Dog True Urinary Incontinence Symptoms

1. Mostly affects older female dogs who have been spayed

2. Normal appetite and thirst

3. Urinates when sitting/lying down or resting

4. Normal smelling urine/pee

What Causes Dog True Urinary Incontinence?

Before explaining the causes of urinary incontinence I feel a brief explanation of the bladder and its functions may be necessary. The bladder is like a bag or storage department for all the urine that the dog produces, this bag or holder is lined with a thin layer of muscle so that when the dog wants to urinate it compresses and the urine flows down the urethra, passes through two 'valves' which keep the urine in via the dogs conscious or unconscious minds, until they are ready to pee, which then flows through the penis (in the case of a male dog) and exits the body.

The valves in the bladder are the important part for this condition and they are the area of the problems for leaking urine due to them failing to work properly when relaxed or asleep. There are two possibilities why the valves are failing to work and control urine release, the first could be because the dog in question has recently been spayed affecting these valves. And the second is due to old age, general wear and tear, and a loss in efficiency in the valves making them not work as well as in younger dogs.

The cause of bladder valve problems in spayed dogs is not completely understood but there are strong signs that after the spaying operation the valves have a high chance of being stretched and distorted lightly and thus not being able to work as well as before. Other studies show that extremely low levels of female hormones cause problems in the valves of the bladder because they need minimum amounts to resume working to the dogs needs; this has been allegedly proven by feeding the dog hormone tablets which are though to have stopped or helped the problem. If your dog has not been spayed recently however then you can rule this option out completely in favour of the next suggestion which may bring more light to the mater.

The second cause is of course due to general wear and usage of the bladder valves over the years and often happens in older dogs and dog which have not been spayed yet.

What Your Vet May Say or Do

After first viewing the symptoms of this condition the next logical step is to find out whether the dog has been spayed recently and if there was any signs of incontinence before hand in the dog, this coupled with the dogs age will normally give a solid ground for treatment. The treatment for spayed dogs would be to perform an operation to try and correct the distortion or shape change of the bladder that may have changed during the spaying operation or use the appropriate hormones if these levels are lower than required due to the spaying. If the leaking of urine and less efficient bladder valves are caused by wear and use after aging then medication may be used instead of an operation, but this treatment is dependent on a life long course or medication and may not work leaving an operation to be the only other option.



Other Possible Conditions

Dog Leaking Urine, Wetting Their Bed, or Urinating On The Floor
Abnormal Bladder Development Causing Incontinence(ectopic ureters)
Incontinence Due to Excessive Urine Production
Dog Overflow Incontinence
Incontinence in Male Dogs
Dog Urge Incontinence