Sorry about the title everyone. But this is the problem I'm worrying about. My Golden Retriever who is eleven and a half years old has suddenly taken to getting me up in the middle of the night - usually around four o clock, she puffs and pants and flaps her ears next to my bed to get attention. I get up, take her out to the garden and she has a wee. Initially I thought this might be cystitis, but she can go practically all day at home (we work from home, so we're with her all the time) without needing to go out. The one thing I have noticed is that whenever she does have a wee the urine smells very strongly of ammonia.  She has been on oxytet tablets for some time as she has problems with bacterial overgrowth in her digestive system, but the vet assured me that this is a very safe low dosage drug which could be taken for years with no ill effects.

Obviously we will have to take her to the vets for a check up, but I wondered if anyone had any ideas as to what the problem could be, and if so, had any ideas as to how we could help  her.

Thank you everyone.

AnnieT

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My first Golden used to have this problem, smelling of ammonia,  and looking very dark in colour. I had the urine tested, they found nothing wrong with it except that it nearly blew their heads off (the Vets).  I noticed that it always seemed to happen in warm weather.  I would take a sample to be tested but if it is like mine there will be nothing wrong.

Could it be that she's not drinking enough?  One of mine has had urinary problems recently and the vet suggested giving cranberry tablets and making sure he drank lots of fluids.  Mine love milk and it doesn't upset their tums so I give him drinks of watery milk.  It seems to have sorted the problem.

I thought she may not be drinking enough, regarding the smell and dark colour.  Of course, with the night time wee, it could be an age thing? Well, we can get like that ourselves sometimes...so much fun getting old...:D.........let us know what the vet says :)

I'd get it checked out, needing to toilet more often can be  a sign of an infection or even something like diabetes :)