Why is my dog peeing on the floor?
Thursday, August 01, 2019 11:44:39 AM America/Los_Angeles
If your dog starts exhibiting new behaviors such as peeing on the floor, both physical and psychological causes may be responsible. Your veterinarian will need to determine the cause for your dog's accidents before an effective treatment option can be implemented.
In the meantime, place pee pads strategically around your home to help protect your floors from pet urine. Here are some reasons your dog is peeing on the floor.
Urinary Tract Infection
Your dog may pee on the floor because of a urinary tract infection. In addition to urinating on the floor, other symptoms of a canine urinary tract infection may include blood in the urine, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, vomiting, and lethargy.
It is upsetting to dog owners when their pets have incontinence episodes on the floor, especially after the dog has already completed its housebreaking training. If your dog has accidents in its dog bed, place potty pads next to the bed to absorb the urine.
Treatment for canine urinary tract infections include antibiotics and drinking plenty of water to help flush out the infection. While antibiotics help clear bacteria from the urinary tract, they can cause abdominal pain and diarrhea, however, it should clear up after antibiotic therapy has been completed.
Medication Side Effects
Certain medications may also cause your dog to pee on the floor. If your dog takes oral corticosteroids to treat an inflammatory condition of the joints, a breathing problem, or an inflammatory skin disorder, side effects such as increased hunger, increased thirst, and increased urination may develop.
When your dog drinks more water as a result of medication-related thirst, it may develop urinary urgency or incontinence. Corticosteroid medications are typically only prescribed for short-term use, so while your dog is receiving steroid treatment, try to be patient because incontinence issues may persists until the medication has been discontinued.
If your dog continues to pee on the floor after it has stopped taking the corticosteroid medication, make an appointment with the veterinarian for a complete checkup. It is also important to note, that dogs who have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes may actually become diabetic because of corticosteroid use. These drugs can raise serum blood glucose levels, resulting in diabetes, which can also cause increased thirst, frequent urination and incontinence episodes.
If your dog has steroid-related diabetes while taking corticosteroids, make sure you have a wee wee pad close by so that if you dog looks like it's going to pee on the floor, you can quickly put down a pad underneath the animal.
Changes In Household Routine
Dogs are very perceptive when it comes to a change in its routine. If your dog notices changes in the household, it may develop urinary problem such as peeing on the floor or marking its territory. For example, if you get a new puppy, your dog may become jealous and do things to seek attention such as urinating on the floor or furniture.
Once the dog gets used to the new puppy, attention seeking behaviors will stop. Also, if someone in the household moves out, your dog may suffer from separation anxiety and urinate on the floor. For example, if your college-bound child moved out of the home to begin college life, your dog may not understand why it is not seeing the child anymore. This may frighten the animal or make it sad, resulting in unusual behaviors, including marking and urinating in inappropriate places.
If your dog exhibits unusual behaviors such as peeing on the floor, furniture, or its dog bed, make an appointment with the veterinarian for a complete examination. A treatment plan cannot be fully implemented until the root cause of your dog's behavior has been revealed.
It is important to note, that some senior dogs have weak sphincter muscles and simply cannot hold their urine anymore. For them, treatment options may be limited, however, allowing a senior dog to use an indoor potty may help when they are unable to go outside or down the stairs because of mobility problems, joint pain, or poor eyesight.
