my dog recently was on prednisone for skin breakouts. he has some kind of allergies. during the time that he was on the meds, he began waking me up in the middle of the night to go outside. i figured that it was because of the medication. now he has been off of the meds for over a week and he is still waking me up in the middle of the night to go outside. how do i break him of this behavior? we are moving to a new apartment (a highrise) and i do not want him to be doing this there. any suggestions would be helpful! thank you.
2007-10-24 05:51:44 · 19 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Dogs
The prednisone increases thirst. As the pet drinks more, they need to urinate more. Did you slowly decrease the dose until you were giving a minimum dose every other day?
The easiest solution to night time urination is to reduce water intake after dinner time. Taking the dog for a short walk to empty the bladder should also help to reduce the need for middle of the night trips outside.
2007-10-24 05:58:23 · answer #1 · answered by Mary F 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
A quick call to the vet will cost you nothing and also reassure you that this behavior is normal.
One of the side effects of prednisone will be excessive thirst (and therefore excessive urination.)
Even though he is now off the meds they will linger (for want of a better word) in his system for a while.
Steriods can do some damage to the liver, adrenals and pituitary if used over a prolonged period, even trigger Cushing's, so when my dachshund has his annual itchy-skin breakout my vet usually has me try benadryl first as it has no long-term effects. But we have been known to have to resort to pred to get it under control, so I know where you are coming from.
I would make sure he has plenty of water available all day but then pick the bowl up after dinnertime.
A 10 pm (or just before bedtime) walk to make sure the bladder is empty before going down for the night, should help as well.
I am sure he does not like this any better than you do, just be patient with him. There may be a time when you become incontinent too! ;)
2007-10-24 06:09:01 · answer #2 · answered by Karen W 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'd check with the vet - it may take some time for the prednisone to clear out of his system (and yes, prednisone is known to increase urination), but if it's cleared out and he's still doing it, there's the possibility of an underlying medical problem. Frequent urination is symptomatic of a number of things, from Cushings to kidney disease, so getting a vet checkup would be a good idea, IMHO.
Some people will say "pick up his water bowl in the evening" but do NOT do that without a vet's okay. If he does have kidney problems, depriving him of water will make him worse, not better, and in a hurry.
2007-10-24 05:56:14 · answer #3 · answered by Nandina (Bunny Slipper Goddess) 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
speaking as someone who has seen this all too often,I will never understand how people can just toss away a pet after years of being together.....I worked in a shelter and would cry everytime someone would come in with an older dog and claim "they are just too busy or have to move or we are having a baby so we dont want the dog anymore"what did this creature EVER do to deserve this?yes,I was crying as I read this....anyone with a heart would be!!!!!! now I've been rescuing bully breeds and what a heartbreak it can be!!! these breeds deserve so much more than a life of chains,fighting,breeding till they are used up and then just dumped,being the scapegoats for ANY dog attack even if a different breed was the real culprit........thank you for posting this even though its hard to read it is so true!!!!!! my dog just got a very big tearfilled hug and kiss from me(he was a rescue)with the promise he'd never have to worry again....
2016-05-25 12:18:07 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I do suggest you check out.. about dot com. Look up 'housetraining'. I am sure that your dog had to go more then usual with the meds, but NOW it is a learned behaviour. It is FUN for a dog to get up in the middle of the night and go out.. that's why it takes awhile to get pups to stop going out all hours of the night :)
You can make sure that you go out (if your bed time was 9pm) at 9:30pm.. add the time before bed, and then when the dog asks to go out at night say *wait* or whatever word you use for stay or no. Make the dog wait a few extra minutes.. this way you can get the dog back to out at bedtime and up when you are.
I really hope this helps!
2007-10-24 05:59:27 · answer #5 · answered by Keep Us Purring! 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mine still doesn't sleep through the night without asking for the door sometimes 2 - 3 times. I started taking the water away from him around 8 pm and I walk him right before I go to bed 10-11 pm. So far it's been a successful method.
2007-10-24 06:02:34 · answer #6 · answered by Jane Marple 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First, call the vet who prescribed the medicine and determine whether or not it is the medicine that caused the increased frequency of needing to go. Also find out, assuming it was the medicine, how long the medicine stays in the dog's system- some medicines can stay in for about 2 weeks.
After you get the vet's OK that there's no physical reason for him to go at such a time, just begin taking him out later at night and earlier in the morning. Try not bringing him out at night and see if he can control himself. Sometimes my dogs wake me up to go out at night and if I ignore them, they just go back to sleep and wait until morning. I know you don't want to risk an accident or make him uncomfortable, but you need to determine whether being let out is a necessity or just habit.
2007-10-24 06:12:34 · answer #7 · answered by Boss 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hmmm...tough one. The only thing I can suggest is to be patient a little while longer. Prednisone is a drug that stays in the system longer than some others so even though he has been off it a week, you could still be seeing the results of it. Good luck.
2007-10-24 05:56:23 · answer #8 · answered by auskan2002 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I agree with most of the answers, its a matter of retraining them. he just needs a but of retraining. give it some more time for the meds to get all the way out of his system and begin by limiting his water after a certain time at night, like after the last time you normally expect to take him out. Then make him wait a little more each night to get him used to it slowly, then you should be able to get him back on track. Good luck.
2007-10-24 06:04:31 · answer #9 · answered by bran72072 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
One of the side effects of prednisone is increased urination - so you can't break him of it as long as he on the drug - he needs to go! It takes awhile for prednisone to get out of his system - it is a persistent drug. He should stop with this behavior soon.
2007-10-24 05:57:17 · answer #10 · answered by ? 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