My Dog Bed is Wet But It’s Not Urine! (11 Possible Reasons)

When you get a pup or a dog home, there are umpteen things that you would want to do for him. Training your pet must be among the top to-dos on your priority list. And when it comes to training, housebreaking and potty training are always the first lessons people want to teach their dogs. The ideal time for potty training is when your pup is 12-16 weeks of age, as they have control over their bowel and bladder movements by then.

So, now your pup has grown into a well-behaved dog who pees and poops at the right place and time without making things messy or dirty. Then one fine morning, all hell breaks loose when you find wet patches on your dear dog’s bedding. Thinking that your training went in vain, you step forwards and try smelling.

No, it doesn’t smell of urine; rather, it seems odorless. You look at your dog, who seems engrossed with his life, unaware of the panic the wet spot is causing you. It could be urine, perhaps without any smell, due to urinary incontinence issues that your dog might be facing. But the reason could also be something else. Read on to know more:

My Dog’s Bed is Wet But It is Not Urine: What Could the Reasons Be?

If you feel that the wet patches on your dog’s bed aren’t urine, it’s fine. Don’t worry. There are many other causes too that can make their beds appear wet. They could either be non-medical reasons or even medical issues. Let’s discuss each one of them in detail.

Non-medical Reasons

Non-medical reasons are mostly behavioral. For instance, if your dog is on a licking or drooling spree because he is bored, the result may be a wet bed. It may even be the temperature outside that results in a lot of sweat. The reasons are endless.

1. Your Dog May Have Been Drooling Excessively

Your Dog May Have Been Drooling Excessively

Dogs may drool for many reasons, from physical to behavioral. A fractured tooth, mouth tumor, tartar build-up, and gum irritation are some causes of drooling. However, when it comes to behavioral issues, the reasons are plenty. For example, did you know that dreaming of food, among all other things, could trigger drooling in your dogs? Whatever the reason for drooling, it could be one of the causes behind those odorless patches on your dog’s bed that don’t seem like urine.

2. Perhaps He is Warm

Dogs cannot lose heat as fast as humans. So during summertime, if your dog’s bed is close to the source of sunlight or if the air conditioner’s temperature is too high, chances are there that he could sweat as he sleeps. The outcome could be a wet bed.

3. Your Pet Must Have Been Biting and Licking A Lot

Your Pet Must Have Been Biting and Licking A Lot

Your dog may be licking his paws or biting anything it gets hold of a lot. The reasons may be a change in his lifestyle, boredom, etc. He could even be suffering from separation anxiety that might trigger his anxiousness. Licking and biting could even occur if your dog has had an injury. He may tend to lick to soothe himself. Whatever the reason be, the consequence of immense licking and biting may make him slobber much more than usual. The result of all these may be the wet patches you come across.

4. An Outcome of a Wet Dream

It’s interesting and contradictory as well. Many vets disagree, yet dog owners have spoken of seeing their pets dreaming wet just as we humans do. Hence, to explain it a little, a wet dream involves an erotic dream that causes the males to ejaculate involuntarily. Though most common in males, young females could also have wet dreams of having an orgasm. If you own a female dog who is not sprayed or a male dog who hasn’t been neutered yet, then it wouldn’t take long to figure out what that whitish patch on their bed is if it isn’t urine.

Medical Reasons (Unrelated or Related to Urine)

Now, let’s come to the more serious ones. Your dog could suffer from a medical condition resulting in a wet bed. The wetness may be due to any fluid build-up or even urine. Don’t panic upon hearing urine. Your dog may not be wetting his bed because he hasn’t taken to training well. He may be unaware of the fact and perhaps has an underlying issue that causes involuntary urination. Let us check out the causes one by one.

1. Ruptured Cysts

Ruptured Cysts

Your dog may have had a cyst underneath his fur. If it grew big enough and ruptured when your pet was asleep, the fluid would ooze and fill the bed, leading to wet patches. If you see your dog’s bed wet when he wakes up and simultaneously see him licking at something seriously, it’s high time you act. It could be the ruptured cyst. If you don’t stop him, he will continue, which may result in complications like inflammation, bleeding, and infection.

2. Bladder Hypermobility

When the bladder muscle contracts increasingly, the urine could involuntarily leak throughout the day or at night. When it happens during your dog’s bedtime, you could notice patches or spots on his bed the following morning. In this case, urine is the cause behind the wet spot, but your dog isn’t urinating consciously. It is this neurological disorder that may have triggered urinary incontinence.

3. Bladder Tumor

Bladder Tumor

If your dog has abnormal growth in his bladder in the form of a tumor, it will lessen the bladder’s capacity to hold urine. This is because the tumor occupies a majority of the space. Hence, the urine may be forced upwards, leading to leakage, not just at night but during the day. However, urinary incontinence is not the only symptom of a bladder tumor. Other signs include bloody or discolored urine.

4. Ectopic Ureters

The function of the ureters is to act as a passageway for the urine to pass from the kidney into the bladder. The ectopic ureter is considered an anatomical disorder where the ureter isn’t attached directly to the bladder. So, the urine drains outside the bladder, leading to leakage. The ectopic ureter can be seen in some dogs at birth, though most dogs are diagnosed with it when they are ten months old. It is more common in females.

5. Urinary Tract Infection

Urinary Tract Infection

If a bacteria has gotten into your dog’s urinary tract, it can cause a UTI and sudden urinary incontinence. He would also show other symptoms, like discomfort when urinating and a tendency to lick his genitals.

