One of the more frustrating dog urinary problems for a dog owner is incontinence. You can treat urinary incontinence with collagen injections.
Causes of Dog Urinary Incontinence
- Excessive consumption of water
- Urinary tract infection, usually of the bladder
- Spinal cord disease
- Weak bladder sphincter, especially common in spayed female dogs
Excessive Water Consumption
Bladders can simply overflow when a dog drinks too much water. Urinalysis can determine whether an animal is drinking too much water or whether there is another cause, such as diabetes, bladder infection, kidney failure, Cushing's syndrome or any other disease.
Dog Has a Urinary Infection or Bladder Issue
A dog urinary infection and a bladder infection are the most common cause of incontinence, especially in female dogs of all ages since the female dog urinary tract is susceptible to infections. The type of infection and what types of antibiotics are available to treat it will be determined by a urine culture. Potential side effects, rate of success, ease of use and expense are determining factors in selecting an antibiotic. Usually a second culture is taken 1 to 3 weeks after treatment begins to determine if the right antibiotic is being used. Improvement with the incontinence is usually noticed shortly after treatment starts.
Spinal Cord Disease
Spinal surgery may be needed to decompress nerve pressure in the lower lumbar area of the spine that is interfering with the nerves controlling urination. Surgery may be needed to repair an ectopic ureter, in which the ureter is not connected to the bladder at all but rather the vagina or rectum. Surgery may also be required for canine bladder stones.
Weak Bladder Sphincter
Aside from aging or obesity, a weak bladder sphincter may be the result of a reduced sensitivity to the sphincter's neurologic receptors. Hormone therapy can cure this problem by using estrogen for females and testosterones for males. These hormones can also be combined with alpha-adrenergic agonists, which enhance the release of the neurotransmitter chemicals relating to the bladder sphincter. Side effects can include blood pressure changes, appetite suppression and irritability. Another alternative is the use of anticholinergics drugs that relax the muscle fibers of the bladder therefore facilitating storage.
Surgery for Canine Bladder Stones or Other Issues
Surgery is the last option for dogs who fail to respond to medications. Colosuspension is used in females in which the vagina is tacked to the belly wall thus entrapping and compressing the urethra. Cystourethropexy is performed on males in which the ductus deferens is tacked down in order to compress the urethra. Both surgeries are combined with medication therapies to increase success rates.
The newest therapy involves collagen injections being deposited into the urethra using an endoscope. Success rates improved with the use of medications. Unfortunately, there are not many facilities performing this surgery at this time.