Urination problems are quite common in dogs and one such problem that most of the dog owners experience, is dog frequent urination. Normally dogs exhibiting frequent urination are accused of displaying dog's behavioral issues like separation anxiety or territory marking, whereas more often the root of the problem is associated with a health problem.

Dog's frequent urination can be a result of various factors like drinking excess water, change in weather, dog food or exercise routine, or certain infections. Frequent urination in dogs is usually a sign of illness which needs immediate medical attention.

Causes

Canine Urinary Tract Infections: Canine cystitis is a urinary tract infection (UTI) which is one of the most common cause of frequent urination where dogs are concerned, especially in females. The dog's bladder gets inflamed due to the infection, which causes the pet to urinate often. The infection usually affects the lower urinary tract by damaging the bladder wall or stimulating the nerve endings in the bladder or urethra, causing abnormal or painful urge to urinate. Basically the female dog's bladder is short and broader than the male dogs, which makes it more susceptible to bacterial infections that can eventually make way to the dog's bladder. Canine cystitis is also more common in young dogs due to weak immune system. Frequent and painful urination (dysuria), straining to urinate, bloody urine, licking genital area, etc. are some other symptoms that can be seen in dogs suffering canine cystitis.

Excessive Water Consumption: Too much water consumption specially during summer or after exercise is the most obvious reason for a dog to urinate more. Hence, increased thirst (polydipsia) and increased urination (polyuria) are two indicative of some kind of underlying health ailment that the dog may suffer.

Hormonal Imbalance: Quite common in older female dogs or spayed female dogs, hormonal imbalances or low estrogen levels affect the dog's kidney function and make it unable to concentrate urine properly which cause the dog to urinate more. If not treated in time, it may even cause serious health complications like dehydration in dogs.

Canine Bladder Stones: Canine bladder stones are another prime cause for frequent urination in dogs. These stones are formed by crystallization of high mineral levels in the urine due to low pH level in the urine or unhealthy eating habits. These stones can be of pea gravel size or as small as the size of a grain of sand.

Canine Diabetes: Just like humans, dogs are no exception and suffer with canine diabetes. To remove excess levels of sugar from blood dogs drink more water and so will urinate more than usual.

Cushing's Disease: Canine cushing's disease (too much production of adrenal hormone, particularly corticosteroids) is more common in older dogs and hence is usually misunderstood by pet owner as a sign of aging in their dog. Frequent urination due to excess water intake, hair loss, weight gain, lethargy, etc. are common symptoms of this disorder.

Treatment Options

The treatment primarily depends on the underlying cause, severity and duration of the condition. As a responsible owner the first thing you can do is to keep a track of any possible changes in your pet's diet or routine as this can be contributing factor for frequent urination. However, if you think any lifestyle change have not caused the dog to urinate more, look out for other illness symptoms that the dog may exhibit along with frequent urination. Before treating, the veterinarian may conduct urinalysis on the dog's urine sample and some blood tests. Make sure the urine sample is not older than four hours and is preferably refrigerated and placed in a sterile container. He may question about the dog's medical history and may ask to take some X-rays too as this will help him to diagnose the actual cause and prescribe necessary medications and therapies.

A healthy dog drinks about three or four cups of water per day for every 20 pounds of body weight. Hence, you can prevent your pet from drinking excess water by giving the dog measured amounts of water and ensure that the dog doesn't get water from a leaky faucet or toilet or anywhere else. Nowadays, many effective and safe homeopathic and herbal remedies for pets are available to treat this and other urinary and bladder problems. However, before referring to any treatment, it is recommended to consult the veterinarian to diagnose the cause and the overall dog's health.