Help with puppy’s nocturia

We have a new puppy that seems to be “wetting the bed” though is otherwise starting to become “clean”. She usually asks to go outside to toilet now and when she urinates, appears to void a full bladder. After she has been asleep in her bed, however, we have noticed an occasional damp patch on the bedding. Is this something to be concerned about?

Urinary incontinence or involuntary urination can have many causes, most of which are treatable. If she is only involuntarily voiding urine when asleep — a condition referred to as nocturia or nocturnal enuresis — but is otherwise able to fill her bladder, hold her urine and consciously empty her bladder, this could simply be related to her hormone levels because it sounds as if she is still a very young puppy and sexually immature.

One of the main causes of nocturnal enuresis is reduced hormone levels, because of age or neutering. The sex hormones, oestrogen in females and testosterone in males, help dogs maintain control of the sphincter muscle at the neck of the bladder. Dogs whose incontinence problems are hormone-based can still urinate normally most of the time but lose control when they are in a relaxed state. If this is the case then as soon as she reaches sexual maturity and has her first season, the problem should resolve.

Other causes of incontinence in puppies include ectopic ureters, where the tubes connecting the kidneys to the bladder are misplaced and bypass the sphincter, and urinary tract infection. These typically cause involuntary urination throughout the day, rather than only when the dog is relaxed or sleeping.

You should certainly take the puppy to your vet to be examined. Hopefully he or she can rule out the more serious illnesses and help you create a plan to deal with the problem. TB