Urinary Incontinence in Dogs

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Urinary Incontinence in Dogs

By: Dr. Debra Primovic

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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.

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1 Inappropriate Elimination in Dogs
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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

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