All dogs must pee, obviously. However, some are doing this more often than others. In most cases, there is no need to do anything, but in certain ones, you do need to take action. Why is my dog peeing so much? Well, there is no just one answer and we must explain how often your dog should pee and when it becomes an issue.
Why is my dog peeing so much?
Dogs should be once in 4-6 hours
According to experts, most dogs will pee once in 4-6 hours. This is perfectly normal and it affects almost all dogs. Why is my dog peeing so much? This is a question you will ask if your pet pee much more in the specified time frame. Most dogs can pee once in 8-12 hours which is the same time frame almost all dogs can withstand without a bathroom break. Size and breed do not affect these numbers. Keep in mind that puppies will pee more frequently, even once per hour.
Why some dogs pee a lot?
There are multiple reasons why this is a case and why this happens. Now, we will answer all of them below. In some situations, there is no need to worry or to take him to a vet. In others, you may need to take action. Anyway, it is mandatory to see all the reasons and all the variations so you can understand the matter better. Anyway, let’s see the most common reasons.
He is overheating/he is thirst more than usual
The simplest explanation is that your dog is too hoot. This happens during the summer months when dogs drink a lot of water and they need a way to cool themselves down. All of this means that he will pee more frequently. Increased panting is also visible in this case scenario and it should help you understand why your pet does this more often. Keep in mind that this won’t refer to dogs who spend a lot of time inside, where the temperature is average.
Your dog is old
Senior dogs will urinate more frequently due to age. For instance, puppies may urinate 2 times in 4 hours. An adult dog will urinate once. A senior dog will urinate 2 times. Once again, there is no need to do anything about this and it is perfectly normal. It just means that your dog is becoming senior.
He marks the territory
Dogs who pee when you walk them may mark the territory. This is different than normal peeing. For instance, he will pee multiple times but for just a few seconds in short bursts. Normal peeing is one, long and consecutive process.
Male dogs will mark their territory and they will do it more often than you may believe. This is known as urine marking and it simply should tell other dogs that your pet is the alpha here. An interesting fact is that some dogs will try to mark higher items or higher on buildings so other dogs think they are much bigger.
Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus is a life-lasting disease in animals. Low blood sugar means one thing. Your pet will have less energy so he will eat more. When he eats more, he will have to drink water more.
All of this means that he will pee more often. It also means he will poop more frequently. There is no cure for this disease and sadly, your pet will have to live with it. But, exercising, a proper diet and more importantly, proper medications can make a massive difference and they can manage diabetes completely successfully.
Peeing a lot due to diabetes can also be the first symptom you will notice. If you also notice excess eating, you may want to take him to a vet to get him checked. It is a simple process that will give you an important answer.
Spay incontinence
Spay incontinence is a common reason. It happens in female dogs more [often and it basically means that she cannot control the bladder. It happens only to dogs who were fixed and it can be an annoying issue. There are a lot of obvious differences between dogs who will pee when they have to and the ones who pee involuntarily. In this case scenario, you may want to take her to a vet and discuss possible options. Fixed dogs don’t have a need to mark territory but can cause more frequent peeing.
UTI
UTI stands for urinary tract infection and it is an extremely common issue. It simply means that there is bacteria in the urethra of a dog and it causes various issues.
Female dogs are far more vulnerable to this issue than male dogs. Due to the fact this isn’t a well-known topic for all pet owners, we must add that there are a few symptoms to look for. If your pet is staying in the same position as when peeing for a long period of time, she is whining when she pee or there is blood in the urine, take her to a vet immediately. This issue cannot be resolved by itself.
It is important to add that male dogs can get urinary tract infections as well, but this does happen less often. The symptoms are the same. The condition is treated with antibiotics and it is very successful. For the best results, start the treatment as soon as you can and you will see massive progress in no time.
The final word
Why is my dog peeing so much? As you were able to see, there are multiple reasons. In some cases, this is perfectly normal and there is no need to take action. In others, your dog does need your help and you should provide it as soon as you can. Start with testing your pet for the usual and simple reasons from the list and then move to more complex and more severe ones.
You can read my other article here.
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