Just like us humans, our pets too suffer from urinary incontinence. There are numerous possibilities why your pet is suffering from urinary incontinence.
Symptoms
One of the most common symptoms is dripping urine, which can irritate the skin, cause redness and excessive licking of the vulva or penile region. You may also observe wet urine spots in the dog's sleeping area. When your dog urinates, it's vital to pay attention to whether he is dribbling or urinating on purpose, as well as if he is awake or sleepy.
Causes
Many circumstances can lead a dog to develop urinary incontinence. Some of these circumstances may include the following:
Bladder stones: Bladder stones in the urethra do not actually cause incontinence. However, your dog may appear to be incontinent as the trapped urine dribbles around the stone. If your dog is dribbling urine along with vocalisations, blood in the urine, or a bloated or tight abdomen, this should be treated as an emergency.
Canine Cognitive Disorder: Although urethral bladder stones do not cause incontinence, the trapped pee that leaks around the stone can give the appearance of it. Consider it an emergency if your dog is vocalising while dribbling urine, has blood in the urine, or has a swollen or constricted abdomen.
Hormonal changes: This is due to the smooth muscles of the urethra losing tone, which can happen up to several years after spaying or neutering.
Urinary tract infection: Scarring of the bladder lining due to urinary tract infections is possible.
Diagnosis of Urinary Incontinence in Dogs
When you bring your dog to the veterinarian's clinic, they will start by asking for some information from you about the history of the symptoms. This will include details about any additional symptoms that have been seen, if there has been a change in diet or medication, and whether the leaking occurs more frequently at night or during the day. Standard diagnostic procedures include a biochemical profile, a complete blood count (CBC), and a urinalysis will be performed as part of a comprehensive physical.
The urinalysis is very helpful when treating urinary incontinence. It can assist in assessing whether the patient is consuming too much water by measuring its specific gravity and detecting chemical imbalances that may cause stones. The results of the blood tests will be used to evaluate how well the liver and kidneys are working, look for bacterial or viral infections, and may even show changes in hormone levels. Urine will be cultured if an infection is discovered in order to determine which specific sickness is causing the symptoms. The dog's spine, bladder, kidneys, and ureters may be more clearly seen with X-ray and ultrasound technology.
Treatment
Different treatments will be used depending on the underlying cause of this illness. To control theis condition, medications are helpful. Surgery may be advised in cases of incontinence brought on by bladder stones, a projecting disc, or congenital anomaly.
Nutrition management
A common concern for dogs is their urinary tract health. Your dog’s urine can become too concentrated if he doesn’t drink enough water. When cystine stones are present it is also a good idea to increase water intake to dilute the urine. However, since a human study has shown that increasing dietary sodium intake corresponds to a higher elimination of cystine into the urine, it is advisable to avoid excessive use of table salt to induce thirst and increase the volume of urine.
With respect to dietary therapy, dogs with a predisposition to developing this type of urolith should avoid diets rich in purines; these tend to be found in large quantities if a foodstuff contains high levels of ingredients such as meat and organs. Protein sources such as eggs and cheese are therefore preferred, or a commercial low-purine diet is widely available. Diets that tend to acidify the urine should also be avoided, and if necessary, the diet should be slightly alkalized by the addition of potassium citrate.
Balanced food with high-quality nutrients that are calibrated for urinary comfort and a healthy urinary tract help to protect your dog’s wellbeing is best suited for dogs of all sizes. Royal Canin Urinary S/O dry is a complete dietetic feed for dogs, formulated for the dissolution of struvite stones and the reduction of struvite stone recurrence. Urine under saturating or metastabilising properties for struvite and/or Urine acidifying properties. Feed Urinary S/O dry for 5 to 12 weeks for the dissolution of struvite stones and initially up to 6 months for the reduction of struvite stone recurrence as this helps lower the concentration of ions contributing to struvite and calcium oxalate crystal formation.
(Dr. Manjeet Singh is MVSc Medicine,Royal K9 Pet Care)
