Section: Information In-depth
Other medical problems can lead to symptoms similar to those encountered in pets with urinary incontinence. These disorders should be excluded before establishing a diagnosis of urinary incontinence.
Neurologic problems can cause urinary incontinence and can be divided into the following:
Problems affecting voluntary control of urination, which are upper motor neuron problems. These include cerebral, cerebellar, brainstem and spinal cord lesions.
Problems affecting the local nervous reflex arc that directly controls urination, which are lower motor neuron problems. These include trauma, tumor, infarcts, and nerve injuries.
A variety of non-neurologic problems can cause urinary incontinence including:
Hormone-responsive incontinence, which are estrogen-responsive incontinence in female dogs and testosterone-responsive in male dogs
Urethral sphincter mechanism incompetence
Congenital defects, such as a misplaced ureteral opening or ectopic ureter present at birth
Overflow incontinence due to partial urethral obstruction
Muscle disorders of the bladder, as an over-active or under-active bladder muscle
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