My dog is going on 12 years old. Today, she seems to have urinated while sleeping. But, she didn't seem to have noticed what she had done. I know she's getting old, and like people, it'll be harder to control your bladder muscles. Is there any suggestions on how I can help her? I let her out a lot, so I'm not sure what else I could do. I thought about the diapers, but that seems a bit much.

Any suggestions would be wonderful!

Thanks

I would go for a check-up at the vet. It could be a urinary tract infection that a few antibiotics could clear up. My dog was waking me every few hours in the night to go out and I attributed it to old age. Poor baby had a UTI for almost a month by the time I got to the vet.

Our female dog had similar problems at about the same age. Luckily we have a very good vet and suspected it was a (the following may not be the best explanation but I'll give it my best shot) flap that stops the urine from exiting. It gets weaker with age and the pressure while laying down forces out urine. He gave her estrogen as a treatment and it fixed her up.

There are also some non-hormone based medicines available for "old dog" urinary incontinence.