My brother called me the other day sounding rather perplexed. He said that his dog has been having a rather weird problem. He has been finding wet patches on the dog’s bed but he swears it ain’t urine.
That makes this puzzle a lot more interesting as there can only be so many ways that a dog can secrete fluids. But the dog lover in me refused to give up and gathered as much feedback and options from many pets owners
What could make your dog’s bed wet without it being urine?
Let’s find out.
1. Your Dog Is A Drooler
Owning a dog gives you the privilege of experiencing unconditional love, unshakable loyalty and non-stop drooling. Drooling to a dog is what purring is to a cat.
It happens often and it happens a lot.
Dogs drool for good reason. The saliva in their mouths helps to act as lubrication to move the food down their throats when they eat.
If you have ever seen your dog eat, it doesn’t really chew much.
All the dog does is use its teeth or tongue to grab onto the food and down it goes. Without sufficient saliva, your dog can easily choke on its food.
You might just have a dog that drools a lot when it sleeps which explains the wet patches on the dog bed.
2. Your Dog Is Feeling Warm
Drooling also helps to cool your dog down when the weather is warm and they need to lose body heat quickly.
Dogs and cats run at a higher body temperature between 100-102.5 F.
They do require more heat to feel warm but they don’t do a very good job of losing body heat.
Unlike humans who can easily sweat all over to lose body heat and cool down, dogs can only sweat via their paws and nose which isn’t a lot of surface area to lose heat from.
Panting is usually the main way that dogs use to lose heat and a dog that pants a lot tends to also drool a lot.
Where is your dog’s bed located?
Is it at a location that gets direct sunlight? Or are you experiencing a heat wave now?
If your dog’s bed is in your room and you only notice wet patches in the morning, could your air con temperature be too high for your dog?
Try putting your dog’s pet in a cooler place or lowering the temperature at night to see if that helps.
3. Your Dog Is Biting And Licking Itself
A dog that has been chewing and biting its paws or any part of its body that is in contact with its bed can leave wet spots.
Dogs don’t groom themselves as much as cats. When it comes to grooming, I doubt there is any one animal that does it more than cats.
Here’s a fun fact.
Cats can spend up to 5 hours a day just grooming themselves.
That being said, dogs do groom themselves too. They will lick the areas around their mouth and also chew on their paws and nails.
Some dogs just have the habit of biting at their paws or on a toy. My aunt’s dog is able to lick its paws for a good 20 minutes and leave a huge puddle of slobber while doing so.
An Injury
Besides being a habit, your dog might also be biting and licking itself due to an injury.
Your dog’s paw could have been injured while it was out on a walk and have stepped on something sharp.
A dog’s saliva contains anti-bacterial properties that can help prevent minor wounds from getting infected.
An Allergy
An allergic reaction can make your dog itch a lot due to irritation with its skin.
If it is somewhere that your dog can reach with its mouth, it will be biting and licking that area trying to relieve the itch.
The itchier your dog feels, the more licking and biting your dog will do which can leave huge wet spots on its bed.
4. Your Dog Had A Wet Dream
Say what? Is that even possible?
Some vets might beg to differ but a number of dog owners have noticed their dogs exhibiting such behavior.
It could be due to having an erotic dream or experiencing the sensation.
Male dogs can ejaculate when excited especially when they are humping an object or your leg.
But a dog having a wet dream is quite unheard of by many owners.
But according to one reader of mine, she actually saw her dog humping the air.
The amazing thing was, her dog was still asleep when it all happened.
A dog can reach sexual maturity between 6-9 months of age which still make them very young.
If the dog isn’t fixed, the sex hormones can cause arousal in the dog’s genitals even while it sleeps.
Another issue that dog owners can have with an intact pup is one that just won’t calm down due to a high libido.
Having to deal with a dog that just wants to hump everything in sight can be frustrating and embarrassing.
5. Your Dog Has Impacted Anal Glands
Your dog has a pair of anal glands that can be found inside the entrance of its anus. The anal glands serve an important purpose in your dog’s life.
The anal glands of a dog contain a wealth of information that explains why dogs always greet another dog by sniffing each other’s butt.
Dogs can also squirt a thick, oily and musky fluid from their anal glands to mark their territory to scare off other dogs and attract female dogs in heat.
Your dog’s anal glands can become infected due to a bacterial infection or when it is too full.
This can cause the glands to leak their contents which can smell rather foul.
One obvious sign of a dog having impacted anal glands is dragging its butt on the floor to relieve the discomfort.
When this happens, you should take your dog to the vet for a check-up. A bacterial infection would require antibiotics to heal.
The Actual Reason Why My Brother’s Dog’s Bed Was Wet
After a week of cracking our heads and even a vet visit, my brother finally figured out the reason.
*drum roll please*
It was due to condensation under the dog’s bed that was causing the damp spots.
My brother sleeps with the aircon turned on pretty cold.
And when he turns it off in the morning, the cold tile floor under the dog’s bed starts to condense from the dog’s body heat thus causing the damp spots.
He placed a small rug under the bed and problem solved!
Oh and here’s a good tip.
Use a small webcam to record your dog when it is on its bed. You might be able to spot the reason that’s causing the wet spots when you play back the video.
It is not possible to keep an eye on your dog 24/7.
Are You Absolutely Sure It’s Not Urine?
There could be a chance that the wet spots in your dog’s bed are caused by urine.
The urine from your dog might be diluted and unconcentrated enough that it doesn’t leave an odor or stain.
There are a few underlying medical conditions that can cause this:
- Diabetes
- Crushing disease
- Urinary tract infection
- Urinary incontinence (involuntary urine leakage)
If you notice that your dog has been leaving wet spots or pee stains without any other symptoms, it might be a good idea to take your dog to the vet for an examination.
Why Is My Dog Wetting The Bed Only At Night?
If you notice that your dog has only been wetting the bed at night, it could be that your dog needs to use the toilet but doesn’t have access to it.
Most adult dogs can hold it in for about 8 hours after their last meal. When it comes to puppies, these young dogs can’t hold their waste overnight.
The younger the dog, the more often it has to use the toilet at night. The same goes for older or senior dogs who have weaker bladders or suffer from urinary incontinence.