If you have a small dog or a puppy, one of the things that you need to take care of are accidents. How long can a small dog hold its bladder overnight after all? Well, as he grows older, the time increases. Let’s understand this better.
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How long can a dog hold their pee? As a dog owner, you may wonder. For most of the day, you’ll be away from home, and your pet will be in the care of no one but you.
Because the answer isn’t obvious, we’ve written this piece to help you figure out how long your pet can go without urinating or retaining their urine on average and other relevant information.
When a dog is eight months old, it can only be expected to keep its pee or excrement for 8 hours. Keep in mind that elderly or ill dogs won’t be able to retain it for long. A two-month-old puppy can hold his pee in for three hours.
With each passing month, an hour gets added in this equation. He’ll be able to retain his bladder for 7-8 hours by the time he’s six months old.
Waiting more than eight hours is cruel to any dog, young or old. Dogs may sleep through the night for 8 to 10 hours without having to go pee. It’s important to remember that all dogs must be put outside after a meal or a drink and when they wake up and play.
What Are The Risks If A Dog Holds Urinating For Long?
It can cause many urinary tract related diseases.
It is, however, harmful for dogs to go for such an extended period without urinating. Holding in urine may cause toxins to build up in the body and weaken the bladder muscles, among other things.
According to veterinarians, many health problems may develop in your dog if you force them to retain their pee for an extended amount of time. These include the following conditions:
- Problems with the kidneys
- Infections of the Urinary Tract (UTIs)
- Bladder stones are a kind of stone mass that may build up in the bladder.
- Incontinence
- Bladder cancer
A healthy dog should be allowed to go outside to relieve himself once every four to six hours. Furthermore, when dogs are left alone for extended periods without access to a pee location, they may experience discomfort.
You may also notice other symptoms such as frequent accidents, excessive licking of the genital region, increased thirst, trouble urinating, blood in the urine, and other signs of infection.
Reasons Why Your Dog Hasn’t Urinated For Over 12 Hours
Male dogs are more likely to suffer from urinary issues. Urinary incontinence in dogs may indicate a more severe problem:
Urethral stones
You can find these stones in the kidneys, ureters, urethra, and bladder. Typically, these are found in the bladder.
Bladder stones are usually made up of mineral depositions in the urethra. Black Russian Terriers, Bulldogs, and Dalmatians are the breeds that happen to have these stones most commonly.
Other breeds such as Bichon Frise, Miniature Schnauzers, Miniature Poodles and Cocker Spaniels have struvite bladder stones quite frequently.
Infection of the urinary tract
Diabetic and senior dogs have a higher incidence of UTIs than healthy puppies. When the urethra is inflamed, the hole where urine leaves the body narrows.
If an infection in the urinary system is not treated, it may spread to the kidneys, resulting in renal failure and sepsis.
Bladder or Urinary Tract Tumor
If your dog has a tumor, it will obstruct their urinary system. Over time, this might cause them to pee less frequently. Tumors are diagnosed by vets and can be both malignant or benign.
Trauma
Trauma resulting from an automobile collision or a fall may lead to uroabdomen, which can be life-threatening. There is a risk that the urine may flow into the abdomen because of the injury. Trauma to a canine’s abdomen may make it impossible for them to relieve themselves.
Hyperplasia of the Prostate
This is more common in older, uncastrated men. If your dog suffers from Hyperplasia, you should be looking out for difficulty in peeing and pooping, or even blood coming out while the dog is peeing.
Diseases of the Brain
Several neurological conditions make it difficult to urinate. Muscles must be relaxed as well as contracted to pass urine successfully.
How To Treat Urinary Retention In Dogs?
The treatment for urine retention is determined by the underlying cause of your dog’s issue.
Your veterinarian may be able to make your dog more comfortable by inserting a catheter to release his bladder while trying to determine what’s causing his retention.
Obstructed urethras are treated as medical emergencies in the majority of cases. Using a catheter, your veterinarian will try to remove the blockage, which may result in your dog’s life being saved in the process.
If your dog is suffering from a medical problem, medication may be available to assist. Please discuss any medications with your veterinarian and follow their instructions exactly for optimal results.
Your veterinarian will explain the degree of the disease, your dog’s prognosis, and alternative treatment choices that will be most effective for your dog if your dog has cancer of the urinary tract.
When treating cancer in dogs, surgical procedures, radiation, and chemotherapy are all options. Your veterinarian may also recommend a program to assist with any subsequent bacterial urinary tract infections.
What Are The Common Causes Of Straining Pee In Dogs, And How To Treat Them?
Infections, blockages, UTIs and malignancies are just a few of the many reasons for urinary retention. A trip to your veterinarian or a 24-hour veterinary emergency facility is required for any of these emergencies.
Obstructions
If your dog’s bladder or urethra becomes obstructed, it might result in urine retention. Obstruction may also be caused by tumors, scar tissue, and lesions. Bladder stones, urethral plugs, clogged blood clots, and even malignant tumors may cause these blockages in the urethra. A urinary tract blockage may also be caused by mineral buildup.
UTI
Infections of the urinary system are rather prevalent in canines. As with people, dogs have frequent urination and trouble expressing their pee to indicate bladder disease.
So, now let’s have a look at the ways how to treat it.
For your safety, don’t diagnose your dog yourself. To ensure that your dog has the best possible treatment, bring your dog to visit your veterinarian and discuss your dog’s symptoms with him.
So that he may check for any anomalies or areas of discomfort, your veterinarian may do a physical examination of your dog after hearing your explanation. Next, your veterinarian may order diagnostic testing to see if there are any additional signs of illness in your dog.
Blood tests, urinalysis, a veterinary bladder tumor antigen test, cystoscopy, biopsies, retrograde urethrogram, and a cystourethrogram will assist your veterinarian in identifying the underlying reason for your dog’s inability to urinate normally and formulate a treatment plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a dog hold it for 12 hours at night?
Yes, adult dogs can do it easily.
It is common for dogs to retain their bladder overnight for up to 12 hours. Dogs, like humans, have particular hormones that keep them from having to urinate as often at night as they do during the day.
When can dogs hold their bladder all night?
By the time they are more than five months old.
Overall, we anticipate puppies to be able to sleep through the night by the time they are five months old. However, some pups may require a little longer.
Can your pup hold pee overnight?
No, younger puppies cannot and you need to get up several times in the night to change their pads.
Puppies cannot contain their pee for more than a couple of hours because their bodies are not designed to do so. Aside from that, they don’t appreciate being compelled to sit or sleep in their pee.
If your puppy sleeps in a crate, you’ll almost certainly have to take him out for a toilet training break during the night.
How long can an 8-week old puppy hold its pee?
Several dog trainers think that a puppy’s ability to retain her pee for the number of hours equal to her age in months plus one. This is a simple but useful approach.
For example, a puppy that is eight weeks old (or two months) can hold it for three hours, but since it is the maximum amount of time she can keep it, she may feel the need to eliminate it sooner rather than later.
A Few Final Words
aring for a puppy is far more difficult than caring for an older dog. The process of pee and potty training a pup is arduous.
Fortunately, your little buddy will be able to hold his bladder for the whole of the night with a bit of persistence and patience. Keep working with him until he can spend the whole night without needing to pee outdoors
Thank you for reading the article, we hope we answered the main questions. You should also read about things like pee pads and when to move the crate out of your room.