A "leaking" dog?

It IS probably urine -- HOWEVER -- that leads to the next question of when and how much is he drinking?

If a dog comes in from outside and goes DIRECTLY to drink, it's often a UTI.  They're smarter than we are and identify that when they drink it doesn't burn as bad to pee.  (we women tend to not drink when it burns -- not smart, actually)

Now -- since he's a year if you can't clear this up with abx quick then the vet may have to look deeper.

With really dilute urine it can be tough to get a strip reading to say there is infection so ASK for a round of antibiotics to try ***FIRST*** rather than jumping into a ton of cultures and urinalysis tests. 

You can't get rid of a UTI with anything other than an antibiotic usually (there are some Chinese herbs strong enough to act as an antibiotic but nor usually)

If he's dirnking tons then it may not register that he needs to wake you up to go out.  (especially if he's dreaming -- he may just loose control of an over-full bladder).

DON'T deny him water -- sorry, that's a major hot button with me.  Because if he HAS a UTI it will make it way more painful

It's not likely he's "incontinent" -- it's likely just an accident because of current circumstances.

 Our dogs always seem to go get a drink after coming inside... does that really indicate the possibility of a UTI?

Was he chewing on anything? - bone, kong?

tashakota

Our dogs always seem to go get a drink after coming inside... does that really indicate the possibility of a UTI?

Mine usually do too and no, I don't think that, by itself, is an indication of anything other than a thirsty dog.  :)

Yeah was he chewing something?  Mine leave a TON of slobber behind even if they are just gnawing on a toy for a few minutes.  If it doesn't smell, I doubt it was urine.  Coke peed in the house a few times when he was on pred and it was clear b/c he was drinking so much but it still smelled like urine.  This might sound odd but if you point out the spot to another dog, do they care?  My dogs always seem very "sniffy" if anyone has an accident, vomits, etc.  In fact I've discovered a few accidents/spills that way.  But if it's just some moisture or drool from a dog chewing or sucking on a toy they don't care.

It depends on the habit of the dog and where you keep the bowl.  And there tends to be a difference in the single-mindedness and generally how much they're drinking.  It's just a "sign" but it's not the end all in signs.

 And I've seen urine LOTS of times (when a dog is drinking TONS) that is virtually odorless and colorless but when it's enough that it soaks all the way thru bedding??? That's not typically just drool.  Particularly if it was during sleep. Particularly if it's not typical for the dog to drool a lot or drink a lot.

You take it as a package -- not just one symptom to obscess over

I've had to change bedding a lot b/c of drool, but I have large dogs that are tough chewers (and will chew something for hours).  I also get wet spots when they groom themselves especially feet, or a dog like Kenya that is an obsessive self-chewer/licker will leave puddles.  Or, snow?  Coke will track in balls of snow stuck to him that don't always fall right off and melt throughout the house.

My dogs have left some pretty big wet spots, from licking themselves. Bean has a licking "thing" and she can make quite a mess. Looks just like a pee spot.

A year old dog can definitlely be incontinent, BUT.... if it doesn't smell like pee, and you blot it, and it's clear.... ESPECIALLY if it's slimy, at all, I'd be more likley to think slobber

He was definitely sleeping during this time.  Max does some pretty big wet spots from licking as well, but this was a soaking wet spot.

Anyway, I took a sample of urine in to work today and it turns out there are crystals in his urine.  I feel horrible that I didn't catch this sooner.  But I'm taking him in tomorrow to get weighed and put on some antibiotics.  Hopefully it clears it up.  Is there anything I need to know about crystals and if they are reoccuring, etc.  I will talk to the vet tomorrow, too.

Here is an article on bladder crystals/stones - http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2114&aid=400

There are different types of bladder crystals/stones which require different treatments.  The most common are struvite crystals/stones which are usually the result of infection.  In the case of struvite crystals getting rid of the infection usually lowers the urine pH and then the crystals gradually dissolve.

If there are struvite stones or other types of crystals/stones, your vet will advise you about other treatments (including possible diet changes).  Struvite crystals/stones may only be a one time thing.  Others (like calcium oxalate crystals/stones) can be a genetic problem requiring treatment for the rest of the dog's life. 

The fact that you don't have stones (large complexes of crystals) means that this hasn't been a long term problem, so don't beat yourself up about not catching it sooner!!

NOTE:  Both pH and temperature are environmental variables.  A high urine pH does not cause struvite crystals/stones any more than a baking temperature causes a cake.    In the presence of the right temperature cake batter will become a cake.  In the presence of a high urine pH and the right raw materials (both can be provided by an infection) struvite crystals will form.  Over a period of time such crystals can grow into stones. 

Well there, I feel a bit vindicated!!  I'm glad you went to the vet!  MANY times I've had dogs have urine that was so odorless and colorless that it really didn't smell like urine until it had been laying around a day or so.

The big thing to ask your vet is "was it struvite or oxalate crystals?" -- they are almost polar opposites.  Don't just let them do a strip test -- there can be mild infection and they won't pick it up -- but if you already know you've got crystals I'd do an actual urinalysis and make sure you know the whole story --

Struvites thrive in urine that is too 'base' -- (alkaline) and Billy was having a problem with struvites last year.  So .... I went on the warpath trying to acidify things a bit because he was having recurrent UTIs.  (and Tink and Luna were way too prone as well).  Sooo I added more acid stuff to their food, and I switched ot using cranberry rather than D-Mannose to ward off the UTIs. 

Well -- I home cook -- and unbeknownst to me I was using too much calcium (the type of calcium -- what form it is, and even what company makes it can vary widely).

The "too much calcium" combined with the cranberry I was giving (I usually use D-Mannose but the vet and I decided to switch to the cranberry cos it was just a wee bit more acid).

Suddenly we flip flopped from struvites to oxalates in about 3 months!  SHEESH. 

I ditched the cranberry (went back to D-Mannose) and reduced the calcium (I had switched brands -- go figure, it needed a different amount) and problem solved.

USUALLY oxalates are NOT so easily gotten rid of.  They ARE *very* genetically linked. 

See if you've changed diet recently-- it could be part of the problem.

billy can run a UTI in a heartbeat -- and I learned long ago -- I keep the water bowl in the downstairs bathroom!  Weird?? Yes.  BUT we can "hear" somebuddy drinking from any direction that way and that way David and I can keep better track of "who's doing all the dirnking NOW???" *sigh*

I use a big old Anchor Hocking 2qt bowl -- it's clear and it's 'graded' on the sides so I can actually keep track of who's drinking a lot.  Given MY crew, it's helped me avert UTIs a good many times.