Holly, a 13 year old Golden Retriever bitch, is a regular boarder at my kennels. Recently she developed urinary incontinence, and her owner feared she might have to be put down. The problem can be difficult to live with because of the smell, increased washing, damage to carpets etc. Just as importantly, it is distressing for the bitch herself who would like to keep herself clean but is unable to stop the leakage of urine.
Fortunately Holly’s owners discussed the problem with their vet who prescribed some treatment which now has the problem under control.
We all dread our pets growing old, and one of the problems we tend to associate with ageing is urinary incontinence, or leakage. Although this happens mainly in older bitches, it is not a problem that has to be just lived with. In many cases there are treatments which can help control this, and can greatly improve quality of life.
Urinary incontinence can happen in both dogs and bitches, but is much more common in bitches. It can also be related to being overweight, and being spayed. In younger animals it can be due to a congenital abnormality (present since birth).
Although incontinence is more common in spayed bitches, this does not mean that spaying is a bad thing. There are many benefits which together outweigh the disadvantages (Please see our Pet Care Advice section, Neutering, for further information about this)
Urine is produced continuously by the kidneys, and is stored in the urinary bladder. When the dog or bitch urinates, the urine is expelled along a tube called the urethra. The rest of the time, urine is prevented from leaking out by the urethral sphincter muscle. Usually, control of this sphincter muscle is under the voluntary control of the dog, so once they have been trained when and where to urinate, they go in the right place and at the right time.
The most common cause of incontinence, especially in older bitches, is urethral sphincter incompetence. If the sphincter muscle loses tone, it can allow urine to leak out. The bitch will still be able to urinate voluntarily when she wants to, but there will also be leakage, often without her even realising it. She will, of course, clean herself up if there is leakage, but she will be unable to stop it from happening.
The signs of incontinence are wet patches where the bitch has been lying down, wet legs, infections of the skin and excessive licking at the vulva. There is not necessarily an increase in the amount that is being drunk or being urinated, but if these are increased as well then that also needs investigation.
As always, your vet will first need a full medical history and will need to make a full examination of your dog, probably including blood tests and urine tests. It can also be helpful to examine the urinary tract by ultrasound scan, or by x-rays using special contrast medium to help show up the size, shape and position of the bladder and the urethra. It is important to check for problems other than incontinence, and for other causes of incontinence, such as urinary infection, bladder stones, liver and kidney disease and diabetes. Any of these would require quite different treatment. Once these have been either ruled out or treated, if incontinence is still a problem then it can be treated.
A number of drugs are available which help by acting on the muscle of the urethral sphincter. The drugs may be given either in the form of a syrup which is given on food, or as tablets. As with all drugs, there can occasionally be side effects which your vet will ask you to watch out for. Very often the problem is greatly improved and the treatment can be successfully continued long term at a maintenance level.
In a few cases there is no improvement, and then other causes need to be investigated further. In a small number of dogs there is a physical abnormality which could benefit from surgery (such as repositioning of the bladder neck). These cases involve quite specialised treatment and might need a referral to a specialist veterinary centre.
Incontinence is a distressing problem for both dog and owner, but it is well worth seeking advice from your vet on the treatments available.
If you are worried about urinary incontinence or any other problem with your pet, please talk to your vet or use our Interactive Symptom Guide to help decide what to do next.
Discussion
We have a 7 year old rescue Dogue de Bordeaux that we got last March 2020. He got a UTI last August when we noticed blood in his urine when he pee’d. It cleared up after a course of Synulox. Unfortunately it returned in November with a vengeance but didn’t clear fully with another course of antibiotics, and there was no improvement after taking propalin . He’s had urine tests, culture tests, blood tests, X-ray and ultrasound under sedation. No stones or neoplasms were found and not diabetic either. The fine needle culture test picked up a bacterial infection in his bladder so he had another 2 week course of Synulox, which seemed to help but not for long. He was then put on a 10 week course of synulox and had a flush out of his bladder under GA. Which hasn’t helped – if anything it’s worse. He’s been given a second AB – baytril to be taken alongside the synulox. No improvement. The vet now thinks it could be a nerve issue so has prescribed Gabapentin, but still no improvement. Our last try apparently says the vet is a combination of propalin and incurin. I don’t know what to do if this doesn’t help as our house reeks of urine despite washing everything multiple times daily. He doesn’t seem in pain and the vet doesn’t think he is. What should we do because I don’t think I can bring myself to put to him down if not in pain!
It might be time to consider referral to a urology specialist, who can perform more complex diagnostic tests?
My female chocolate labrador has just turned 2. A few weeks ago she started having accidents in the house, so we took her to the vets. Her urine test (which they tested then and there) was clear but because the accidents carried on she was given 10days worth of antibiotics just incase the test missed something. Half way through the course of antibiotics the accidents stopped. But a few days after the course of antibiotics they returned worse they ever. She doesn’t realise she’s doing it, it is definitely worse in the evening seemingly. We’ve monitored her drinking & she’s definitely not drinking too much. She’s had blood tests which are fine and we’re just awaiting results of her urine test that has been sent away for testing.
After her spay at 18months she suffered kidney damage due to what we’re not sure, however after several months we have been reassured her kidney function levels have returned back to normal.
I don’t know what to think but I’m so worried about her, it’s so sad that she is experiencing this at just 2 years old.
It might be that there’s some deep-seated infection that wasn’t quite cleared the first time – your vet might need to collect a sample and send it away for culture to find out if there are resistant bacteria present, in which case a different antibiotic or cocktail of antibiotics may be needed.