6. Cushing’s Syndrome

The overproduction of cortisol hormone is one of the main reasons for Cushing’s syndrome in dogs. Urinary incontinence is one of the symptoms of Cushing’s Syndrome. However, your dog would also display signs like increased thirst and appetite, excessive panting, and hair loss. The progression of the disease may even lead to loose and weakened muscles.

7. Urinary Incontinence

Urinary Incontinence

As mentioned above, urinary incontinence results from kidney and bladder problems. However, it could be a condition of its own as well. For example, spayed female dogs could develop urinary incontinence later in life if the surgery of removing their ovaries wasn’t conducted well. The same goes for seniors, irrespective of gender, since their bladder muscles weaken over time.

How Do You Identify the Reasons in a Wet Bed?

Once you see a wet spot on your dog’s bed, don’t get anxious. Instead, try identifying the reasons that have led to it. If you can solve them at home, it’s fine. Else, get in touch with a vet so that he may look into the issue and see if your pet has a medical problem or not.

1. Keep a Close Watch on Your Dog

Keep a Close Watch on Your Dog

As a dog owner, you are the best person to understand what is troubling your dog. For example, if he is drooling, he will do it throughout the day, not just at night. Similarly, if he has developed a habit of biting and licking of late, check the triggers and see what is causing it.

2. Check the Room Temperature

Check the temperature of the room where your dog sleeps. If the aircon temperature is high, you can understand and identify that sweat is causing your pet discomfort. The outcome is sweat, followed by wet patches on the bed.

3. Try to Watch Him as He Sleeps

Try to Watch Him as He Sleeps

Suppose you see your dog moving excitedly in sleep and humping an object or the air. In that case, there is a probability that he is dreaming wet.

4. Rule out Medical Conditions

Check if your dog has any cysts or wounds in his body that could have ruptured, resulting in discharge. You must monitor his urine habits even if you are sure that it isn’t urine. Does your dog urinate frequently? Does he express any discomfort during urination, like a change in facial expression that he seems to be in pain? Did you spot blood in his urine? Is he getting tired easily? Is your dog drinking excess water but having less food? Check if your dog gets a negative or positive mark in all these parameters. If it is a yes for one or more of them, then medical intervention is the need of the hour.

How to Deal with Non-Medical Issues that Lead to a Wet Bed?

Once you’ve identified the reasons for that wet patch on your dog’s bed, it is time you work towards solving them.

1. To Deal with Drooling

To Deal with Drooling

First, determine the underlying reason. If it is because of a dental condition, talk to the doctor immediately. Also, take care of his oral hygiene. Make sure he has plenty of dental chews and toys. If the drooling is due to his stress or anxiety, find out the reason causing the behavior and react appropriately.

2. To Deal with Licking and Biting 

If boredom or anxiety makes your dog lick or bite excessively, those issues need to be addressed. Try spending more time with your pet. Teach your pet a new trick, play a game of fetch, or indulge in a tug of war. First, identify if physical discomfort is causing the licking and biting. Check for any wounds or cysts on his body and underneath his fur.

3. To Deal with Wet Dreams

To Deal with Wet Dreams

There is not much you can do but neuter your dog early – 6-9 months is the ideal time. For a female dog, you could spay her when she is 4-6 months of age. Once your dog is spayed or neutered, it won’t have wet dreams anymore.

4. To Deal with Your Dog’s Feeling of Warmth

Please keep your dog’s room well-ventilated so that he gets enough air and doesn’t feel warm in bed. If he has the habit of getting wet, keep a waterproof sheet under his bed.

How to Deal with Medical Issues that Lead to a Wet Bed?

The only solution to deal with medical issues is to consult a veterinarian. If you have ruled out all behavioral causes behind the wet spot, then keep a watch on your dog. A wet spot once in a while isn’t worrisome. However, suppose you see it now and then and notice changes in the dog’s physical condition. In that case, a doctor’s consultation is what you need immediately. Likewise, a urinary tract infection or other medical conditions require immediate intervention.

FAQ’s

Do urine always come with an odor?

Urine with a high water content and fewer waste products have little or no odor. So, if you smell a wet spot with no odor, don’t immediately conclude that it isn’t urine. If it is the first occurrence, then wait till it happens again. Identify the causes that could have led to the wet spot. At the same time, monitor your dog.

Will a dog wet his bed only at night?

In the case of urinary incontinence, the chances of urine leakage are higher at night. This is because when your dog rests, the sphincter muscles relax, allowing for leakage in urine. However, if the dog has a wound or ruptured cysts, you could also find wet spots during the day, especially if he is lying on his bed.

Conclusion

So, in conclusion, it can be said that all wet spots aren’t urine. However, before you rule out all possibilities that it isn’t urine, you must check thoroughly. If the odorless spots keep occurring time and again, then you have to act accordingly. The sooner you detect the cause, the better it will be for your dog.

Check Out These Articles

My Dog Has A Rash Near His Private Area: Causes & Treatment
Pink Spot on My Dog Nose: Causes & RemediesHow to Treat a Limping Dog at Home (& When to take to the vet)
Dog Poops in Sleep: Should I be Worried?Hard Bump on Bridge of Dog’s Nose? Causes, Pictures & TreatmentWhy is My Dog Limping After Laying Down? Reasons & Treatment at Home

Leave a Comment