Glucosamine and Pee Spots in the House

Updated on September 27, 2009
L.H. asks from Durham, NC
8 answers

One of my dogs has been leaving these gigantic pee spots on the floor in our house. This is very unusual - my dogs are 7 and 9 and have been housebroken since they were puppies. We went through a time period in which this was happening a few months ago, and at the time we were giving my dogs glucosamine supplements for joint issues. When we stopped giving them these supplements for a while when we ran out, and the peeing stopped. I thought it might have something to do with the supplements - they also had vitamin C in them and the vet said maybe the ascorbic acid was irritating her bladder. Recently the peeing started again, and I realized I had just bought them new food - they've always eaten Hill's Science Diet Small Bites, but I recently bought them the same food only the "Mature Adult" version, which also has glucosamine. I can't find any evidence that this is a typical side effect of glucosamine in dogs. I'm happy to switch them back to the old food if this is really the cause... has this ever happened to anyone else?

We think it is the 9 year old dog doing this - she is a Bichon Frise so she's hardly old for her breed. My parents bichon lived to be 18. the other one is a chihuahua/terrier/poodle mix. My vet said the 9 year old seems totally healthy as of her last visit with the exception of some hip dysplasia (which is why we were doing glucosamine). same with the 7 year old except she has the luxating patella (knee) issues.

I checked, and both the old food and the new food seem to have the same amount of vitamin C.

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M.B.

answers from Charlotte on

Hi L. :)

They put a lot of stuff in pet food than can cause allergic reaction in animals, ranging from skin problems, tummy and bladder problems, low energy, weight gain, strong odor etc. The list goes on and on. Hills advertises as being healthy but it's far from it.
I've fostered and owned a lot of dogs and cats over the years and each time, they come into my house with some sort of health issue. I always switch them to a better diet and I see results almost emmediately. Their coats are glossy, their skin problems disappear, they loose excess weight, their energy increases, tummy problems clear up and miraculously FLEAS don't even stay on my pets. I havn't used flea meds in years :)

My favorite brand for dogs can be purchased at petco and petsmart. It's called Nature's Recipe Farm stand http://www.naturesrecipe.com/recipe_detail.aspx?id=454

Whichever brand you choose, you want it to be free of these ingredients: Corn, wheat, soy, preservatives, additives, artificial colors, by-products. Also note--that lamb is great but can cause your dog's odor to increase.

Best of luck! :)

1 mom found this helpful
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S.W.

answers from Lexington on

Most unusual. I have no idea. Our dog is an outdoor dog. I thought it might help if responders knew what breed(s) your dogs are and which dog has this problem (7 or 9 yr. old) you might also check and include whether the new dog food contains vitamin C. If so it may not be the glucosamine - it could the vitamin C. If it isn't the glucosamine or vitamin C could it be something that is found in that particular breed of dog.

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T.T.

answers from Charleston on

it could be dog treats as well my dog has NO problems unless we give her dog treats(like jerky treats, milk bones,etc)then she has bladder problems and pees/leaks urine all over the house the only thing she can handle is dentabones,jumbones,etc things like that which we give her once in awhile. we give her plain animal crackers as treats as this doesn't cause her bladder problems. we thought it was the different kind of dog foods we used too but once we stopped the dog treats and milkbones she stopped having the bladdder problems.my mother in law when she was alive gave jerky treats and stuff to her dog and her dog had the SAME problems so we put 2 and 2 together and figured it had to be the treats and it was so try stopping the dog treats if you give your dogs any and see if that doesn't help eliminate the problem

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P.B.

answers from Raleigh on

Have you had them cultured for UTI?

You can give this product a try, it has been wonderful for many people I know.

http://shop.robbinspetcare.com/tinkle-tonic-1-oz.html

Also, if you are open to this sort of thing I know really good communicator. I have worked with her for over 12 years. Contact me if you would like more info.

P. : )

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D.P.

answers from Raleigh on

I am not a doctor or veterinarian, but I did breed dogs for several years.I have read some posts about where some studies have shown that glucosamine could possibly alter blood sugar and insulin levels in humans and animals. One symptom of diabetes in dogs is excessive thirst and subsequent frequent urination. We had a dog that developed diabetes around 9 years old, and the urination on the carpet started around the same time. I would just pay special attention to how much the dog is drinking and/or maybe talk to your veterinarian about monitoring blood sugar and insulin levels in your dog while eating food with glucosamine. You may want to consider an alternate to glucosamine such as a cod liver oil or other natural substance that help with joint problems.

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S.L.

answers from Lexington on

check for the amount of sodium in their food. It may be scruvite crystals which form in the bladder and generally cause dogs to urinate more often.

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A.C.

answers from Wilmington on

Hi L.,

I, thank God, haven't had this same issue happen with our dogs. They find other excuses to pee in the house. :)

I'm wondering if your dog(s) aren't doing this as a response to changes - change in meds and/or change in diet. They might not be old dogs for their breeds, but they're definitely old enough to be set in their ways and to rebel against changes.

Good luck and keep us posted.

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N.N.

answers from Greensboro on

I'm not a vet either and I don't know the connection between glucosamine and peeing, but out dog started to "leak" when she was around 5 years old. Our vet asked us to bring in a urine sample (we followed our dog around with a shallow, aluminum dish pan attached to a dowel rod and slipped it under her when she would squat) and it turned out she had crystals in her urine. I think the bet is that you take the dog to see the vet and see if they can't see something in the urine when they look at it under a microscope and/or put it through tests. Good luck!

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