What to do about urinary incontinence in dogs

The definition of urinary incontinence is the inability to control urination easily, resulting in leakage of urine. This is a barrier to urine storage life. This type of problem is most common in middle-aged to older dogs. In addition, medium to large dogs, female, neutered, and obese are also risk factors. However, cats and dogs without risk factors may also develop urinary incontinence.

Causes of urinary incontinence can generally be divided into five categories:

1. Nervous problems:

A normal bladder can hold a certain amount of urine. If it exceeds this amount, it will cause "urinary urge". At this time, two sets of neural control mechanisms will act at the same time. : One part is the reflex of the sacral vertebra, triggering the continuous contraction of the detrusor muscle and starting urination; the other part is the cerebral cortex inhibiting the sacral vertebra reflex and causing the external sphincter and perineal muscles to contract. If you have a slight urge to urinate but cannot urinate, it means that the function of the cerebral cortex is stronger than the reflex of the sacral spine. During urination, the cerebral cortex can arbitrarily cancel the inhibition of the sacral reflex, and relax the external sphincter and perineal muscles to allow urine to be discharged.

Whether primary (such as mental illness) or secondary (such as trauma, infection, or cancer), the nerve pathways that control urination can cause urinary incontinence. The affected nerve sites are mainly nerve receptors, peripheral nerves, spinal cord, and even the brain. Diagnosing the location of the problem is difficult and often requires a good knowledge of neuroanatomy. Secondary neurological problems must be dealt with first. Some drugs that improve nerve conduction pathways are quite effective in treating neuroincontinence. Neurological causes are the primary cause of urinary incontinence in most older dogs and cats.

2. Loss of bladder storage function:

When the bladder loses its normal function of storing urine, or when the bladder contracts excessively, small amounts of urine will leak out frequently. Causes include urinary tract infection, pelvic infection, chronic inflammation, tumors, fecal obstruction, external pressure, bladder dysplasia, etc. Diagnosing bladder storage problems is not difficult because there are often many other symptoms to identify. Treatment is to remove the cause of bladder dysfunction and restore normal bladder function.

3. Urethral disorders:

The closure of the urethra is composed of smooth muscles, voluntary muscles, and connective tissues around the urethra to prevent urine from leaking out. If the urethra is not closed properly, urination will occur. Causes include urethral dysplasia, acquired urethral insufficiency (such as urethral mucosal atrophy caused by reduced estrogen, which is more common in neutered female dogs), urinary tract infection or inflammation, prostate disease or prostate disease Operation. Urinary incontinence caused by urethral disorders and abnormal bladder storage function will occur intermittently. Small urine output is different from urinary incontinence caused by neurological reasons! Nervous urinary incontinence triggers the sacral reflex, so there will be one episode at a time. More urine output. Treatment options include surgery to correct the structure of the urethra, or medication. ifThe problem of estrogen reduction can be improved by estrogen supplementation.

4. Structural problems:

Certain congenital structural malformations, such as bladder exstrophy, open urethra, ectopic opening of the ureter to the bladder neck, or acquired injuries (such as urinary Structural damage to the bladder and urethra during reproductive surgery) can lead to structural urinary incontinence. These problems can often be seen from structural observation or medical history, and most treatments can only be addressed with surgery.

5. Urinary retention:

This type of problem is caused by a large amount of urine being retained in the bladder. It usually occurs due to bladder neck obstruction, stenosis somewhere in the urethra, or neurological damage. . In this type of urinary incontinence, it is very difficult to urinate, the urine stream becomes thin and weak, and there is often no dripping during the middle and end of urination. Urinary retention can usually be seen as a very distended bladder during palpation. For example, urinary stone disease, which is common in male cats, can also be seen in this type of urinary incontinence. Urinary retention is more likely to cause other problems, such as kidney inflammation and even impaired kidney function. So it must be dealt with immediately.

The above five causes of urinary incontinence often occur in combination rather than alone. For example, prostate problems may include urethral obstruction, structural abnormalities, and urine retention.

Sometimes it is easy for livestock owners to overlook urinary incontinence. Doctors are sometimes confused by other causes when making differential diagnoses. First of all, it must be distinguished from some inappropriate urination behaviors, such as the urination behavior of male dogs when urinating; secondly, in the case of insufficient observation time, the urination behavior of some diseases such as polyuria may also be misdiagnosed; there are also some rare Mental problems, dogs may also suffer from willful incontinence. When urinary incontinence cannot be identified, it should be considered a treatment and detailed investigation for the condition, as more serious problems such as urinary retention may lead to more serious conditions.