I have an 8 month old Shepherd mix puppy. I keep her in a crate

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I have an 8 month old Shepherd mix puppy. I keep her in a crate at night and for right now we live in an apt. so she is either kept in the bathroom, or we have a screened in porch on the first floor that we keep her on when it's nice out. I'm afraid I've caused her to think she has to hold her bladder all day because of getting mad a few times when she's peed all over everything in the bathroom except the wee wee pads. Now I come home after 9 hours of her being in either place and they are dry, and she hasn't peed anywhere. Then the rest of the evening she goes to the door to let me know she needs to go out like 6 times even when she's just peed, within 5 minutes she acts like she must go pee again, and she squats and pees like 2 droplets and we go back inside. Plus, at night I used to when she was smaller, get up every 2 hours to take her out, then I let the time get longer and longer as I could see she wasn't having accidents in her crate. I thought she was being good that she would last 7 or 8 hours all night. Now I'm VERY worried that I made her hurt her kidneys or bladder. Then when she is running and playing lately her breathing sounds like almost a phlegmy sounding rattling, not wheezing, or anything. She has no discharge from her nose, she shows no sign of fatigue or anything and she is still as perky and feisty as ever. Plus her nose is still wet and cold. Please help! I need to know if I can still help her or if I must take her to vet because I've allowed her to get sick.

Customer (name blocked for privacy)

Status: Closed Value: $2

She may have the start of a slight bladder infection being that she only goes a bit frequently. Sometimes holding it for long periods will cause this. I would have your vet check her urine and place her on the appropriate antibiotics if thats what the problem is.
Good Luck!

Edited by ZooCVT on November 1 2004 at 5:04 AM

Let me know if you have any other questions
Good Luck &
Best Fishes

It sounds like two different possibilities, being 8 months she should be able to hold it pretty long, but I am worried about the repeated squatting. They can do that for just marking, or they can do it from a urinary tract infection. Also remember the desire to go out is part of being a dog and not neccessarily just to urinate. She will squat out there but just to mark, not to pee.
To rule out urinary issues, you can take a fresh urine sample to a vets office and they can test it.
The breathing thing may be her as well, but if the noises are new, you may want a vet to listen to her chest. It is hard with just the ears to determine if respiratory noise is in the the nose and throat or in the chest. A stethoscope and vet needs to determine where the noise is. If there is "wet"noise in the chest, pneumonia can be a rule out and with pneumonia there wouldn't always be nasal discharge.

Let me know if you have furhter questions.

Dr.V

Dr. D.A. Vamvakias
Veterinarian

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