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If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Dog wetting self while asleep

15 replies

Thundertoast · 15/07/2026 09:25

Just looking for a bit of reassurance here, sorry for the big wall of context but thought id head off some of the obvious questions!
Last night my dog wet herself while asleep, twice. The first time she was actually in my bed when she did it, and didnt wake up at all.
Second time was on one of her 3 sleeping spots, an armchair, no idea if it woke her up that time.

Relevant background:
She's 6, cocker spaniel, never had any issues with weeing, was a toilet training pro from day one. No other medical issues.
She was more tired than an average day (normal as she had been playing with other dogs which she does regualrly) but not exhausted like she's been on some days in the past due to high activity levels.
She has seemed a bit itchier than normal licking/scratching her skin a bit more than normal the last couple of weeks, but nothing extreme. No signs of her feeling uncomfortable that would indicate a uti.

Last night: She seemed to be panting more than usual, even though the temperature here is much better than the proper heatwave we have had the previous few weeks. She normally cools down really well if she jumps into our paddling pool or I shower her feet with cold water, but she seemed to be panting again fairly shortly which is a bit unusual. Again, not extreme levels, just noticeable.
She has never been a big drinker and had not drunk once since she came back from her regular 'daycare' setup at 5.30 until about 9.30 at night (my mum, who reported absolutely nothing out of the ordinary) had eaten her dinner and drunk fine at 5.
When she wasnt keen to drink after her spay (3 years ago) the vet had suggested putting a tiny bit of milk in her water, which I have done a couple of occasions to get her to drink a bit more and never had any issues, so i did that. It wasnt loads, but it was maybe a small mugful of water and she drank the whole lot and panted less after so thought id cracked it.
She had been for a wee right before this and then didnt want to go again before bed at 10.30 - this is not unusual, she's not a frequent pee-er. She rarely ever wakes me in the night (she will whine/scratch at the bedroom door) unless she is under the weather for some reason, but she is very good at asking to go out when she needs to.

So, what do we think? Obviously my brain is trying to tell me that its just because she unusually had a very big drink right before bed when she was tired, but it just seems so weird to me that she didnt wake up - she's definitely been more exhausted in the past and still woken up for a wee!
She is her usual happy self this morning (and was behaving normally last night when she woke up as I discovered the wet patch and she got into the other bed) so im going back and forth on whether to ring the vets now or see what today/tonight brings.

Has anyone ever had anything similar?

OP posts:
WeaselPax · 15/07/2026 09:55

Would definitely see the vet, as the other symptoms could be indicative of pain. Spaniels are very very stoic and don’t like to let on when they’re feeling uncomfortable (I have two)!

Lomonald · 15/07/2026 09:58

It might be a urine infection get her seen, i agree spaniels are very stoic mine "rallied" when he was ill.

CaptainMyCaptain · 15/07/2026 10:07

My old dog got like this. She had some medication from the vet that stopped it. I can't remember what it was called, it was over 20 years ago.

Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain · 15/07/2026 10:10

See the vet. If only to put your mind at rest.

Bellabelloo · 15/07/2026 10:13

My female cockapoo started doing this and is now on medication and has had no more accidents. It was worse during the hot weeks as she drank so much more.

Thundertoast · 15/07/2026 10:20

Thanks both, she is such a happy little thing and seems absolutely fine this morning so I was leaning towards my usual 'wait and see' approach but its just not sitting right with me, its so out of character and she just wasnt tired enough to be sleeping through her body signalling she needed to go.

OP posts:
spiderlight · 15/07/2026 10:27

It could be a UTI or the start of diabetes, or it could just be spay/hormone-dependent incontinence. Our springer had that, and it resolved pretty much instantly with Incurin. Pop her to the vet with a urine sample. I hope it's something easy to sort out.

SpanielsGalore · 15/07/2026 10:27

Any sudden change in behaviour should be checked out by a vet.

Hopefully it's something simple like a UTI and a short course of ABs will help.

Highlighta · 15/07/2026 10:43

When this happened to my girl, she had an UTI.

But, I would keep an eye on her today, and then take her in if it happens again. Even if its just a dribble. It could also have been she was deep asleep and had drunk more than normal due to the heat.

My ddog was licking herself a lot though, so this was quite an obvious sign.

Cuppachuchu · 15/07/2026 10:50

I would see your vet, it could be caused by a number of things, including diabetes.
My vet advised that when dogs lick an area repeatedly it can mean pain rather than itchiness.

Dunnocantthinkofone · 15/07/2026 10:53

This isn’t one I’d wait and see with personally

GladStork · 15/07/2026 11:54

Maybe a UTI which is hopefully very treatable. I had a very old dog who did this a few times towards the end, but age is obviously not an issue with your dog. Definitely a quick vet visit though, UTI’s can be horrible.

fuckedoffwiththesummer · 15/07/2026 11:56

Agree vet… just to be sure (panting can be a sign of pain)

Thundertoast · 15/07/2026 13:29

Just thought I'd update in case anyone else has this problem in future - vet has 99% ruled out a uti, @spiderlight was on the money as vet thinks its most likely spay hormone related as she's showing no uti symptoms and she didnt wake up, but we are doing a urine test just in case. Advice at the moment is to wait and see as she is peeing normally today, if we have any more incidents she can go back for a scan and to talk about medication. Glad I posted, appreciate the support 💕

OP posts:
Chaletwest · 16/07/2026 19:35

Spay incontinence started like this for mine OP, Incurin fixed it. We joked the dog beat me to the HRT (and we’re both on the oestrogen now 😄)

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