Your dog needs to go to the bathroom every few hours and you suspect that something is wrong? Or do you have to take the four-legged friend again and again? leave alone for long periods of time? Then the question will be, how long a dog can last without having to urinate, probably very interesting.
But it's not that easy to answer: Every dog is built a little differently, So even within a breed it can happen that one four-legged friend has to go to the toilet significantly less often than another.
Still, there are some Guide values: In the following article you will find more information and some exciting tables on the topic.
This is how big your dog's bladder is
The bladder volume of four-legged friends depends heavily on the Body weight ab: According to a study, it is between 7.5 and 10 milliliters per kilogram of weight for most dogs. However, there are deviations: filling capacities of 3.5 or 20 milliliters per kilo are considered normal.
Minimum, average and maximum volume of dog bladders at a glance
Weight dogMinimum bladder volumeAverageMax. bladder volume2kg7 ml15-20 ml40 ml5 kg17.5 ml37.5-50 ml100 ml10 kg35 ml75-100 ml200 ml15 kg52.5 ml112.5-150 ml300 ml20 kg70 ml150-200 ml400 ml25 kg87.5 ml187.5-250 ml500 ml30 kg105 ml225-300 ml600 ml35 kg122.5 ml262.5-350 ml700 ml40 kg140 ml300-400 ml800 ml45 kg157.5 ml337.5-450 ml900 ml50 kg175 ml375-500 ml1 LSource: Own calculations based on Kendall et.al. (2020) .
If the dog's individual bladder volume is exceeded, it expands. The dog then has to use the urinary bladder sphincter to comply. If he is well behaved, he will let you know that he needs to go out.
Daily fluid requirements of a four-legged friend
However, dogs drink significantly more: according to veterinarian Dr. Maria Hänse from Futalis is fluid needs of dogs, who eat dry food, usually between 40 and 100 milliliters of water per day. Animals that receive wet food are additionally hydrated by the wet food, so they usually get by on 20 to 50 milliliters of water per kilogram.
This then corresponds to the following daily amounts:
Weight dogWater requirement for wet foodWater requirement for dry food2 kg40-100 ml80-200 ml5 kg100-250 ml200-500 ml10 kg200-500 ml400 ml – 1 L15 kg300-750 ml600 ml – 1.5 L20 kg400 ml – 1 L800 ml – 2 L25 kg500 ml – 1.25 L1- 2.5L30 kg600ml – 1.5L1.2-3L35 kg700ml – 1.75L1.4-3.5L40 kg800ml – 2L1.6-4L45 kg900ml – 2.25L1.8-4.5L50 kg1-2.5L2-5LSource: Own calculations based on Futalis data.
The water requirement depends heavily on Temperature and activity level from: Dogs who do a lot of exercise need significantly more fluids than calmer couch potatoes. On sunny days, four-legged friends also have to drink more than in normal temperatures.
Be careful with gastrointestinal problems
If your dog is suffering from gastrointestinal problems nausea or even Diarrhea he then became severely dehydrated. So he really needs to drink a lot of water. Since this causes the fluid stores to be replenished, it is quite possible that only a fraction will then be excreted through the bladder.
Filling the bladder
However, you should keep in mind that not every milliliter of water that the dog drinks gets back into the bladder: If the body needs more fluid, it also needs it for hydration; the dog also uses water vapor to regulate its body temperature by panting.
That means: The amount of fluid that is excreted through the bladder is on the lower side of what the dog drinks. For a dog weighing 10 kilograms, 200 to 400 milliliters of urine per day is a typical value.
Also depends on drinking portions
The question of how long a dog can last depends very much on what he drinks and over what period of time:
- For example, if a dog weighing 10 kilograms is very thirsty on a hot day and he drinks a half-liter water bowl, he may have to urinate immediately.
- If the animal were to drink continuously and, for example, take in 10 milliliters of water every hour, the bladder would usually be full after 8 to 10 hours.
Find out your typical drinking volume
If you want to know how much your dog drinks per day, you can check your four-legged friend's water bowl using one measuring cup fill. At the end of the day you can measure the rest and over several days you will get a good overview of your four-legged friend's typical fluid needs.
Take empirical values into account
However, you shouldn't really exhaust it. When a dog wants to stop with a full bladder, he feels no different than us humans: the wait becomes one mental and physical torture.
Occasionally there are tables circulating that give the impression that a dog of a certain breed must be able to keep a fixed number of hours. But every four-legged friend is an individual case – if you blindly trust these tables, the risk of an “accident” is very high.
