Dealing With Dogs With Incontinence
Most people assume that dogs become incontinent with age and while some senior dogs may lose control of their bladders, age is not always the cause.
It is important to diagnose incontinence properly so to do this you will need to go to your vet and allow him or her to examine your pooch. This may involve some urine and blood tests, however if the tests come back free of bacteria or infection the cause may be behavioural.
Dogs who urinate when they are fearful are NOT incontinent. This behaviour is called submissive urination and most dogs outgrow this behaviour. However older dogs may suffer from canine cognitive dysfunction which is when the pooch simply forgets his or her toilet training. This is not incontinence but part of a dementia diagnosis.
If particular cultures grow in the tests done by the vet, they can then treat the incontinence. The most common cause of canine incontinence is a bladder infection and there are several types of treatments and antibiotics to treat this to get your pooch feeling happy and healthy again. Remember that just like us, when prescribed a course of antibiotics in order to work effectively the course needs to be completed, regardless of whether the symptoms have disappeared.
If treatments have not been successful your vet may suggest surgical intervention in the form of a colposuspension and cystourethropexy. In laymans terms the surgery repositions the bladder neck in female dogs in the intraabdominat cavity so that the wall muscles can work on the bladder and the urethra, this enables your dog to control when she urinates. The Cytourethropexy is the male version of the surgery.
They have about a 50 per cent success rate in patients but relapses can occur with time. It is important to discuss whether or not these are good options for your dog.
It is important to diagnose incontinence properly so to do this you will need to go to your vet and allow him or her to examine your pooch. This may involve some urine and blood tests, however if the tests come back free of bacteria or infection the cause may be behavioural.
Dogs who urinate when they are fearful are NOT incontinent. This behaviour is called submissive urination and most dogs outgrow this behaviour. However older dogs may suffer from canine cognitive dysfunction which is when the pooch simply forgets his or her toilet training. This is not incontinence but part of a dementia diagnosis.
If particular cultures grow in the tests done by the vet, they can then treat the incontinence. The most common cause of canine incontinence is a bladder infection and there are several types of treatments and antibiotics to treat this to get your pooch feeling happy and healthy again. Remember that just like us, when prescribed a course of antibiotics in order to work effectively the course needs to be completed, regardless of whether the symptoms have disappeared.
If treatments have not been successful your vet may suggest surgical intervention in the form of a colposuspension and cystourethropexy. In laymans terms the surgery repositions the bladder neck in female dogs in the intraabdominat cavity so that the wall muscles can work on the bladder and the urethra, this enables your dog to control when she urinates. The Cytourethropexy is the male version of the surgery.
They have about a 50 per cent success rate in patients but relapses can occur with time. It is important to discuss whether or not these are good options for your dog.
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