Our 13 year old pitt urinates all the time? HELP

[cs5000]

We have a 13 year old pittbull. She is sweet. But, she is getting old. She smells really bad no matter how much we clean her :confused: . And, now she just can't hold her pee through the night. We have to keep her in our basement to sleep at night. We started putting paper down again and she just pees so much that it still seeps through and over onto the floor. No matter how much I clean the floor it still stinks so bad down there. I do my laundry down there and I bring my 18 mth old with me. How will I be able to do that this winter with that smell and dirty floors all the time? Please help. I feel bad crating her. She is old and I think she will freak out.

[sportyj]

I understand she is old, but maybe she has a UTI or something? Have you seen your vet about this? I don't have any recommendations, I assume it is just because she is old. I would buy the pee pads, at least they mask odor and it won't soak through. Poor girl.

[cs5000]

Yes, we brought her to the vet. She is healthy. There is nothing wrong with her.

Thanks for replying. I guess I will buy some pee pads for now. and hope she will do better.

[Belm]

What did the vet say to you about her inablitity (sp?) to hold it through the night?

[cs5000]

He just said that she is old and to crate her if we need to during the night. He said if we crate her she will most likely not pee in her own sleeping space. But, I know she will start barking in the middle of the night to let her out to go pee. And, i feel bad doing that to her now. She has never been crated. It's so sad. She is starting to slow down too. She can't walk around the block without huffing and puffing. And, her leg bothers her when she walks too long.

I'm thinking about buying those child gates that expand and putting it in a large area in the basement and putting pee pads down in there with her pillow in there as well. so that way she only has a certain area to go in and I will have less clean up in the mornings and hopefully less of a stinky smell.

I hope that works.

[Cosmogirl]

She might be incontinent! There are medication for that!
Otherwise, you could let her out for the night? Is it too cold in your area? Make her a nice doggy house, at least, she'll be free! (well, more then in a crate!)
Good luck!

[mjfish]

There is medicine that helps with incontinence -- for the life of me I can't remember what the name is though :o . If you do a search (here maybe or on the internet for 'dog incontinence'), you'll find it. It's not expensive, and you use the lowest dose possible to start. I'm really surprised that the vet didn't mention this... I think crating would be very wrong because she can't hold it -- it's not that she doesn't want to -- and you would essentially be forcing her to pee on herself. Trust me, after 13 years of knowing she shouldn't go in the house, she knows it's wrong, but really can't help it. The medicine should help her get back to normal, and she won't have to be relegated to the basement.

[EJM]

Some older female dogs with peeing issues can be helped tremendously by a small dose of estrogen. Even if the dog is spayed.

[imagirliegirl]

She might be incontinent!

Yeah I agree. If medicine doesn't work they do make incontinence/diaper things for dogs. I don't know if she would wear them but it would be worth a shot.

[Sue]

She might be incontinent! There are medication for that!
Otherwise, you could let her out for the night? Is it too cold in your area? Make her a nice doggy house, at least, she'll be free! (well, more then in a crate!)
Good luck!

Please don't leave any animal unattended outside, especially a pit bull.


Have you tried limiting her water intake in the evening? Let her drink until 8 or 9 at night, then take her water away. I know you said you took her to the vet, did he check for diabetes or kidney problems?

[ejs]

I'd get a second opinion from another vet.