Urinary incontinence in dogs - causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment features

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Regardless of the cause of urinary incontinence in dogs, treatment and what to do in such situations are of interest to many.

This is a pathology that in veterinary medicine, as well as in conventional medicine, is called enuresis. This is a fairly common phenomenon, it occurs in many pets - both cats and dogs. The causes of enuresis in pets can be very diverse. However, in many ways the causes and treatment of urinary incontinence in cats and dogs are the same.

Is urinary incontinence always a pathology?

Very often, pet owners, when they find it urinating indoors, mistake it for urinary incontinence. In fact, this behavior is not always a physiological pathology, sometimes the answer lies in the psychological plane.

For example, there are situations when a dog's urine is excreted during certain events, and thishappens in batches. The events do not have to be stressful. This can happen when meeting with other dogs or with their own owner, when stroking - that is, seemingly in favorable situations. The fact is that such excretion of urine is an instinctive sign of obedience. If you watch the pet, it becomes noticeable that at the same time he sits down on his paws or falls on his back. Here, the same mechanism is triggered that is triggered during the "marking" of the territory. This is actually a behavioral issue and the dog could theoretically be in control.

If urinary incontinence is a symptom of a physiological pathology, for example, an inflammatory process in the bladder, then the animal cannot influence what is happening in any way. The nature of the problem is always told by the behavior of the animal. For example, if enuresis is the result of a malignant neoplasm or the formation of kidney stones, then the animal experiences an increased urge to urinate - it constantly sits down, but very little urine is excreted or nothing happens at all. In any case, there can be many reasons, so a more detailed diagnosis is needed.

Main Causes of Urinary Incontinence in Dogs

First, you need to define the terminology. Enuresis means the constant leakage of urine or its involuntary release. This can happen due to a number of factors.

Possible Causes of Urinary Incontinence in Dogs:

1. Lack of proper upbringing combined with natural uncleanliness. It's winealmost completely lies with the owner, because it means that he simply did not teach the dog to ask to use the toilet, and the animal does not know how to behave in this situation.
2. Psycho-emotional reasons. Usually, episodes of incontinence occur with any strong emotion, and this can be both joy and fear.
3. Behavioral reflexes in which animals mark their territory.
4. Inflammatory processes of the genitourinary system.
5. Injuries and pathologies of the spine and musculoskeletal system.
6. One of the causes of urinary incontinence in a dog is that the bitch had complications after spaying.
7. Natural aging processes. Over time, the animal's muscles weaken, it can no longer control the process of urination. In addition, it happens like this: the dog has lived all his life in a booth, and in old age he was taken into the house. To accustom her to "ask" is almost impossible. Finally, older dogs can suffer from arthritis, sometimes they can't get up from their bed and ask to go outside. The only option in such cases is to use a special bed design: a piece of polyethylene, a layer of newspapers on top, then a polyester mat so that urine can pass through it.
8. Intense thirst. If the dog drinks water frequently and in large quantities, this can lead to involuntary urination. In itself, such thirst is also pathological, since it is a symptom of such serious diseases as diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney failure, Cushing's disease, etc.

Whatneed to know

Clearly puppies don't have true urinary incontinence yet. With the development of the genitourinary system and by virtue of education, they will learn to ask to go to the toilet. Of course, there are times when dogs cannot be trained, but this is quite rare.

One should not, however, exclude such an option when the animal intentionally relieves itself in the room. This is usually done to spite the owner or members of his family, if there is a conflict with them.

Diagnosis of enuresis

To begin with, the owner of the animal needs to figure out for himself what is a violation of the norm and a signal for immediate treatment for urinary incontinence in a dog.

Urine formation occurs in a certain section - the renal corpuscles, after which it accumulates in the renal pelvis and gradually reaches the bladder. This process is continuous. The cycle of urine formation is repeated almost every 20 seconds. It's just that all this time the fluid accumulates in the bladder and does not flow out of it only due to the fact that the sphincter holds it. When a signal is received from the brain, this muscle relaxes and urination occurs. Thus, incontinence is associated with abnormalities in the process of urine formation, signal transmission or sphincter dysfunction.

In itself, urinary incontinence in dogs (the causes, symptoms and diagnosis of which are of interest to many) is rare, it develops against the background of some additional problems. Unfortunately, basedThis symptom alone is often impossible to make a correct diagnosis. The veterinarian will have to consider a whole range of factors. Often, diagnosis is carried out by the method of exclusion, that is, the specialist discards those options that are not related to the current state of the animal.

Of course, in order for the doctor to make a correct diagnosis, it is necessary to describe in detail the condition of the animal, behavioral reactions, talk about the daily routine and dietary habits. The more information the vet has, the better.

If urinary incontinence is associated with kidney disease, then additional symptoms are observed - this is the already mentioned strong thirst, loss of appetite, weight loss. Many dogs try to ask to be outside more often, but sometimes they relieve themselves right in the house. Of course, loss of appetite and weight loss can also be associated with age-related changes, but it is still recommended to consult a veterinarian. The specialist will send you for laboratory tests of blood and urine. In addition, ultrasound of the kidneys and other abdominal organs is considered an informative diagnostic method.

Pathologies of the spine and musculoskeletal system

Urinary incontinence can be caused by pinched nerve fibers or other spinal injuries. In such cases, the animal suffers from a severe pain syndrome, and the pain is often difficult to stop. Not all dog breeds suffer from such pathologies, but in animals with a long spine, such as dachshunds, they develop earlier. This predisposition is especially pronounced withage.

