Species: Dog Breed: Shih Tzu (with maybe Age: 6-12 months
Good Evening.
Charlot is a rescued dog so I do know his history prior to his new life with us. I adopted him from the local shelter in April so a few months ago. According to the Shelter, he was about 9 months old.
This pup is a happy camper, he has a good temper and we adore him. I also have 2 poodle and they get along just perfectly.
Charlot wasn't housebroken so we are still working on him. I've had several dogs and I am usually good at house training them so that part does not worry me but what I did notice in the past weeks does. When I picked up the pillow of one of the dogs's bed, I realized that it had a urine smell but did not pay much attention as I did not know what happened and I thought maybe an accident happened (which never happened with my poodles). Then yesterday, I gave the dogs some little white bones (the one we get at the vet or the petstore) and I know he spent lots of time in a specific spot, chewing and enjoying this treat. Well, when I went to bed, I noticed urine where he was lying so that got me worried. Then again today, I found urine in the bed he has in the kitchen. it's not only a few drops more like a real little puddle so I am wondering why it happens..
Could he has an infection or drop urine when he is chewing on bones (makes no sense but still I wonder). It does not seem to be related to his house training but I can be wrong. When I take him outside, he does not seem to suffer when he urinate and he knows he has to be done outside.
He is a very affectionate dog and I am not sure what to think but I guess its honest that I would not want this to last for the next 14 years.
He knows he has to go outside, I know he gets that and if he does it inside once in a while, I trust he will be fully trained soon (he is only a pup still) its the spotting that worries me, especially because there is urine in his bed and yesterday a puddle on the carpet where he spent almost 45 minutes chewing on his bone. I was there, he would've ask for the door. Is it possible that urine is just coming out when he is happy, like when he is chewing on something or when he is resting..
if so, what should I do,where do I start.
Oh and we found out he likes to eat his one poopoo. That part is disgusting although I know it cannot harm him. it's just gross so we try not to send him out alone :-)
Thank you in advance for you response.
Sara
Dr. Marie replied:
Thanks for your question Sara.
It's a little bit unusual for a young dog to have incontinence issues like this.
At first I wondered if Charlot was urine marking his territory. (This could happen if he is not neutered). However, it really does sound like it is just leaking out of him.
By far the best thing I can recommend for you is to have your vet examine him and a urine sample from him. It is possible that he has something that is causing some irritation in his urinary tract. Shih Tzus can be prone to bladder stones. If he has stones in his bladder this can cause inflammation and can cause some dogs to leak urine. There are other issues that could cause incontinence such as a kidney problem.
It's also possible that he was born with a problem with how urine gets to his bladder. It may be something called an ectopic ureter. Here is another question where I talk about what an ectopic ureter. (In that question a female dog was involved, but a similar thing can happen with male dogs). If this is because of an ectopic ureter, sometimes they can be fixed with surgery, but it is usually an expensive surgery.
Going back to neutering...Is he neutered? If not, some male dogs can leak spermatic fluid at times...this could be what is happen.
So, to summarize, if he's not neutered, getting him neutered could solve the problem. No matter what, it's a great idea to have your vet do tests on his urine to see if there is a medical reason for this.
Dr. Marie
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Customer reply:
Good Morning Dr. Marie.
Thank you for taking the time to reply.
Charlot has been neutered the week after I adopted him. He was indeed marking his territory when he first arrived and since I work helping animals (shelters and humane society), I know how important it is to sterilize your animal so I did :-)
The marking stopped shortly after his surgery and his hormones completely dropped after about 3 weeks so he is not even lifting his leg when he goes outside for his pee pee, he does it like a female still.
he seems to leak urine when he is in a comfortable position or/and situation like in his bed or again, when he was chewing on his bone yesterday afternoon. He spent about 45 minutes up the stairs, busy working on the bone and when I went to bed, there it was, the carpet was wet. then again, his bed was wet and it had just happened when I noticed. I know he would not urinate in his bed.. I had a dog once who was doing it but I know its rare. they usually keep their bed clean.
I will contact my local vet and bring a urine sample but I wonder if it's not a urine infection, can he find out what is causing this. I love Charlot and he will stay with me til the very last day of his life, like all my animals, I never give up on them no matter what (I lost a shih tzu last year from Evan Syndrom, she got sick when she was 4.. she got medical care and got better and then sick again 6 years later but this time, treatment did not work, her body was too tired.. so sad)
thx
Sara
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Dr. Marie is a veterinarian who practices in a busy animal hospital in Ottawa, Ontario. She created Ask A Vet Question as a resource for good, accurate veterinary advice online. Dr. Marie treats dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rats. She has been a vet since 1999.
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