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Expert: - 11/1/2010


Question
I have a 3 month old puppy, he pees the bed and I CANNOT housebreak him. I have housebroken my other dog easily. He urinates in his sleep and ALL throughout the day. We do not give him much water and he is very active, but he urinates SO much and will do it as he is walking through the house and leave a urine trail. We rescued him and he had very bad roundworms and was de wormed and vaccinated but I cannot train this dog I have done everything! He knows its wrong to pee inside because he will run away when I catch him...I'm not sure what it is, I hate to take him to the vet because its so expensive  

Answer
Well then this should tell you that there is something wrong Chelsea. A three month old puppy normally will not go through the house losing urine. That is not normal.

Since it is not normal, this tells me that this puppy has some other issues that are not being addressed with out seeing a vet. He hasn't even finished his vaccinations yet.

We have seen puppies as young as 16 weeks old with bladder stones, cancer of the abdomen and other issues that would make housetraining impossible.

You cannot tell whether or not he has bladder stones, or a bladder infection, but a vet will be able to. If your bladder was full of stones, no matter how small, it would be very hard to hold your urine.

He could have some kind of problem with his bladder sphincter, the muscle that keeps the urine in and lets you squeeze it out. Any dog, young or old, that leaks urine in their sleep has a medical issues, plain and simple.

So your only option here IS to take him to the vets.
Get him some help first, then deal with the housebreaking. Being a pet owner is not cheap or free, as we know. Dogs need medical care, heartworm prevention monthly, neutering, etc. So yes, it is expensive.

Call the vet tomorrow and schedule an appointment for him. You might also want to look into getting him some pet insurance. Saves you thousands of dollars.

I hope you find the answer soon. Please let me know what the vet finds.

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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