Urban Winter at 8:22 AM on August 14, 2012
I don't know anything about prednisone, but my dog did this when he had a bladder infection. Other possibilities could include diabetes and Cushings Disease. Based on what everyone else has said, it sounds like it might be the medication, but just wanted to put mention a few other possibilities.
posted by triggerfinger at 7:47 PM on August 14, 2012
posted by triggerfinger at 7:47 PM on August 14, 2012
When our adult dog started peeing in the house it turned out to be a bladder infection. She apparently didn't even know she was doing it, and continued to wag her tail happily. If it's any consolation, it doesn't necessarily become a habit. After our dog got healthy again, her bathroom behavior completely returned to normal.
An enzyme cleaner like Nature's Miracle works really well for cleaning up urine.
posted by asynchronous at 9:29 PM on August 14, 2012
An enzyme cleaner like Nature's Miracle works really well for cleaning up urine.
posted by asynchronous at 9:29 PM on August 14, 2012
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posted by Hey Judas! at 9:11 PM on August 13, 2012