Frequent urination in dogs is treated. Causes and symptoms of urinary incontinence in dogs

Urinary incontinence is a condition in which urination is not controlled by the animal.

From true urinary incontinence, situations must be distinguished when the dog intentionally, for some reason, soils the house. It is possible that the dog is simply not able to tolerate long intervals between walks. For a healthy adult dog, 2 long walks in the morning and evening and one short walk in the afternoon are optimal. Puppies, pregnant, older dogs with certain diseases need more frequent walking.

Animals from cruel treatment can do the same. Cases have been repeatedly described when a dog begins to dirty the house from periodically repeated strong punishments, if the animal is beaten, frightened, and often soils the things of the person offending her. Another reason is improper training, or lack of it, the animal does not understand and does not distinguish between places for the administration of need.

The worst thing an owner can do is to scold a dog, poke its nose into puddles made, reduce the amount of drinking water. Remember, the dog is doing this because he has no other choice! Increase the frequency of walks, conduct a course of training, eliminate the factor of cruelty, treat your animal with patience and love! If you own a small dog, potty train him at home. For this purpose, use absorbent pads and a tray.

Another 2 situations that require attention are when the dog can control urination, but drinks a lot and, accordingly, wants to go to the toilet more often and when the animal has frequent, painful urges, often sits down on the street and at home, sometimes excreting only a few drops of urine. These are alarming symptoms that indicate problems with the genitourinary system and require examination by a veterinarian.

With true urinary incontinence, dogs do not take a specific position for urination, do not ask to go outside. Urine constantly drips or comes out in small portions, you may notice puddles on the couch after sleeping, drops on the floor.

True incontinence happens:

1. emotional nature - from strong joy, fear. More often in bitches, puppies up to 6-7 months.

2. Neurological nature - due to damage to the spine, brain tumors.

3. Due to anatomical features

Ectopia of the ureters, their opening not into the bladder, but into the uterus or vagina. Golden Retrievers and some Terriers are genetically predisposed.

Underdevelopment of the bladder and urethra

4. urinary incontinence due to illness

Complication after castration of bitches

Urolithiasis disease

Diabetes

Neoplasms of the bladder and pelvic organs

5. as a result of the general weakness of the animal after childbirth, with severe illnesses, old age.

In this difficult situation, you need to take care of hygiene and prevention of irritation in the animal from constantly dripping urine, and, of course, the cleanliness of your home. Dobrozveriki products will be useful for these purposes. For dogs of different sizes, comfortable diapers have been developed, soft, durable, with a hole for the tail. They quickly absorb liquid, protecting the skin and coat, preventing pollution of the house. Carpets for the period of incontinence should be removed, and the dog's bed and its resting places should be covered with absorbent bedding "Dobrozveriki". They come in a variety of sizes to suit your needs. Many people consider any urinary incontinence a reason for euthanasia of the animal, which is completely unfair. In many cases, drug therapy relieves the symptoms of incontinence after 24-48 hours. Therefore, if you are faced with such a problem, you need to find out the cause and start treatment.

I wish health to you and your pets!

Veterinarian Paskhin E.S.

Puddles on carpets and linoleum are not surprising when there is a one-month-old puppy in the house, but an adult dog should be able to “endure” and ask to go outside. We will not discuss conflict situations and their consequences - a demonstrative "repair" in the middle of the room, these are already relationship issues. Urinary incontinence in dogs is a symptom and, contrary to popular belief, occurs not only in extreme old age.

A dog is an emotional being, moreover, living on “instincts”, for which the smell of urine is a “highlight”, and for males it is an indicator of dignity. The following reactions are normal and require adjustment rather than treatment:

Uncontrolled urination during strong arousal - fear, stress, joy, pain (adrenaline surge), life-threatening.

Behavioral features - from puddles made "for evil", kicks, screams and treatment will not help. Patience, education, perseverance and only so!

Designation of the territory - males "sin" more. The dog "fertilizes" the perimeter of its territory, most often, the corners. The solution to the problem is that it reduces the sexual instinct.

Urinary incontinence in older dogs is age-related changes associated with weakening of smooth muscles. Requires medical support.

Urinary incontinence in a dog during estrus is most often observed in young females, at the first “hunt”. Drawing pains provoke the dog to frequent bowel movements of the bladder to relieve additional pressure. It does not require treatment, try to take the dog outside more often and do not scold the pet, she understands perfectly well that you do not enjoy wiping puddles.

