My dog has bladder control problems. What causes puppy incontinence?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! No, that would not be a cause of incontinence. This could be an anatomical anormality and in some cases it could be a neurological issue, among many other possibilities. If that is happening, I would recommend that you have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Best of luck!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Bambi. Fecal and urinary incontinence can be caused by many things including problems with the nervous system or nerves innervating these organs due to spinal cord problems, vetebrae problems, enlargement of organs near the back of the abdomen, tumors, anal region problems, urinary incontinence secondary to her being spayed, etc. So I would highly advise a trip to your veterinarian and let them take a thorough history. They will perform a physical exam and most likely a rectal exam and then advise a set of diagnostics to try to solve these problems. Blood work, fecal tests, x-rays and ultrasound are all initial possible tests to be performed. Once diagnostics are performed the problems can then be addressed. Good luck and I hope Bambi does well.

Buster is one handsome guy! It sounds as though you and Buster have had a frustrating few months! In most cases, I would also expect cancerous masses in the bladder to grow more rapidly and cause a worsening of his incontinence issues, but some masses grow slowly or do not metastasize (spread) quickly. Some possible causes of Buster's urine leakage include infection, cancer (transitional cell carcinoma is the most common bladder cancer), hormonal imbalances, or neurologic deficits. At this point, it may be worth considering a urine culture to definitively determine if infection is present. A urinalysis will occasionally miss bacteria or white blood cells, particularly if the urine is dilute. This is a non-invasive test that could allow for a relatively simple fix with a course of antibiotics. If a urine culture is negative, it may be worth discussing trials with other medications with Buster's vet. Some dogs can benefit from phenylpropanolamine or testosterone if this is a true incontinence issue. If there is a suspicion that cancer may be present, it may be worth a trial with piroxicam (an NSAID that can be quite beneficial for bladder cancer) to see if his signs improve. All of these medications are prescription based and need to be prescribed by his vet, if they are indicated in his given case. I hope that all goes well for Buster!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The urinary tract symptoms you describe could be due to a urinary tract infection, urinary stones, a tumor, among other possibilities. I recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Further diagnostics would include abdominal imaging and lab work. Treatment would be based on findings. Good luck and have a good night!

Hi and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I recommend taking Teddy in to the vet for a senior health assessment. Discuss your concerns with the vet and they may recommend some bloodwork or other diagnostic testing. Some cases of incontinence can benefit from medications. While it will not be a cure it can greatly improve the episodes. In some cases, dogs may inappropriately urinate or defecate if they are experiencing cognitive dysfunction. Medications or diets can also help with this, especially if he is in good shape physically. In the meantime you may want to let Teddy out by himself and monitor to make sure that he is urinating and defecating before letting him back inside. He may be getting distracted by the other dogs.

Hello. I am so sorry that no one has addressed your question earlier. Your veterinarians have done an excellent work-up to rule out any underlying conditions or issues so far, but have they been able to rule out the possibility that Cali has ectopic ureters or something else congenital like urethral hypoplasia or just plain congenital incontinence? Medically, you might discuss the use of Incurin ( estriol ) either by itself or added to the Proin. If there is no response to either/both of these together, there is some literature that indicates that GnRH ( gonadotropin releasing hormone ) may be effective. If Cali remains medically unresponsive, then there is a surgical procedure to implant a hydraulic urethral occluder. Your veterinarian will probably not be able to do this, but if you are near a veterinary teaching hospital, that would be a good place to have this done. Your veterinarian can research this for you. Anyway, I hope I have supplied a little more information that you can now discuss with your veterinarian. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It sounds like Blacky had a urinary tract infection, which sometimes can become recurrent or resistant and difficult to treat. His urine may need to be cultured again to see if the infection has resolved. Sometimes bladder stones or polyps, or diseases like Cushing's or kidney disease could also cause urine leakage. Finally, he may have urinary incontinence due to a neurologic issue and require medication to help stop the leakage. I would recommend talking to your veterinarian to see if there are any additional tests they would recommend.