# Why does Bandit pee himself?



## eyeswideclosed (Nov 1, 2010)

Hi,
My puppy is about 10 months old, and recently I've noticed an issue that's been worrying me. After I take him swimming, he pees himself in the house. He would be sleeping or just laying around and suddenly there comes the urine. It's usually very clear like water. Does this happen to anyone else? He's not showing any symptoms of sickness, eats well, and drinks plenty of water. It doesn't happen any other time but when we come back from the lake. What do you guys think it could be?


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## awesomesauce (Nov 15, 2010)

Honestly, it sounds to me that he is drinking too much of the lake! It's probably nothing to worry about at his age but take him to your vet to be sure if it concerns you enough. How long does the pee last?

When we give Wrigley a bath he will stand there and drink the water the ENTIRE TIME!!! We'll have to stay outside with him for a couple hours afterward or take him out every 15 minutes to pee or he will pee himself simply because he can't hold it any longer. He will take a good 15 to 30 second pee every 15 minutes for 2 hours after his baths even though he is not drinking any water afterward.


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## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

Maybe your dog is drinking as he swims and so has a full bladder. 
However, urine leaking out when sleeping sounds like a problem for a vet.


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## rhondas (Sep 10, 2010)

My golden swims 2 to 3 times a week and have never encountered this.
The fact that he is urinating in his sleep calls for a vet visit. He might have a UTI.


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## eyeswideclosed (Nov 1, 2010)

The only thing is that it only happens once after swimming. He NEVER pees in the house, even when we don't take him out for a couple of hours. This is also why I don't think it's an infection because other than one pee he doesn't pee inside.


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## rhondas (Sep 10, 2010)

Urinating while sleeping is not a normal behavior for a dog and needs to be checked by a vet.
Since it is only a recent issue, it might just be coincidental that it happens after swimming.


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## OriJames (Jan 23, 2009)

I thought it may be an issue with him drinking too much water whilst swimming when I read this first, but yes if it's in his sleep, I would get him taken to the vet because it does sound like he may be a little sick.

A little fftopicsort of) too, but Ori LOVES his bath water and drinks it like his bucket's been missing for days. I thought he was just strange, but at least I know I'm not the only one. Then, there was the first day at the beach when he drank all that salt water. He didn't pee...but the entire beach and shopside saw what he had for breakfast and possibly the night before's dinner...about 15 times every few feet. :doh: Embarrassment extreme. I was terrifed when we sat down afterwards to let his stomach settle again; a little toddler came up to pet him. There was me thinking, "please not in front or ON her...let me keep some dignity to go home with."

Thankfully, my dignity stayed in tact  Sadly, I've been a little unsure to take him to the beach again though...at least crowded ones.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Definitely check with the vet first.

However, my dog Gus did this at least three times over the course of his life, each time after an extreme day of freshwater swimming. He'd wake up in the morning, and there would be a big wet patch where he had slept. He never had any other bladder issues or housebreaking issues in his life.

Check with the vet anyway, since bladder abnormalities are generally the sign of something that needs treatment, but be aware that it's possible that your dog simply leaks when he's too tired and too full of water, and manage his swimming and bathroom breaks accordingly.


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## awesomesauce (Nov 15, 2010)

I really think he's just drinking too much water from the lake for his little bladder to handle. There is only a certain amount of liquid that will fit in that little thing and no amount of sleep will stop it from coming out when it's at its max. But like I said before, and as everyone else has said, a vet visit is probably a good idea - especially if you're concerned.

Ori - I'm glad I'm not the only one there! Wrigley will not stop drinking even after the shampoo lather begins to rinse out! We try to keep him from drinking it at this point during the bath but he is so slippery and lives up to his name by Wriggling to the extreme! IF we can manage to keep his face away from the bottom of the tub he will just lick the water off our arms! :doh:


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## Lil_Burke (Aug 14, 2010)

I don't know if I am any help on this issue but Sawyer pees in his sleep sometimes. I think it's happened half a dozen times since we brought him home. I never considered it a medical issue as the only time I notice it happening is when he is extremely tired. Like when he's been at daycare for the day, or come home from a long playdate or hike. Basically he will drink a ton of water and go to sleep right away. I can almost guarantee that if that happens he will be wet when he wakes up. I would take him outside after he drinks all that water but he crashes and is such a sound sleeper and refuses to move. So we've learned what seems to cause it and basically limited the amount of water we give him afterwards and he's usually ok. I know that may be hard to do when he's swimming though.


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## Golden123 (Dec 6, 2009)

When Sadie swims, she pees like crazy. I have to take her out every 20-30 min for about the first 2 hours, otherwise she'll have an accident.


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## Jersey's Mom (Nov 25, 2007)

Jersey did the same thing the first couple of times we went swimming... I just made sure to take him out more often after swimming (even if I had to wake him up to do so) until I was sure he was empty. Never hurts to check with the vet, but the fact that it only happens after swimming (has it happened a few times, definitely a pattern?) and is so diluted sounds like a puppy with an overly full bladder to me.

Julie, Jersey and Oz


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