How Long Can A Dog Go Without Peeing And Pooping? Answers + Tips

Most dog owners ask us how long a dog can go without peeing and pooping because; holding pee and poop can create many problems in the long run. Therefore, this article is all about the peeing and pooping of dogs. 

So, how long can a dog go without peeing and pooping? It has been found that any dog can’t go without peeing or pooping for more than 8 hours, and the period can change according to their age. Anyway, there are many reasons for your pet to poop and pee, such as; having a urinary condition, feeling nervous, or dehydration. 

So, what is the result of holding pee and poop for a long period? Of course, they may face many health problems like; urinary stones, urinary cancers, incontinence, etc. Therefore, if your pet has some troubles with toileting, you have to help him to do it by taking its poop quickly through wipes, checking for diet, and making it healthier. So, it is your responsibility to keep your pet healthy. 

Accordingly, in this article, I have covered why dogs hold pee and poop, how long can dogs go without peeing and pooping, and what happens if they don’t do it for a long period.

Finally, I have provided you with some tips to help your pet to do it. Let’s get started.

Reasons for your dog not peeing or pooping?

You may have noticed that sometimes your pet holds its pee and poop for a long period. Have you ever thought that there are many reasons behind this?

And if you can find the reason before considering; how long a dog can go without pooping, you can come up with better solutions for them. So, here let’s discuss those reasons in detail. 

1. Your pet may have a urinary condition

The dogs do not pee when there is an issue with the urinary system like; urinary stones or urinary tract. The canines with diabetes and old females are more likely to catch infections related to the urinary tract.

It is important to treat this as soon as possible because it will cause many dangerous problems in the long run, like ruptured bladder and kidney failures. 

Urinary stones can be commonly found within the bladder in certain terriers like; Dalmatians, Black Russian Terriers, and Bulldogs.

And tumors are identified as an abnormal growth of tissues, and also it can take place among many terriers. As they also can make obstructions, it is important to treat them quickly. 

2. Feeling nervous 

When the dogs get nervous or stressed, they can’t pass the urine as they normally do, although they need to.

The change of the usual environment is one of the common reasons for your pet’s stress. That means; if you move to a new location, the dog loses its usual place of passing wastes, and it may be nervous.

3. Dehydration

The dogs with dehydration do not often urinate. This is not good in any condition. Therefore it is important to expose your pet to clean water in this situation. Then, it will come to normalcy. 

So, these are the major reasons for them to prevent urination. On the other hand, they have many reasons to prevent from passing feces where we called constipation like;

• Not having enough exercises
• Insufficient or lot of fiber-containing in the diet
• Abscessed or blockade of anal sacs
• Self-grooming excessively
• Causes of drugs
• Neurological disorder
• Enlargement of the prostate gland
• Trauma in pelvis

How long can a dog go without peeing and pooping? 

Before considering; the time duration for dogs to hold pee and poop, you should have a clear idea of how often they should do it for a day? 

It varies according to the age, food as well as health condition of the dogs. Normally, puppies poop often. With their growth, the metabolism and digestion slow down, and they may not need to do it often as they did in puppyhood.

And also, food plays a major role here. If the pet eats low nutritional food more, their stomach tends to fill fast, and they may need to pass them often.

Also, if you provide them food more often, then also they have to do this more. Accordingly, it is said that normally dogs should poop 1– 5 times per day. 

And when it comes to peeing, a healthy canine has to pee 10-20 ml per day for every pound of body weight. A healthy adult dog should urinate at least 3-5 times per day. 

So, now let’s see how long a dog can go without peeing and pooping. This depends on your pet’s age, sex, health, and body size. If it is in adulthood, it can be about 8-10 hours without urinating. And if it is young and small, it needs to do this very often when compared with the adult terriers. 

A sick dog can’t hold them for a long time, and it is not safe to do so. It is the same for a puppy of one-month-old, it can only hold for an hour and when it becomes about 2 months the time can be increased up to 3 hours. At the age of 6 months, they can hold for 7-8 hours. 

And also, for some special breeds like; working and guard dogs, the time can change up to 10-12 hours. Accordingly, there are many conditions behind the waste of holding time of the dogs.

What happens if your dog doesn’t pee or poop for a long period?

Now, you know the answer to the question; how long can a dog go without pooping or peeing. So, let’s see what will happen if your pet does not do it for a long time. It is beneficial for you to know this to prevent their dangerous effects.

