Incontinence- Don't Rub Your Pets Nose In It
When your much loved pet starts having urinary accidents in the house it is very concerning and frustrating. Many people put up with this, thinking it is an unavoidable side effect of aging. Others would consider making the animal an outdoor pet or start to think that their pet is in old age decline. In actual fact, urinary incontinence is often a very easy problem to solve and manage.
First of all we need to differentiate true urinary incontinence (involuntary urinary leakage), from behaviourial issues (submissive urination), poor house training, territorial marking of anxious cats and canine cognitive decline or the senile loss of house training.
After you vet has taken a history to establish that it is urinary incontinence, a urine test is required to determine the cause. The most common causes of incontinence are:
· Weak bladder sphincter – common in older female dogs
· Urinary tract infections
· Sterile urinary tract inflammation - common in cats
· Excessive water consumption
· Spinal cord disease
Weak bladder sphincter affects 1 in 5 female dogs. The incontinence can be managed very effectively with medication once other possible issues have been ruled out.
Urinary tract infections of inflammation are very common in both dogs and cats. Cat often have a sterile inflammation whereas dogs often get UTIs. Bacteria is picked up doing a urine test and the urine is cultured to determine which bacteria is involved and which antibiotic will best be able to treat the infection.
Excessive water consumption creates a large volume of urine which causes the bladder to overflow. This problems is usually associated with a medical cause. The most common being:
· Kidney failure
· Diabetes
· Cushings
· Hyperthryoidism
Urinary incontinence and accidents in the house isn’t something you and your pet have to put up with. A check up and few simple tests will often lead to a simple solution.
Come and see us at Pet & Vet if your pet is having any of these issues.
When your much loved pet starts having urinary accidents in the house it is very concerning and frustrating. Many people put up with this, thinking it is an unavoidable side effect of aging. Others would consider making the animal an outdoor pet or start to think that their pet is in old age decline. In actual fact, urinary incontinence is often a very easy problem to solve and manage.
First of all we need to differentiate true urinary incontinence (involuntary urinary leakage), from behaviourial issues (submissive urination), poor house training, territorial marking of anxious cats and canine cognitive decline or the senile loss of house training.
After you vet has taken a history to establish that it is urinary incontinence, a urine test is required to determine the cause. The most common causes of incontinence are:
· Weak bladder sphincter – common in older female dogs
· Urinary tract infections
· Sterile urinary tract inflammation - common in cats
· Excessive water consumption
· Spinal cord disease
Weak bladder sphincter affects 1 in 5 female dogs. The incontinence can be managed very effectively with medication once other possible issues have been ruled out.
Urinary tract infections of inflammation are very common in both dogs and cats. Cat often have a sterile inflammation whereas dogs often get UTIs. Bacteria is picked up doing a urine test and the urine is cultured to determine which bacteria is involved and which antibiotic will best be able to treat the infection.
Excessive water consumption creates a large volume of urine which causes the bladder to overflow. This problems is usually associated with a medical cause. The most common being:
· Kidney failure
· Diabetes
· Cushings
· Hyperthryoidism
Urinary incontinence and accidents in the house isn’t something you and your pet have to put up with. A check up and few simple tests will often lead to a simple solution.
Come and see us at Pet & Vet if your pet is having any of these issues.
