Urinary Incontinence is The loss of voluntary control of urination.
Incontinence is usually a failure in the mechanism of urine storage.
Who is affected?
Incontinence is most common in middle aged and older female dogs,
but can also occur in older males and juveniles. Large breed dogs are
most often affected.
Obese dogs and those on certain medications are also more likely to
be affected.
What goes wrong?
The four most common reasons for incontinence involve:
1. Hormonal imbalances leading to poor urethral muscle tone.
2. Neurological causes
leading to disruption of the nerve pathways involved in
urination. These can be either spinal injuries, inherited
defects or from brain damage. 3. Increased bladder
contractility or inability to expand. Usually secondary to
infections, tumours or pressure on the bladder wall. 4. Urethral disorders
including urinary tract infections, prostate disease (in males)
or abnormal conformation.
Neurological and bladder related incontinence tends to be shown as
frequent, involuntary urination or constant leakage of small
amounts of urine. Urethral disorders tend to appear as intermittent
incontinence.
What else could it be?
Incontinence needs to be differentiated from voluntary but
inappropriate urination. Discharges from the urethra in males and
females can also be confused with incontinence. Increased urination
can also appear as incontinence, and may be related to a different
disease process (such as diabetes).
What can be done?
Depending on the cause of urinary incontinence, there are several
solutions. These will depend on each individual pet. Medications are
available to regain control of urination, often more than one
treatment at a time is necessary. A visit to the vet to clarify the
cause of incontinence is required for prescription medication but
also to make sure there is not another underlying cause of the
incontinence.
Bringing a urine sample to the appointment with you will help to achieve a diagnosis.
