EDMOND — Q: I have a 5-year-old female Australian Shepherd named Susie that is the love of my life. She goes everywhere with me and has been housebroken without any accidents since she was 3 months old. Lately she has had accidents in the house. I have seen wet spots where she was laying after she gets up from a nap. Occasionally she drips urine when she is just walking across the floor. What could be causing this and what should I do to help her?
A: It is unlikely that her wetting is behavioral. It sounds like urinary incontinence which is a medical condition that easily can be treated. It is an involuntary wetting over which she has no control. It is completely passive. Other things that are often observed are actual urine puddles here and there, the fur around her rear may stay damp to wet, she may lick herself more than normal, her bedding may be damp or wet after she has laid on it, especially while asleep, and there may be a puddle under her after a nap on the hard floor or on concrete.
Before calling this simple incontinence we must first rule out the possibility of an infection, kidney disease or contributing diseases such as diabetes or Cushing’s Disease. Unfortunately a diagnosis of urinary incontinence is made by exclusion of other diseases or problems.
Your veterinarian will collect some urine to rule out a possible urinary tract or kidney infection. If both of these are negative she will want to do some blood work to look for diseases such as diabetes mellitus or Cushing’s Disease. Both of these diseases can cause the pet to drink excessively, and of necessity, urinate excessively.
You should watch Susie closely at home to see if she seems to be drinking increased amounts of water. This will be important for you to share with your veterinarian.
If all else seems normal, the urinalysis confirms there is no infection and all the blood work is normal, then a diagnosis of primary sphincter incontinence can be made. There are actually two sphincters that control urine outflow — a voluntary and an involuntary. The voluntary sphincter is responsible for controlling urinary outflow when Susie is awake. This allows her to hold her urine until she can go outside and eliminate purposefully. The involuntary sphincter is the one that controls urine outflow during sleep or at rest. When she develops sphincter incontinence, the involuntary sphincter is overridden by the pressure in the bladder and it leaks while she is relaxed or asleep.
This condition is more often seen in spayed female dogs and is due to lack of estrogen, which allows the muscles to become weak.
Putting her on phenylpropanolamine or PPA daily is curative about 90 percent of the time. In only 5 percent to 10 percent of cases surgery may be required, but I would certainly try the PPA treatment first. Take Susie to your veterinarian as soon as possible so she can be restored to good health and continue being your No. 1 sidekick. If this condition is allowed to go untreated, there is a high risk that she will develop a urinary tract infection.
DR. M. MARGARET KING, a longtime Edmond veterinarian, is a guest columnist. If you have any questions, send them to 1900 S. Bryant, Edmond, OK 73013.
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