According to Petplace.com, canine urinary incontinence is when your dog loses control due to the weakness of the urethral muscles, which is more common in female dogs. Causes of urinary incontinence can be neurogenic such as abnormalities of the nervous system that controls regulation of urination; and non-neurogenic to include congenital problems at birth, an obstruction in the bladder, spinal cord disease, urinary tract infection and hormone-response. Urinary incontinence is one of the easiest conditions to treat with the assistance of your veterinarian.
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Treat Underlying Causes
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The Marvista Vet states that if the cause is due to a urinary, kidney or other health problem, as determined by your veterinarian, those conditions will be treated with medications, which should resolve the incontinence problems.
Treat With Medications
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If no underlying cause can be identified, urinary incontinence will be treated with a medication called phenylpropanolamine, which works to increase and strengthen the muscle tone of the sphincter and stimulates the receptors of the urethral muscle. Diethylstilbestrol is used in females as a hormone treatment. Muscle relaxant medications can be prescribed for an overactive bladder and phenoxybenzamine can be administered as well to resolve urethral spasms which caused obstruction of the bladder. If medications do fail to resolve your dog's urinary incontinence, surgery may be an option.
Surgery Treatment
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Colposuspension is a surgery predominantly performed on female dogs to attach the vagina to the belly wall, tightening up the urethra.
Cystourethropexy is similar to colposuspension and can be performed on either the male or female, in which certain fibers of the urethra are tacked to tighten the urethra opening and control leakage.
If the urinary incontinence is caused by a short urethra, which causes urine to back up into the pelvis area, another surgery can be performed to lengthen the urethra.
These surgeries have a 50 percent success rate to resolve urinary incontinence and are usually not necessary. Medications are the most successful.
Collagen Injection Treatment
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Further success has been reported with collagen injections in conjunction with the medication. Several injections of collagen are inserted in the urethra with an endoscope. The medication and collagen therapy used together has a near 100 percent success rate.
Home Care Follow-up Treatment
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It is imperative to follow the regimen prescribed by your veterinarian and administer all the medication, even when your dog is showing improvement. Be sure your dog always has plenty of clean water available and access to go out to urinate often. If treatment has been inadequate, go for follow-up visits and further urinalysis tests. There is ample treatment options available that will resolve your dog's urinary incontinence condition with great success.
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