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How Long Can Dogs Hold Their Pee?

How Long Can Dogs Hold Their Pee?

As a dog owner, you might just be wondering how long your dog can hold their pee.

You are probably going to be away for almost the whole day, and you have no one to look after your pet.

The answer isn’t straightforward, so this post will explain the average length of time your beloved pet can go without urinating or holding their pee, how often they pee, and more.

So, how long can dogs hold their pee? 

The simple answer is a healthy dog can hold his pee for 6 to 8 hours. The dogs should not stay longer than 10 hours without peeing. And this means pet owners should let their dogs pee 3 to 5 times every day if not more than that. 

Read on for more information.

Are There Exceptions To How Long Dogs Can Hold Their Pee? 

Yes, there’re exceptions to the rule. For instance, the puppy that you are house training will not hold their pee for long. A sick or an older dog also cannot keep their pee for long.

Working dogs or larger dogs, however, may be able to stay for up to 10 hours without peeing. Every dog is different. Read on for more information.

Puppies have smaller bladders, so they pee more often than adult dogs, and generally, they can hold their pee for an hour every month for a year. A six-year-old puppy can hold their pee for about 6 hours between their bathroom breaks without any issues.

Humans know that it is important to pee when they are pressed, so we feel this shouldn’t be different from our pets.

According to research, dogs pass 10 to 20ml of urine per pound of body weight every day. It has been found that most dogs can go as long as 8 to 10 hours without peeing.

And this, however, depends on the adult dog’s age, body size, sex, and overall health. Puppies and younger dogs feel the urge to pee more often than the older ones.

Veterinarians say that letting your dog hold their pee for a long time can cause health problems.

If you work long stretches, you may want to know how often your dog urinates or how long they can go without peeing. And this also helps you know if there is any problem with your dog.

How Often Should You Take Your Dog To Pee?

Your dog should be taken out to pee at least 4 to 5 times daily. Factors such as age, body size, sex, the overall health of your dog are the factors that will determine how frequent your dog needs to pee. The younger your dog, the more often it needs to pee.

What Could Happen If A Dog Holds His Pee Too Long?

Just like we humans, if your dog holds their pee for too long, they can develop serious health issues like UTI, or even worse, urinary stones.

Dog health experts also suggest that the carcinogens that are present in urine and found in the urinary tract can lead to or predispose your beloved pet to some types of urinary cancer.

How Long Can They Hold It Overnight?

Canines are neat creatures. They do not like to soil their space. As long as you provide space for your pet to urinate or poop outside its primary area, it will not mess it up.

However, you need to work to make sure your puppy is potty trained as soon as possible. Your potty training is to make sure your puppy doesn’t have accidents, even at night.

An eight-week-old puppy can’t hold his pee all through the night. The puppy’s bladder has not grown big enough yet.

Your puppy may also be so tired of the new environment, and he sleeps through his first night, but in the following nights, he may wake up to pee.

The best thing is to place your puppy close to you in a crate or box. Do this the first night and a few nights after that.

By doing this, you will be aware when your pup starts to toss and turn in its crate or box. Then you know it is time to take your pet out to pee or poop.

If you are a deep sleeper and you are concerned that you may not wake up when your puppy is tossing and turning, you should consider setting your alarm to wake it up to pee.

For instance, you can get up at 5 o’clock the first night to let your pet to their business. If your pet remained calm and did not need to pee, consider setting the alarm 30minutes later the following day.

Continue this method until you no longer need to wake your puppy up to pee. Also, make sure you make a midnight potty run for a couple of weeks until your pet can hold it long enough.

What Does It Mean When Your Canine Is Not Peeing?

As stated earlier, an average healthy adult dog will likely pee three to five times each day, and a younger dog, puppy, and an older dog will urinate more often.

When your dog won’t pee, take it as seriously as when he doesn’t poop. Your dog could have a severe health issue. If the dog can’t pee, the bladder’s inability to excrete toxins from your dog’s body can become fatal in a short time.

When your dog can’t pee, these could be the causes;

  • Infection
  • Tumors
  • Urinary stones
  • Pinal injury
  • Kidney disease

You should note that stressors related to the environment can also be the culprit behind your pet, not peeing.

If your dog is not comfortable with the surroundings, especially if it is his first time there, the dog might not pee for a long time. And this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be concerned about your pet’s health.

Allow him to get familiar with the environment, and your pet will eventually pee at the right time.

You have to move your dog to the veterinarian as soon as you notice something is wrong (not peeing).

Your veterinarian will recommend a couple of diagnostic tests to help determine the cause such as a urinalysis, abdominal x-rays, complete blood count, and a CT scan.

If your vet palpates the bladder and finds out the bladder is full, they may remove the urine with a urinary catheter and temporarily relieve your dog.

The treatment for urinary stones will be determined by the type of stone it is. The most common ones found in dogs are struvite and calcium oxalate uroliths.

You will require surgery for some bladder stones. Your vet may recommend that your dog eats a low-protein diet to encourage the dissolution of struvite stones.

For the treatment of bladder stones, your vet may give your dog antibiotics. Antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications may also help in the treatment of bladder infections in dogs.

For tumors, you may require surgery. If a dog has a malignant tumor, it may need radiation, chemotherapy, or both.

Dogs that went through trauma to their abdomen may also need surgery to correct the damage caused by the trauma.

If your dog undergoes surgery, the veterinary surgery team will give you post-operative instructions. The incision has to be kept dry, and your dog will wear an E-collar until the vet removes his sutures.

Cost Of Treatment For Not Peeing In Dogs

You will spend as high as $350 on tests and drugs for treating urinary tract infections. The cost of surgery for an injured abdomen or bladder stones may be up to $7500.

Frequent Urinating In Dogs: What Triggers It?

Your dog might frequently be urinating due to a lot of different causes. Also, sudden fear or fear can cause peeing issues in dogs, and these are only behavioral problems.

Other health issues can also make a dog urinate frequently. Below are health issues that can cause your dog to urinate frequently;

  • Polyuria and Pollakiuria
  • Diabetes
  • Kidney failure
  • Lack of steroid hormone production
  • Liver disease
  • Tumor
  • Overproduction of steroid hormones
  • Other hormonal disorders
  • Electrolyte imbalance
  • Age
  • Medication side effects
  • Psychological or behavioral problems

What To Do When Your Dog Is Urinating Frequently

The first thing is to determine the reason your dog is frequently urinating so that you can determine the best way to tackle the illness. Of course, this will be done by the vet.

If you suspect the cause might be an underlying health condition, you have to take your dog to the vet as soon as possible. You cannot diagnose or treat your dog by yourself.

However, if you suspect that your dog is frequently urinating as a result of behavioral problems, the best way to tackle it might be proper training.

Also, relaxation exercises will help teach your dog to manage frequent urination either when it is excited or scared.

If you think a panic attack is a reason for your dog’s frequent urination, you should take your pet to the veterinarian.

The vet will know the best exercises and medications necessary for your pet. You just have to find out what problem your dog has.

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