Alternatively, the effect of the antibiotics might be coincidental, and there’s a different problem, such as ectopic ureters.
Definitely time for further work up by the vets though – good luck with her!
My 13+ year old poodle bitch was crate trained within 24 hrs, she is so clean. Now, she is spotting indoors between walks and licking herself to keep clean. She was spayed when she was young and I’ve checked and there’s no UTI. My vet didn’t mention that drugs might help so I’ll get back to her. Thanks for such a helpful article.
Just noticed my dog is urinating without realising it her heads hot has she got a water infection?
Most dogs with a urinary infection don’t have a fever – if she does, it’s serious, so call your vet for advice sooner rather than later.
Just noticed my dog is urinating when walking round house and when sitting down only started this afternoon her head feels hot could she have a water infection she is 3 yr old and been spayed
Yes, it’s a definitely possibility. I’d advise calling your vet for advice.
I have a toy poodle , she was a bred from too frequently,. She was spayed
last year, no after effects. She has starte involuntary wetting. I have had this
happen before. ( I home elderly exbreeding stock. ). I was given a medicine,
Sadly my new vet thinks I paying his families uiniversity feed. I would like to
trybthe medicine before getting involved with heavy fees.
Please, would you ell me the name.
Thank you
You haven’t said what the medication is; however, all the incontinence medications in the UK a prescription-only; this means it is illegal to use or buy them without a prescription. Your best bet would be to ask for a written prescription for the medication and then order it from an reputable and reliable online dispensary (as they have much fewer overheads, they’re usually cheaper than purchasing from the vets). The vet may charge you for the prescription, but you can then buy the medication elsewhere, and it would usually be cheaper.
My 2 year old wolfhound had been dry whilst a puppy with the odd UTI. I was recommended by my vet to have her neutered before her first season but I resisted and waited till after her first. . Now i wish I had waited till after her second or third season as she has developed spay incontinence and still suffers from UTI’s. I have recently been told by my vet (I see a different vet every time I go to the same surgery!) that she has a juvenile vulva (possibly from early spaying) and to make sure she is clean. She is now on incurin which helped initially but just lately her inconctinence is increasing so it will be another trip back to the vets. I can’t help think that if only I hadn’t spayed her so soon then her vulva would have become more mature, especially since she is a giant breed. I’ve also read online that spaying a giant and large bitch can increase the chance of incontinence by a further 20% compared with smaller breeds.
I’m so sorry to hear that. It’s unusual for a bitch to retain a juvenile vulva after her first season, but clearly it does happen sometimes; increasingly, we are moving to a more individual approach for neutering, rather than blanket policies, but there are very good arguments both ways regarding early neutering, because while it increases some risks, it decreases others. The evidence on changing risk of incontinence with time of spaying is quite patchy, though spaying before the first season does seems to increase the risk – that said, it’s not actually conclusive.
Unfortunately, there just isn’t enough data yet, although that is changing, slowly.
I have just had my female 2 year old spayed on Monday but as of wed whilst out for short walks as advised by vet has stopped to wee about 10 times which is unusual for her is this normal so soon after op and will it improve ?
That isn’t usual, but it is probably due to local inflammation and discomfort after surgery, rather than anything more sinister. However, I’d suggest having a chat with your vet about it – they know your dog’s medical history better than I do! – as it might suggest a urinary tract infection.
My 12 year old bitch has sards and completely blind but for last few days she has been peeing loads and last night came home to big puddle then this morning when i got up then again in afternoon when i went out for an hour
Is there any herbal or homeopathic treatment that can be used instead of Propalin? Also once started on Propalin do you need to do a maintenance dose for the rest of the dogs life?
Hi Molly. I’d recommend giving your vet a quick call as they’ll be able to accurately let you know the dose of Propalin that your dog needs to be on, based on weight etc. They’ll also be better placed to advise you of any alternative treatments, based on clinical history.
I have just read your artical and have a 6 year old unspade bitch who has this type of problem although she is dry over night and goes out for a run in the garden in the morning but will then come into the kitchen and while eating her morning bonio will wet on the floor, this can also happen on an evening while she stands to eat her tea, we have visited our vet and he has prescribed a course of Propalin 40mg/ml which doesn’t seam to be helping, have you any ideas, Many Thanks. David
Hi David, it sounds as if a trip to the vet to reassess the situation would be a good idea. The most common reason for this problem is urethral sphincter incompetence however this is not the only cause. It would be worth asking what further investigations can be carried out on your girl and take it from there. Best of luck with this, we hope you get the problem under control.
I have just read your artical and have a 6 year old unspade bitch who has this type of problem although she is dry over night and goes out for a run in the garden in the morning but will then come into the kitchen and while eating her morning bonio will wet on the floor, this can also happen on an evening while she stands to eat her tea, we have visited our vet and he has prescribed a course of Propalin 40mg/ml which doesn’t seam to be helping, have you any ideas, Many Thanks. David
Sounds like it’s only when she’s eating that there’s a problem,excitement especially if she’s a spaniel ,Labrador retriever breed
Hi David, it sounds as if a trip to the vet to reassess the situation would be a good idea. The most common reason for this problem is urethral sphincter incompetence however this is not the only cause. It would be worth asking what further investigations can be carried out on your girl and take it from there. Best of luck with this, we hope you get the problem under control.
Great article. I’ve seen so many clients who think there’s nothing that can be done to help with incontinence and are so delighted to find out there are excellent treatment options.
Great article. I’ve seen so many clients who think there’s nothing that can be done to help with incontinence and are so delighted to find out there are excellent treatment options.