Equine Incontinence

Equine incontinence is not a disease, but a sign of a more serious disease or injury. Normal equine continence depends on the proper functioning of the brain, nervous system, colon and rectum muscles.

  1. Urinary Incontinence

    • Equine urinary incontinence is the dribbling of urine and may be a sign of urinary tract infection once a neurological cause has been ruled out. Harold Schott II, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, associate professor in the department of large animal clinical sciences at Michigan State University, stated that when dealing with urinary incontinence in his studies, only 20 percent of 37 horses could be treated successfully.

    Fecal Incontinence

    • Loss of control of the rectum occurs when there has been an injury to the spinal cord. Fecal incontinence is one of the most common problems of the rectum and anus.

    Symptoms

    • Bladder paralysis and a limp tail accompany fecal incontinence. In the male horse, there is a prolapse of the penis. In the female, gaping of the vulva is present. Other symptoms include diarrhea and urine or fecal leakage.

    Causes

    • A laceration of the perineum during a difficult delivery of a foal can create rectovaginal fistula (a passage between the rectum and vagina) through which stool passes via the vagina. Brain or sacral spinal cord injuries can result in incontinence.

    Treatment

    • Treatment is directed at the primary cause. Rectovaginal fistula can be surgically repaired. With spinal cord paralysis, the stool should be kept soft and manually removed from the rectum as necessary.