# Dog often doesn't pee for over 12 hour. Maybe harm to kidneys and ability to hold it in later life?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-often-doesnt-pee-for-over-12-hour-maybe-harm-to-kidneys-and-ability-to-hold-it-in-later-life/658454
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 15, 2013, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-often-doesnt-pee-for-over-12-hour-maybe-harm-to-kidneys-and-ability-to-hold-it-in-later-life/658454 "2013-05-15T21:51:54Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2013, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-often-doesnt-pee-for-over-12-hour-maybe-harm-to-kidneys-and-ability-to-hold-it-in-later-life/658454/1 "2013-05-15T21:51:54Z")

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See subject. Means if I keep making him hold it on many occasions. I’ve been feeling guilty.

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### Author: ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2013, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-often-doesnt-pee-for-over-12-hour-maybe-harm-to-kidneys-and-ability-to-hold-it-in-later-life/658454/2 "2013-05-15T22:51:13Z")

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My dog seems to show no anxiety in the morning, waiting to go out for the first time in 12 hours.

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### Author: ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2013, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-often-doesnt-pee-for-over-12-hour-maybe-harm-to-kidneys-and-ability-to-hold-it-in-later-life/658454/3 "2013-05-16T00:06:07Z")

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I would worry more about urinary tract infections in a dog that doesn’t pee for some 12 hours. After all, warm urine, sitting relatively still in an enclosed space, is a pretty good culture medium.

To answer your question, in humans at least, damage _can_ be done to the urinary system if a \*full \* bladder isn’t emptied often enough. This is very common in men with prostate problems. That said, if a person (of dog) reliably pees without difficulty when ‘prompted’, the chance of harm is very remote, i.e. only \*sustained \*and ongoing urinary retention causes enough “back pressure” to damage the kidneys and the ureters (the tubes connecting the kidneys to the bladder).

BTW, does your dog ever lose control of its badder?