The main methods of treatment also depend on the cause of urinary incontinence in dogs:

1. Pinched nerve endings. It can happen not only with an injury. In females, this happens after childbirth or during labor activity. This can be understood by the fact that the limbs of the animal become numb or begin to hurt. Such bitches often abandon their puppies. But in order to make a diagnosis, you will have to conduct a comprehensive study of the pet. There are different procedures to eliminate the infringement, sometimes you have to solve the problem quickly.
2. Diseases of the nervous system. They can be the result of severe stress. In some cases, doctors simply advise giving sedatives such as Diazepam or Fluoxetine to eliminate the very cause of enuresis.
3. Congenital pathologies of the spine and nervous system. Usually removed only by surgery. For example, some animals are diagnosed with ectopia, when urine immediately enters the intestines or vagina, but not the bladder.

In any case, the doctor can tell about the reasons only after examining the animal and studying the anamnesis. On this basis, treatment will be prescribed.

After sterilization

When spayed dogs have urinary incontinence, causes and treatments are interrelated. As you know, the features of the procedure depend on the sex of the animal. It is clear that when a bitch is sterilized, the ovaries and uterus are left, while when a male is castrated, all the organs of his reproductive system are removed. As a result, enuresiscastration is less common than a similar disease after sterilization. Veterinarians do not have an unambiguous explanation for why this is happening. However, the most popular theory says that after surgery, the hormonal background of the animal changes. This, in turn, affects the sensitivity of the sphincter and muscle tone. As a result, the bitch develops urinary incontinence.

In this case, the veterinarian, after the diagnosis, may prescribe medication. For this, drugs such as alpha agonists and reproductive hormones are used. In the first case, we are talking about a drug such as Propalin, which is prescribed for functional insufficiency of the sphincter in different dosages for a course of up to four weeks.

It must not be used too frequently, otherwise the animal's response to this drug will decrease. There are other remedies such as ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, but studies have shown that their effectiveness is slightly lower than that of Propalin.

As for reproductive hormones, in the treatment of enuresis in bitches, the most commonly used drug is Diethylstilbestrol, abbreviated as DES, It is believed that its effectiveness is up to 80%. However, sometimes it is prescribed in combination with other hormones. Be sure to consult a doctor about the use of drugs, especially since not all of them are licensed in Russia.

Alpha agonists can also be given to neutered males, but treatment outcomes in this case are lesspredictable. As for reproductive hormones, they are given injections of testosterone cypionate. The course has to be repeated every 6-8 weeks.

Hormone therapy, while effective, is not without its drawbacks, as the animal's coat may thin and fall out, behavioral changes may also occur, and bone marrow function may be suppressed.

Surgical treatment is prescribed in some cases. Basically, these are endoscopic operations. In general, endoscopy technology is used for diagnosis, and for surgical procedures related to muscle recovery, and for injections. Since the punctures will be small, the dog recovers relatively quickly after such an operation.

But abdominal surgery, also used to restore muscles, is more traumatic. But it allows suturing muscle tissues and introducing collagen fibers into the cavity without fear of their leakage. In some cases, during such operations, it is possible to change the position of the bladder.

Treatment of inflammatory processes

In dog incontinence, causes and drug treatment are interrelated. If such a problem is caused by inflammatory processes in the organs of the genitourinary system, then most often the provoking factors are infectious diseases of a bacterial nature.

Therefore, in such cases, animals are prescribed antibiotics - for example, Amoxicillin, as well as Nitroxoline or Biseptol.

Just like people after the courseof such drugs, the dog will need to be given probiotics, for example, Lactusan. If necessary, antispasmodics such as "No-shpy" can be prescribed if there is pain.

Suppression of immunological responses may be needed in some cases. This is carried out by drugs such as glucocorticosteroids, for example, Prednisolone, Metipred and others.

Volume-forming drugs in the treatment of enuresis

In some cases, when it is only about improving the closure of the urethra, a volume-forming drug is injected into a certain area of the urethra. It fills the volume, while increasing the length of the muscle fibers, and the urethra is better closed by the sphincter, which helps prevent involuntary urination.

Such injections are made during cystourethroscopy only in a veterinary clinic, since special equipment must be used for this. At one time, several injections are made in 3-4 sections of the urethra. The effect of such a procedure will be noticeable only 2-3 days after such an intervention. Some animals may experience mild complications (according to statistics, approximately 15% of dogs usually experience urinary retention).

Collagen preparations are often used as volume-forming agents. They are made from bovine collagen, which binds to molecules of an injectable such as glutaraldehyde.

It is believed that such injections are effective for about 60-65%animals. However, there is always a risk of collagen rejection or leakage, which may require an additional course of injections.

In people in such cases, a drug such as "Polydimethylsiloxane" is used. It has proven to be more effective than collagen. Currently, in the West it is also used to treat dogs. Its effectiveness is 77%, and the number of complications is much less.

Treatment of age-related enuresis

Similar problems in older dogs are often solved with the help of hormonal agents. A drug such as "Duplex" can also be prescribed - in the form of injections. It is believed that, among other things, it is a general tonic.

But it should be used with caution only on prescription, since this drug contains sodium arsenate and strychnine nitrate, and these are very toxic substances. Therefore, only a specialist can choose the dosage and course of treatment.

Recommendations

Movement and walks are important for dogs of all ages. They are an excellent prophylactic for urinary incontinence caused by diseases of the spine and musculoskeletal system.