Although there are a few natural remedies for dogs suffering from urinary incontinence, you need to first find out the cause of the incontinence before you administer over the counter medications, herbal formulas or homeopathic remedies. Incontinence is often mistaken for behavior problems in dogs. To find out if your pet is really suffering from incontinence the vet will initially perform a urine analysis to determine if there’s any presence of bacterial infections. Other tests will also be conducted to rule out underlying ailments.
Causes of Incontinence in Dogs Include:
- Infections of the urinary tract and bladder
- Weakness of the sphincter muscles
- Birth defects like ectopic ureter
- Spinal cord damage
Treatment of Incontinence
If the cause of the incontinence is associated with a bacterial infection the vet will prescribe certain antibiotics that will kill the bacteria. Once the infection has been eliminated, the incontinence will subside. You will have to also take other preventive measures to make sure that the dog doesn’t come in contact with infectious agents again.
If the incontinence is due to weakness of the sphincter muscles, the vet will prescribe certain medications like diethylstilbestrol, phenylpropanolamine, ephedrine or pseudoephedrine. If these medications don’t help, the vet will recommend surgical therapy. Since medicines have side effects and surgeries involve risks, you could consider using natural remedies to control the incontinence after obtaining the vet’s approval.
Natural Remedies for Incontinence in Dogs
There are several herbs like wild yam, corn silk, uva ursi, yarrow and oatsraw that can be given to dogs suffering from urinary incontinence. Besides these herbs, certain homeopathic remedies like pulsatilla, bryonia, causticum and equisetum will help your dog if he has weak sphincter muscles or a mild urinary tract infection.
Although these natural remedies don’t cause any side effects, they need to be administered in the right amounts so that they benefit your pet. You should therefore avoid giving your pet any herbs in the raw form and look for commercially available natural remedies or herbal preparations.
Commercially Available Remedies Include:
- Nature’s Herbs for Pets Urinary Relief
- Only Natural Pet Incontinence Homeopathic Remedy
- Homeo Pet Leaks No More
- VS Bladder Strength for Dogs
- Only Natural Pet Canine Bladder Control
Tips for Pet Owners
Although herbal remedies are effective and safer than conventional medications, they cannot replace surgical procedures. If the incontinence is caused by a severe infection that requires the administration of antibiotic drugs you may not be able to use natural remedies to eliminate the infection.
Herbal or natural formulas can be used to prevent the occurrence of infections or bladder problems in the future. They’re best used as a long term solution for incontinence.
Even though your dog suffers from incontinence you must not prevent him from consuming plenty of fresh water. You may have to also make certain changes in your home to allow your pet to go outdoors more often. Dogs suffering from incontinence require extra care and attention. It’s best to follow the vet’s instructions and conduct follow up vet checks to make sure that your dog is on the road to recovery.