True incontinence is a congenital or acquired deviation, accompanied by a weak contraction of the muscles of the urethra, urine leaks constantly. It is not cured completely, but is controlled by medications.

Important! Urinary incontinence should be treated by a veterinarian as soon as possible. Even the most complex pathologies, "caught" at an early stage, are cured without a trace. Incurable diseases can be controlled in 70% of cases.

Urinary incontinence as a symptom

Unfortunately, often, voluntary urination is a symptom of the disease, most often of an inflammatory nature. It is not easy to identify the causes even in the conditions of a clinical examination, be prepared for the diagnosis "by exclusion". The veterinarian will need an anamnesis - write down all the features of the content, nutrition, walks, recent events that affected the dog - the more information, the narrower the search circle will be.

Cystitis

The first thing to do in order to identify a symptom or physiological reaction in front of you is to pass urine for laboratory analysis. In most stable healthy dogs, urinary incontinence is the cause. With extensive inflammation, urine leaks constantly or the animal defecates in a dream.

The main causes of cystitis are hypothermia or infection. It is treated with a course of antibiotics, but clinical progress is observed 3-4 days after the start of therapy. If left untreated, cystitis "gains momentum" and the pet begins to urinate with blood, whines or cannot urinate.

Important! Be sure to complete the full course of antibiotics and do not stop treatment after symptoms disappear. The probability of recurrence with partial "healing" is more than 60%, but the "standard" approach will no longer be effective.

Polydipsia

The dog is constantly thirsty and exceeds the daily water intake. In females, the first sign of pyometra is an urgent ultrasound, if confirmed, treatment or removal of the uterus. Do not take risks and do not decide what to do with polydipsia on your own - be sure to show the dog to the veterinarian, take blood and urine tests. This is a very formidable symptom, indicating a possible diabetes, genitourinary infection, kidney failure and other serious diseases, the wrong treatment of which is an unforgivable mistake and the loss of precious time.

Read also: Chlamydia in dogs: symptoms and treatment

Spinal injury

A complex case, accompanied by damage to the nerve endings or the spinal canal. It rarely stops completely, occurs after an injury or due to breed characteristics. Irregularly built dachshunds and other breeds with an elongated spine often suffer from urinary and fecal incontinence, especially in old age.

Pinched nerves can occur during or after childbirth, most often accompanied by additional symptoms - weakness of the limbs, soreness, rejection of offspring. The veterinarian determines how to treat the dog only after a comprehensive examination. It is possible to use several strategies of therapy in extreme cases - surgical intervention.

Important! If a veterinarian suggests spinal surgery without testing or pre-treatment, beat the veterinarian!

Nervous breakdown

Accompanied by a set of symptoms, usually the disease is preceded by a significant event - stress, fear. The therapy requires an integrated approach, careful selection of sedatives (many of them relax the muscles), constant work on the morale of the animal.

Congenital physiological disorders -

The ureter, coming from the kidney, connects directly to the rectum or to the vagina below the urethra (in females). Normally, both ureters are connected to the bladder (natural reservoir). More often observed in females, may be accompanied by a congenital absence of 1 kidney.

Diagnosed at a young age based on history. In case of difficulties in diagnosis, a visual examination of the vagina and rectum is performed, urography - the introduction of a contrast agent, followed by a regent. corrected by operation. The intervention is performed under general anesthesia, recovery is accompanied by a long rehabilitation process.

Uncontrolled, involuntary urination - urinary incontinence in dogs occurs for various reasons.

If a domestic dog has such a problem, then this cannot but disturb the owner and make him suspect the worst. The opinion that incontinence is inherent only in older dogs is largely erroneous, so owners often turn to the veterinary clinic very late. It is much easier for them to put the animal on the street, or many even insist on euthanasia, believing that this is the only way to solve the problem.

Incontinence is not a death sentence, with the help of modern veterinary medicine treatments, this disease is very easy to cure.

Forms of pathology

It is customary to distinguish between several groups of diseases that are accompanied by urinary incontinence:

Cystitis, or other infection of the genital tract;

Diseases that are accompanied by polydipsia (high fluid intake);

Bladder sphincter weakness, common in females;

Ectopic ureters. A condition where the ureter originates in the kidneys and empties into the rectum or vagina. This pathology is characteristic of puppies (mainly Labradors and Retrievers) and is treated surgically;

Damage to the spine in the lower part of the lumbar region and spinal cord. An operation is required, which consists in decompressing the pinched area, which is directly responsible for the innervation of the sphincter and bladder.