Instead, you have to use yours know darling and Consider empirical values: If the dog usually wants to go out after 5 hours at the latest, you can only expect that time from him.
Deviations from the norm
The above values apply to healthy, adult dogs. But there are also some cases in which such tables are of little use: If the dog belongs to someone else Age group on or play acute or chronic illnesses a role, you have to drastically reduce your expectations of your four-legged friend.
Puppies & Young dogs
Puppies and young dogs For example, they are not yet able to reliably control their bladder. In the first months of life are “Accidents” so completely normal.
Experts believe that puppies up to the 16th week of life have little control over their excretions. As their bladder gets bigger, they may be able to stop drinking for about an hour or two, but then urinate without warning.
Training your dog's bladder
You can only train your four-legged friend's bladder by using his physical development into account and keep a close eye on him. As soon as the young dog shows signs that he needs to go to the toilet, give him attention and guide him outside. This is how the dog learns that the little “business” is a ritual.
You should usually take your young four-legged friend out on the following occasions:
- After getting up
- About one to two hours after each drink
- After meals
- Before going to bed.
If something goes wrong, you can under no circumstances scold your four-legged friend. Instead, you clean the affected area and then walk the dog.
Even young dogs up to their first year of life can comply with even less. This is mainly because the bladder is not yet fully grown and therefore has a smaller volume.
Seniors
Also Seniors often have more problems complying. This is mainly due to age-related problems and a higher susceptibility to infection. Sometimes animals become incontinent due to symptoms of dementia.
In general, the bladder of older four-legged friends is no longer quite as efficient: you can usually go along with it about two-thirds of what it used to be Calculate until the dog “has to”: For example, if the dog used to be able to last around 6 hours, in the end it will be more like 4.
Neutered four-legged friends
Neutered four-legged friends – especially female dogs – can often no longer be reliably adhered to. Because of the operation and the resulting changed hormonal balance, this is what happens weakened connective tissue, which makes it difficult to control the sphincter of the urinary bladder.
This means: Even if the dog doesn't want to pee, it keeps dripping out. That is no bad intentions on the part of the four-legged friend, Unfortunately he can't do anything else.
Psychological factors
Dogs should never be left alone longer than necessary: Otherwise there is a risk of serious problems psychological problems, in particular Separation stress is then widespread.
Severely affected animals then show behavior that makes all the tables seem irrelevant: they then consciously urinate. Sometimes they want to attract attention, but fear can also cause the four-legged friends to “shit their pants”.
Also strong territorial behavior can cause the dog to mark its territory in the apartment. However, the bladder is not emptied completely, but rather step by step.
Congenital deformities
If a young dog cannot comply despite all efforts, it is also possible that there is a physical cause behind it.
At a Ureter ectopia or Ureterectopia The ureters do not flow into the urinary bladder triangle, but directly into the urethra or – bitches are particularly often affected – into the vagina or uterus.
This means: urine cannot be stored Dog is incontinent from birth. This deformity is congenital and genetic, but it can be corrected surgically.
Injuries & Nervous diseases
Injuries to the nerves can also cause the dog to be unable to hold less than expected: Trauma as a result of accidents or Herniated discs The nerves of the bladder often become so compressed that the animal loses control of it.
Dogs with urinary infections
Very often dogs can also suffer from… Infections of the urinary tract cannot reliably control their urine flow. Pathogens are then practically always bacteria, which are also present in one Cystitis can result.
Affected dogs then have a stronger urge to urinate and can hold less than usual. Nevertheless, they should drink a lot to eliminate as many germs as possible. Antibiotics are particularly helpful for severe and stubborn infections.
When should you go to the vet?
If your legitimate expectations of your four-legged friend are not met, it may sometimes be necessary to vet to go.
Dog suddenly holds significantly less
Here too, experience is extremely important: some dogs only last for a short time, but are otherwise completely normal. But your four-legged friend should suddenly a significantly shorter bladder tolerance than before, it is very helpful to have it checked by an expert.
Typical studies that are then carried out are Urine and blood analyzes. The external quality and quantity of the urea can also be assessed.
Greatly increased thirst
You should also go to the vet if your four-legged friend suddenly drinks significantly more than usual: Although there are explanations for this, e.g. intense heat or above-average physical exertion, these are missing, but physical suffering is often behind it, e.g.:
- Metabolic diseases such as diabetes
- Hormonal disorders
- Nutrient deficiency
- “Water poisoning”.