My Dog Can Hold It All Day…

When we mention mid-day potty breaks to potential clients, I’ve heard so many people tell us “my dog can hold it all day”.  Mine can too.  She’s about 14 years old now and I’ve found out she has rather frequent bladder issues now that she’s gotten older.  She’s been diagnosed with urinary crystals (she was treated with antibiotics for a UTI) and now she’s on a special food.  Am I somehow responsible for this problem?  I’ve often thought it would do her good (probably would have done her better if I’d started a long time ago) to let her out to potty more often.  Even though she can ‘hold it for hours’….

Dogs NEED to pee often

I confirmed up my suspicions about the medical (not even considering the emotional) benefits for her to have more frequent potty breaks – I did some research about “holding it all day” and … it’s NOT pretty.

Holding It All Day Can Cause Medical (and Emotional) Problems

According to Dr. Kristy Conn (She’s featured on Veterinary Medicine magazine and on Cesar Milan’s website):  How often you dog needs to urinate “will vary due to factors such as age, sex, body size and overall health.”  She states, “Ideally, adult dogs should be allowed outside to relieve themselves 3-5 times a day.  Typically, smaller breeds and younger dogs will need to urinate more frequently than larger breeds and older dogs.”

She also said,  “be aware that holding urine for prolonged periods of time has been linked with increased incidence of urinary tract infections and urinary stones. It has also been suggested that it may predispose to certain urinary cancers due to prolonged contact between carcinogens in the urine and the cells of the urinary tract. 

I got a little more depth in my investigation (some people would say this is my ‘dork’ side coming out) and here’s what I found:

According to Wendy C. Brooks, DVM, DABVP in The Pet Health Library, “holding urine may predispose the dog to transitional cell carcinoma.” She goes on to say that “more than half (up to 70%) of bladder tumors developed by pets are transitional cell carcinomas”. The specific causes are not known, but are higher in females, and equated to less urine marking; possibly storing urinary toxins longer.

And, according to PET MD, “Senior pets are more prone to urinary tract infections, which may be the result of holding urine longer”

And, for those of you who can actually understand this:

Keeping Urine In The Bladder Too Long Can Cause BIG Problems for your dog:

A woman much smarter than me named Patricia M. Dowling had something to say about dogs holding their urine for too long.  Why should we listen to her?  Because the letters following her name would indicate that she has done a ton of study and research: DVM, MSc, DACVIM, DACVCP.   She’s associated with Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, and the University of Saskatchewan.  She says that prolonged bladder distention leads to breakdown of the tight junctions between detrusor muscle cells of the bladder.  This prevents normal depolarization and contraction of the detrusor muscles. That means that your dog’s full bladder can lead to some physical problems … as well as physical discomfort.

And lastly, the Merck Veterinary Manual (the veterinarian’s Bible) gives us an important fact.  “The flow of urine through the urinary tract is part of the defense against invading pathogens, because the flow of fluid rinses the epithelial linings.” 

Translation?  OUR DOGS NEED TO PEE MORE OFTEN!

So, even though our dogs can (and often will) ‘hold it all day’, there is a more important question to consider.  SHOULD THEY?  No – they shouldn’t.  Not if it’s within our power as caregivers to do something about it.

What Can We Do?

Here is my suggestion if you are in Northwest Indiana:  Call The Pet Parlor and arrange for a mid-day potty break while you’re at work.  We offer a service that can help your dog NOT have to hold it all day while you’re working.

Press the “Create an account” button and let’s give your dog what they need today:  Create An Account