Causes of Urinary Incontinence in Dogs

True incontinence is spontaneous separation, leakage or stress incontinence, predominantly occurs in overly impressionable and nervous dogs.

Uncleanliness that arose due to improper training or training of the dog.

Territory marking by males or females during sexual activity.

Senile, age-related incontinence, which is associated with a weakening of the reflex activity of the urinary system.

Incontinence cannot be called constant soiling by a dog in a residential area, conscious defecation is the result of poor education. If such phenomena are repeated too often, then you should observe the dog, and of course consult a veterinarian to rule out a possible disease.

Urinary incontinence in older dogs or other age categories requires determining the cause, for this it is necessary to conduct a series of studies:

A general urine test is taken several times to diagnose inflammatory processes in the urinary tract, diabetes or diabetes insipidus;

General and biochemical blood test (diagnosis of chronic renal failure);

Blood test for diagnosing endocrine diseases;

ultrasound. Exclusion of urolithiasis, prostatitis and ectopia of the ureters;

X-ray examination, for the diagnosis of urolithiasis and spinal injuries.

When the first signs of urinary incontinence appear in a dog, it is necessary to consult a veterinarian even before complications occur, which manifest themselves in the form of dermatitis and bedsores.

Urinary incontinence in an older dog may be due to weakness of the bladder sphincter. It is treated symptomatically with hormone therapy and the use of sympathomimetics.

Therapy and troubleshooting

Dog urinary incontinence treatment.Mostly symptomatic therapy using antibiotics, antispasmodics for urolithiasis or cystitis. In the presence of uralitis stones in the bladder, surgical intervention is performed. To restore the tone of the sphincter of the bladder, the sympathomimetic propalin is prescribed. With excessive nervous excitability and impressionability, complex anti-stress drugs are used.

Frequently Asked Doctor Questions.

Is it possible to do something if the dog pees with joy at the sight of the owner?

You can, usually this condition manifests itself in impressionable and excitable dogs. Usually prescribed sedatives.

How quickly can urinary incontinence be cured?

It all depends on the timeliness of contacting a doctor, only in this case it is possible to establish the cause and eliminate urinary incontinence.

Veterinary center "DobroVet":

Urinary incontinence in puppies is a fairly common pathology, manifested by the release of urine during sleep, urination in the wrong places, between walks, involuntarily during physical activity. It occurs in puppies of any sex, starting from 3-4 months of age. Urinary incontinence is usually associated with such diseases:

urocystitis or other urinary tract infection;
diseases that are accompanied by polydipsia (large fluid intake) and polyuria (increased urine output) occurs a second time;
weakness of the sphincter of the bladder, often found in females;
ectopic ureters - a pathology in which the ureter originates in the kidneys and flows into the urethra or into the vagina, and not into the bladder. This pathology is characteristic of puppies (mainly Labrador Retrievers) and is treated surgically;
damage to the spine in the lower part of the lumbar region and spinal cord, mainly due to trauma. Pathology requires surgical treatment, which consists in decompression of the pinched area, which is directly responsible for the innervation of the sphincter and bladder.

Causes of urinary incontinence in puppies can be:

Uncleanliness that arose due to improper training or training of a puppy.

Territory marking by males or females during sexual activity. Do not forget that puberty in dogs can begin before the age of one year.

True incontinence is spontaneous leakage, leakage of urine or stress incontinence, mainly occurs in overly impressionable and nervous puppies. This condition goes away with age and with proper training.

Incontinence cannot be called the constant urination of a puppy in a living room, conscious urination in the wrong place, which is the result of poor parenting. If such phenomena are repeated too often, then it is necessary to consult a veterinarian to exclude a possible disease, which was given above. This may require additional diagnostics:

Ultrasound of the abdominal cavity to exclude urolithiasis, urocystitis and ectopia of the ureters;
X-ray examination for the diagnosis of urolithiasis and spinal injuries.
Urine for general clinical examination to detect inflammation (urocystitis) or urolithiasis.

Treatment of urinary incontinence is mainly symptomatic and pathogenetic: therapy using antibiotics in case of inflammation, antispasmodics in case of urolithiasis or urocystitis. In the presence of stones (uroliths) in the bladder, surgical intervention is performed. To restore the tone of the sphincter of the bladder, the sympathomimetic Propalin is prescribed. With excessive nervous excitability and impressionability, anti-stress drugs are used and the puppy's training is corrected.