Frequent Evening Urination

[Echobelly1]

We've had Gila 3 weeks. She has the habit of getting us up at least once a night, sometimes three times, wanting to go out. She was with a foster for 6 months, and they said she did need to go out frequently, and had her tested a couple of times for UTI, but always negative. I would assume it is behavioral, except she does seem to need to pee. Luckily we have a door from the bedroom to the back yard (we had it put in just for this use, Gila's our fifth greyt) and she immediately pees and comes right back in. We decided one night to make her wait, and she peed on the rug in front of the door. She doesn't seem to be drinking much water, and gets plenty of exercise. We make sure she pees last thing before going to bed. Do some dogs just have week bladders? When I walk her, sometimes she doesn't pee at all, even though Hadji is peeing on as many trees as he can get to.

[Batmom]

I'd have your vet check for a UTI, run some bloodwork to check kidney function, and check her blood pressure.

Edited February 8, 2012 by Batmom

[GeorgeofNE]

Agree with Batmom. "Weak bladder" is typically a symptom of some underlying problem. A healthy dog should have no trouble holding it through the night.

[Greydawg]

I have not heard of Greyhounds having diabetes (other breeds, yes), but Is diabetes a possibility? (Click on this link.)

Edited February 9, 2012 by Greydawg

[Riverhound]

I've said this what seems like a zillion times on this site, but here it goes again! Joe was getting me up every few hours to pee, but didn't test "positive" for a UTI in repeated tests. I came home one day, and he was just "wrong". Glassy eyes, not happy to see me, just not ok. Vet finally gave antibiotics, and he improved till they ran out -- then he started needing to pee multiple times per night again. I was soooo tired! Took him back for more tests, but they showed nothing. Got the vet to give more antibiotics (2 different kinds) for a longer duration (2 weeks). Joe got better right away, and has been fine since.

 

I'd insist on antibiotics rather than repeating expensive tests. (And ALWAYS do what what Batmom says!)

[Guest mariah]

I went through this with my previous dog, so I certainly understand how it might appear behavioral at first, especially if the dog seems otherwise fit and healthy. My understanding is that if a housebroken dog is eliminating in the house right in front of you, it's almost certainly a medical issue. It can be a symptom of a whole host of issues besides just UTIs, so if the tests aren't showing anything, it's worth it to explore other possibilities. Also not sure how prevalent diabetes is in greys, but another one that comes to mind is cushings, which I know at least a few people on this forum have experience with.

Edited February 9, 2012 by mariah

[greyhead]

Our Shane had the same problem. Vet said she didn't see anything wrong with his urine. When he got floppy and hard to rouse, she ran a urine culture and started antibiotics. It was E. coli. So I'd recommend a culture.

 

 

[Echobelly1]

I'll make a trip to the vet tomorrow. We don't sign the adoption papers from the rescue group till this afternoon, we were on a trial period. Sounds like a UTI to me, too.