To some people, urinary incontinence old age and the dog is destined to live out his/her life outside the house. However, the many cases I saw involved dogs less than 8 years old and interestingly, a lot of them are girls.
It is important to differentiate incontinence (involuntary urine voiding) from voluntary urination due to behavioral issues (e.g poor toilet-training, territory marking, anxiety etc).
Help! My dog is peeing everywhere, Teneriffe Vet.
Help! My dog is peeing everywhere, Teneriffe Vet.
Incontinent dogs wet their bed when they are sleeping or relaxed, and urinating inappropriately in the house (e.g. on the dog bed, the carpets they were lying on, in your room etc), or simply just dribbling urine. You may find that your pet reeks of urine, yellow-staining on their fur and the skin around the penis or vulva may be inflamed due to urine scaling.
Behavioral urinary issues include submissive urination, lack of house training or territory marking (male dogs). Take some time to observe your dogs to differentiate between incontinence and behavioral urinary problems.
What are the possible causes of urinary incontinence, Teneriffe Vet?
In some cases, urinary incontinence arose due to an infection in the urinary tract. Others due to a weak bladder sphincter commonly seen in spayed female dogs. It is also possible that your dog may have ingested excessive amount of water (due to medical or psychological causes) or spinal cord diseases.
Urinary tract infection (UTI)
This is a very common cause of urinary incontinence in female dogs of all ages. I commonly see younger indoor dogs developing UTI as they try to keep their urine in till their owners are home. Infection within the bladder causes an increased need to void urine resulting in inappropriate urination around your home. Bear in mind that your dog really wanted to do right by you and has developed this condition due to your current arrangements. If this recurs, it might be important to try out other schedules / arrangements. Other primary diseases that can cause UTI include infantile vagina, bladder stones, impaired immune function (due to Hyperadrenocortism, diabetes, steriod therapy etc), excessive consumption of water and spinal cord diseases.
Hormone responsive incontinence
In my previous post on desexing, I mentioned that up to 1 female dog out of 5 can develop incontinence later in her life. It is postulated that a deficiency of estrogen in spayed females can lead to a weak urethral sphincter. Your female dog may urinate normally when she is awake but wets her bed when she is relaxed or asleep.
Excessive consumption of water (Polydipsia)
Some diseases can cause an increased uptake of water by your pooch. Increased intake = increased output = urinary incontinence. Common causes include Diabetes, Cushing's (Hyperadrenocortism), kidney failure, and usage of corticosteriods.
Spinal cord diseases
These diseases affect the nerves that control the bladder. Trauma frequently can cause neurological urinary incontinence. Other possible causes are spinal tract infections, tumors or inherited neuropathies.
Stay tune for tomorrow's blog on diagnosing the problem and treatment options.
