Absolutely Random Accident

[Erin & Sasha]

My doodle was lying on her back on the sofa having her head rubbed when out of no where she started to pee.  This is the first time she's ever done anything like this, and it was quite surprising (and a huge mess).

 

Has anyone ever experienced this with their dog?   She seemed quite sleepy, so I'm thinking this was almost a dream like situation.   I'm crossing my fingers that this is not indicative of some larger medical problem.

 

Thanks all!

[Debbie]

How old is she?  Older dogs sometimes experience incontinence.  First thing most people check for in this type of situation is a UTI.  I have a doodle that has been sleep incontinent since she was about 3-4 months old.  Hormone pills eventually straightened her out and she has been weaned off of them.  (How lucky is that!)  Now she has the occasional accident exactly as you describe, when she is quite sleepy.  Knock on wood, her last one was last August.  Anyway, you can try cranberry supplements.  That has helped some doodles with incontinence.  If you continue on the cranberry supplements for very long, you may want to consult a vet about the supplementation, since long-term cranberry can change the PH balance of the urine.

[Erin & Sasha]

She's around 3 years old (she was a stray / rescue so we're not completely sure).   As far as I know, we've been accident free for almost a year, so this was the strangest thing to have happen.

[Debbie]

She sounds too young for hormone-related sleep incontinence, but that's what everyone said about my 3 1/2 month old puppy too.  I still believe that is exactly what it was and now the vets do too, since the hormone pills worked wonders.  Treatment for incontinence is something not to be taken lightly.  Hormone pills are a "least of the evils" kind of thing.  I would monitor for any more occurrences.  Hopefully, it was just a one-time accident, and you can put it behind you as a weird occurrence.  I don't know if dogs have one-time accidents like that.  Anyway, I would try the cranberry first.  Many dogs have benefitted greatly from cranberry supplementation.  If it gets worse, then consult the vet about other options.  Also, I'm sure you did, but make sure you clean her well, as urine can be scalding and painful over the long term.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

After Sophie was spayed and got home the next morning she would do this.  She would be laying on her bed and just pee, seemingly without even realizing she did it.  Turned out to be a UTI.  As soon as she got on the meds she was fine.  If it happens again that is the first thing I would have checked.  Could have been a random accident, but if it is a UTI I think you will know rather quickly as it will happen again.  Hope all is well though, keep us posted.