So, here you should identify that the pet is suffering from constipation or any issue in the urinary system. Following are the symptoms to identify the issues related to their urinary system.

• The flow of urine in trickles or spurts
• Delaying or failing the attempts of urination where the dog tries to do it frequently
• Show strain when trying to pee
• Leaking takes place due to filling the bladder excessively
• Passing blood with urine
• Licking the urinary opening
• Low of appetite
• Vomiting
• Lethargy
• Dislike to do even the normal day-to-day activities
• Bloating 

On the other hand, you have to be alert on constipation symptoms like; 

• Lack of passing feces for a few days
• Hard stool
• Straining even in the absence of much stool production
• Discomfort
• Pain in defecation
• Difficulty to defecate
• Passing mucus with stool
• Mixing blood with the stool

So, if you notice any of the above-mentioned symptoms in your dog, you have to provide it with treatments soon. If not, the situation will be dangerous by calling for diseases like; 

• Urinary stones
• Tumors
• Infections
• Kidney diseases
• Cancers
• Spinal injuries

What can be done if the dog doesn’t pee or poop for a long time? 

As soon as you find that the pet suffers from any pain related to urination or passing feces, you have to give it the necessary treatments.

Now, as you know the exact answer for the problem; how long can a dog go without pooping; you can take steps to give it better treatments when it catches constipation.

1. Using wipes to take the poop quickly

This is a very simple and convenient method to help your pet where you need not touch its body with your hands and use safe and eco-friendly wipes for this.

So, here, you have to gently wipe around the bum of your pet circularly. Then, it will easily answer the call of nature.

2. Concern about the diet of the dog

There are many reasons for the difficulties of dogs in passing feces like; various drugs, internal blockade, lack of exercise, etc. but, its diet is a major reason among them.

If it shows the symptoms of constipation, you have to increase the fiber contained in its food. There, you may add canned dog food, pumpkin, etc. 

3. Giving enough exercises

Exercises are also important to release this illness. So, you can make a routine to go out with the pet. If you can do this after the meal, it will give better results.

When you rub the pet’s belly at this moment, it will be encouraged to do more exercises which will be better to come out of this health issue. 

4. Squirting water

Here, you should gently squirt some cool water on the bum of your pet with the help of another one to hold the dog.

Consider the temperature of the water and squirting action as it will help the pet to pass its wastes quickly. But make sure to stop this as soon as you notice that the pet is getting stressed. 

And, if there is a difficulty for it to pass urine; 

• First, identify the reasons for its difficulty in pee. If it is a urinary tract infection, you should provide it with antibiotics.
• Increasing the amount of water intake
• Giving urinary acidifiers or alkalinizers depending on the PH value of their urine
• Relaxing the bladder and urethra through medications
• Catheterization of their bladder up to thrice per day
• Dissolving some bladder stones through the diet
• Surgical correction is provided for congenital abnormality

Final thoughts – How long can a dog go without peeing and pooping?

We have discussed; how long a dog can go without peeing and pooping with more details. I think this article will work out for all the dog owners as I have covered some important areas related to a common issue of dogs as; why do dogs hold pee and poop, how long can a dog go without pooping and peeing, what happens if it didn’t do both of them for a long period. Finally, I have provided you with some tips to help your pet to do it.

If you research the most raised pet animal in the world, it will be the dog because many people love their loyalty, protection, and love mixed with joy and playfulness. So, they do not bear any difficulties. As a result, they tend to find the reasons for the difficulties of their pets when peeing and pooping.

Accordingly, the reasons like; not having enough exercise, insufficient or a lot of fiber contained in the diet, abscessed or blockade of anal sacs, self-grooming excessively, and causes of drugs or neurological disorder can be found.

You should know that any dog can’t go without passing its waste for more than 8 hours. Therefore, if you notice any symptom like; the flow of urine in trickles or spurts, delaying or failing the attempts of urination where the dog tries to do it frequently, show strain when trying to pee, leaking which takes place due to filling the bladder excessively, passing blood with urine, difficulty to defecate, passing mucus with stool, mixing blood with the stool, etc.; you have to give them treatments soon.

There, you can try treatments like; using wipes to take the poop quickly, concerning the dog’s diet, giving enough exercise, squirting water, etc. So, as a good owner, it is in your hand to protect your pet without giving it a chance to be sick. 

Thank you for reading this post. I hope it answered your burning questions about your dog. Stay tuned with Jack Russell Owner for more interesting posts.