Urinary Incontinence in Dogs

Digg

Del.icio.us

Stumble

Urinary Incontinence in Dogs

By: Dr. Debra Primovic

Pages 1 2 3

5 6

Section: Veterinary Care In-depth

Diagnosis In-depth

Certain diagnostic tests must be performed to confirm the diagnosis of urinary incontinence and exclude other diseases that may cause similar symptoms, such as bacterial infection, stones or calculi, or prostatic disease in male dogs. Tests may include:

Complete medical history. The medical history may include questions about reproductive status (intact or neutered), urine dribbling during sleep or where the pet is lying, change in water consumption or urine production, presence of other illness, history of trauma, gait abnormalities that could suggest neurologic disease, blood in the urine, increased frequency of urination, history of urinary tract infections, previous drug therapy, constipation, and presence of behavioral problems.

Physical examination including palpation of the abdomen, rectal examination in male dogs to evaluate the prostate gland, and vaginal examination in females

Urinalysis to evaluate for white cells, red cells, or bacteria

Urine culture and sensitivity to evaluate for the presence of bacterial urinary tract infection

A complete blood count and serum biochemistry tests to evaluate the pet's general health and other body systems

Plain abdominal X-rays to evaluate for stones

Your veterinarian may recommend additional diagnostic tests to exclude or diagnose other conditions if preliminary tests do not yield a diagnosis, or to understand the impact of urinary incontinence on your pet. These tests are selected on a case-by-case basis. Examples include:

Urinary catheterization to determine the amount of urine remaining in the bladder after the pet has attempted to urinate and to identify any obstruction

Prostatic fluid analysis to evaluate for prostatitis in male dogs

Contrast dye radiographic studies, such as cystourethrogram to evaluate the bladder and urethra, intravenous pyelogram or excretory urography to evaluate the kidneys and ureters.

Ultrasound examination, a technique in which internal organs are visualized by recording reflections of ultrasonic waves directed into tissues, to evaluate for stones, tumors or obstruction.

Urethrocystoscopy, a technique in which a rigid or flexible scope is passed into the vagina, urethra and bladder of females for direct visualization, to identify anatomic abnormalities, stones, or tumors. This procedure usually requires referral to a specialist.

In difficult cases, special physiologic studies of urination, like urethral pressure profile or cystometrogram, to evaluate nervous control of urination. These tests require referral to a specialist.

Pages 1 2 3

5 6

Printable Version

Digg

Del.icio.us

Stumble

Share this Article with a Friend Email To:

Have a Pet Question?

Review the Most Frequent Questions
Answered by Dr. Jon and His Staff of Veterinarians

Dr. Jon's Newsletter

Yes! Send Me the Latest Health Information, Pet Tips, Pet Stories and more...

Search Over 15,000 articles

1 Inappropriate Elimination in Dogs
About 20 percent of all behavior problems in dogs fall into the category of "inappropriate elimination." This term refers to the unseemly practice of dogs either urinating, defecating, or both on the floor...
Read More
2 Acute Cystitis in Dogs
Acute cystitis is defined as inflammation of the urinary bladder usually caused by a bacterial infection. Most cases are caused by bacteria from the intestinal tract that migrate up into the bladder.
Read More
3 Recurrent Cystitis in Dogs
Recurrent cystitis is defined as repeat bouts of inflammation of the urinary bladder. Generally in small animal veterinary medicine, cystitis is usually synonymous with “bladder infection”.
Read More
4 Ectopic Ureters
Ectopic ureter is an abnormality present at birth in which one or both of the ducts that bring urine from the kidneys to the bladder fail to open into the bladder in the normal way.
Read More
5 Pyelonephritis in Dogs
Pyelonephritis is an inflammation of the kidney, and is most often due to a bacterial infection that has made its way from the lower urinary tract (urinary bladder) to the kidney and can lead to kidney...
Read More
6 Urethritis in Dogs
Urethritis is an inflammation of the urethra due to injury, infection or cancer. The urethra swells and narrows, and the flow of urine is impeded. Both urination and the urgency to urinate increase.
Read More

Over 10,000 Veterinarian Approved Articles

Dogs & Puppies

Dog Breeds

labrador retriever, golden retriever, yorkshire terriers, german shepherds, beagle, boxers

Dog Medication

dog allergy medication, dog pain medication, dog anxiety medication, dog flea medication

Dog Products

dog bowls, dog crates, dog toys, dog beds, dog ramps, dog food storage, dog tags

Dog Symptoms

dog vomiting, dog limping, dog diarrhea, dog bad breath, dog coughing, dog seizures

Dog Health

dog cancer, dog diabetes, dog epilepsy, dog hip dysplasia, dog health, sick dog

Dog Care

dog vaccination, dog microchipping, dog grooming, dog neutering, dog spaying, dogs mating

Dog Training

dog aggression, dog barking, dog chewing, dog behavior, dog jumping, dog whisperer

Dog Pictures

puppy pictures, funny dogs, cute dogs, dog breeds, sleeping dogs, silly dogs, small dogs

Cats

Cat Breeds

persian, siamese cats, devon rex, ragdoll cats, sphynx, maine coon cat

Cat Medication

cat flea medication, cat heartworm control, cat tick medications

Cat Products

cat litter box, cat food, cat bed, cat flea collar, cat carrier, cat urine odor

Cat Symptoms

cat vomiting, cat limping, cat diarrhea, cat bad breath, cat coughing

Cat Health

cat health, cat liver cancer, cat diabetes, cat scratch fever, cat aids, sick cat

Cat Care

cat vaccination, cat grooming, cat microchipping, cat neutering, cat spaying

Cat Behavior

cat urine marking, cat furniture scratching, cat litterbox training, cat toilet training, cat fears

Cat Pictures

cute cats, funny cats, playful cats, fat cats, jumping cats, lazy cats, sleeping cats, cute kittens

1Urethritis in Dogs
Urethritis is an inflammation of the urethra due to injury, infection or cancer. The urethra swells and narrows, and the flow of urine is impeded. Both urination and the urgency to urinate increase.
Read More
2Inappropriate Elimination in Dogs
About 20 percent of all behavior problems in dogs fall into the category of "inappropriate elimination." This term refers to the unseemly practice of dogs either urinating, defecating, or both on the floor...
Read More
3Acute Cystitis in Dogs
Acute cystitis is defined as inflammation of the urinary bladder usually caused by a bacterial infection. Most cases are caused by bacteria from the intestinal tract that migrate up into the bladder.
Read More
4Recurrent Cystitis in Dogs
Recurrent cystitis is defined as repeat bouts of inflammation of the urinary bladder. Generally in small animal veterinary medicine, cystitis is usually synonymous with “bladder infection”.
Read More
5Ectopic Ureters
Ectopic ureter is an abnormality present at birth in which one or both of the ducts that bring urine from the kidneys to the bladder fail to open into the bladder in the normal way.
Read More
6Pyelonephritis in Dogs
Pyelonephritis is an inflammation of the kidney, and is most often due to a bacterial infection that has made its way from the lower urinary tract (urinary bladder) to the kidney and can lead to kidney...
Read More

Urinary Incontinence in Dogs

Urinary Incontinence in Dogs

Related Articles

Over 10,000 Veterinarian Approved Articles

"Urinary Incontinence in Dogs"

To view the requested article, please register below.

Success! - You Are Now Part of the Petplace Family!