Pet Article

DOGGIE INCONTINENCE

Many dog owners can find themselves in a panic if their dog begins urinating inside the house. No one likes to clean up and does not want the lingering scent of urine. Urinary incontinence affects many dogs but often goes ignored and untreated.

Many dog owners ignore inappropriate urination or can even be embarrassed by it. They don't understand why their dog is suddenly urinating indoors. If you find this is happening to you, you should ask yourself a couple of questions.......Is it a behavior issue or could it be incontinence caused by some other medical problem? The most common presentation is a female, spayed, middle-aged dog that has begun urinating in the house. This is usually a dog that had been previously housebroken and often exhibits the behavior when the owner is home.

You will find that a puppy most likely does not have a problem with incontinence. It just doesn't understand where you want him to go about his business s yet, this needs to be taught. A male dog urinating on furniture may be "marking his territory," and incontinence is a less likely diagnosis, having said that male dogs can become incontinent, and if they begin dribbling, the prostate should be examined for problems.

The inappropriate urination often occurs when the dog is sleeping or in an extremely relaxed state. Dog owners often report that nighttime is when most of the problems can be seen. When the dog gets up from a nap there is a puddle in the spot where it has been layed or perhaps a wet spot on the carpet.

Dogs with urinary incontinence can release both small or large amounts of urine. Owners often notice that their dogs seem to be dripping or dribbling urine. In addition dogs with incontinence may lick or clean their genital area excessively.

The exact cause of urinary incontinence in dogs remains unknown. At the bottom of the bladder is a urinary sphincter. Muscles around the sphincter are squeezed tight to keep urine in the bladder where it belongs until the signal is given to relax and allow urine to flow out of the body. Urinary incontinence may be the result of urine pooling on the wrong side of the sphincter, outside the bladder, or it may be due to loss of sphincter muscle tone.

Dogs with incontinence tend to have problems with secondary irritation in the genital area. They lick and clean the area more often, leading to raw skin. Often the skin in the area is stained with the urine and the hair can be discolored and matted.

If your dog is urinating inappropriately in the house, it needs to be examined by a veterinarian. Your veterinarian can determine whether the issue is behavioral or there are underlying physiological or medical causes. The first step in most cases is a urinalysis. A urinalysis can detect a urinary tract infection, which could be the cause of the problem. Female dogs, due to the anatomy of their urinary tracts, are prone to urinary tract infections, although if the urination is caused by an infection this can be resolved easily with antibiotics.

If the urinalysis is normal, the next step may be to do blood work and perhaps other diagnostic tests, such as X-rays and maybe ultrasound examinations. These tests will rule out other medical conditions, an important precaution before administering any medications.

There are several drugs on the market now labelled for use in treating urinary incontinence in dogs. Until a few years ago dogs were treated with human medications. Phenylpropalanine (PPA) is the most commonly prescribed drug to treat dogs with incontinence and works by tightening the urinary sphincter.

The dose required is entirely dependant upon the dog and the severity of the problem. Some dogs may need to be treated for life. Other dogs may experience an occasional bout of incontinence. Dogs with incontinence often are more likely to have urinary tract infections, both because of the bacteria from saliva when the dog licks the area and because pooled urine is prime ground for bacterial colonies. If your pet is urinating inappropriately or you have questions about urinary incontinence, you should contact your veterinarian.

Mark Woodcock
1 Flea Control