How is urethral incontinence diagnosed?
Urethral incontinence is diagnosed based on clinical signs, medical history, and blood and urine tests. Bladder radiographs (X-rays) and ultrasonography are often performed to search for bladder stones or other abnormalities affecting urine storage and outflow. ( via Wikimedia Commons / Joel Mills (CC BY-SA 3.0.)
Neurological tests such as examination of the anal and tail tone, perineal sensation, and various spinal reflexes will be performed if a neurological disorder is suspected.
Urethral catheterization may be required if urine retention is observed. This determines if there is an obstruction or other urethral abnormality present.
Cystoscopy may allow your veterinarian to see an abnormality within the bladder or urethra. In certain cases, specialized testing such as measuring the pressure within the bladder is performed.
Treatment is based on your pets specific diagnosis. Medications that increase urethral sphincter tone such as phenylpropanolamine (PPA) or imipramine, or hormone replacements such as estrogen or diethylstilbestrol (DES) are commonly used alone and in combination. Many dogs that respond poorly to PPA alone will benefit from a combination of PPA and DES. Approximately 70% of all cases respond well to medical therapy alone. GnRH analogs may be considered in severe or refractory (failure to respond) cases. With long-term usage, the patients blood and urine should be periodically tested to ensure that there are no untoward side effects. Your veterinarian will prescribe the best treatment for your pets individual needs.
New research has focused on collagen injections to improve urethral closure. This surgical solution holds promise and should be discussed with your veterinarian to determine if any of the surgical specialists in your area are performing this procedure.
How to tell if your dog has urinary incontinence
The main symptom of incontinence is noticing dripping urine from your dog. There may also be redness or irritation around the skin from the dripping. If your dog is licking their penis or vulva more often then this can also be a sign of urinary incontinence.
It is important to take note of where the urine is located and how much urine there is. This can help with finding the underlying cause of the problem. Urinary incontinence is actually more likely to occur in female dogs which is caused by lower estrogen levels, leading to a loss of muscle tone in the urethra.
If your dog is peeing blood, then this may be something much more serious. As such, you should follow this guide to make sure your dog gets the treatment it needs if it starts to pee blood.
If these urinary symptoms aren’t caught early on, then the lack of detection and treatment can lead to other infections in the bladder or kidneys. That’s why it is always best to take your dog to the vet as soon as any of these symptoms start to occur.
For handicapped dogs, you may find urinal leaks are perhaps more frequent and not just occurring at night. If this is the case, you should consider seeking advice on bowel management for incontinent and handicapped pets.
At first the sphincter muscle remains relatively strong, but over time as the dog ages and with the constant reduction in estrogen levels it begins to weaken. One of the first signs this is becoming an issue is a small damp patch on her bedding, which can become bigger as time goes on until suddenly you’re presented with quite a puddle each morning.
When it comes to cleaning up dog wee from hard surfaces, bleach won’t do the trick. Not only do the chemicals in bleach react with the ammonia in urine to form a toxic gas, you’ll also find the smell just doesn’t go away. For this, you’ll need a special disinfectant such as Zoflora. It’s chemical composition is completely different to that of bleach and it’s completely safe to use in pet areas, so long as you ensure it’s fully dry first.
Remember when you were puppy training your dog? You had to clean up any tiny accidents immediately and with great care. Failure to do so didn’t just lead to a stinky house – it showed your dog that peeing on the floor was perfectly acceptable and that the spot she chose last time was fair game for next time.
Again, if ignoring the situation will eventually lead to the dog having to be euthanized, giving this drug a try can still be worth it. It’s unlikely your dog will experience these side effects if their estrogen levels were previously low, as all you’re aiming to do is simply restore the correct hormone balance.
Many pet parents recoil in horror on hearing of these side effects, but consider this before you dismiss the drug. If your dog becomes fully incontinent, what will your options be? For some owners, the only practical and humane answer becomes euthanasia. It may be easy to dismiss this right now if your dog’s only leaking slightly, but the condition will worsen over time without medication and as with most things prevention can be better than cure.
Why does my dog leak urine when sleeping?
Is your best buddy wetting the bed? While it’s not uncommon for dogs to have occasional accidents (especially throughout the puppy house training process), dogs peeing while they sleep is a bit of an unusual issue that calls for some investigation.
This issue can be alarming and frustrating, but luckily it can usually be tackled by dealing with the underlying issue triggering the incontinence. We’ll explain some of the most common reasons dogs pee in their sleep and share some strategies for stopping the problem below.