My old dog has bowel and bladder incontinence. What can I do?

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.

This can be due to a neurological problem or aging changes. He also may be painful and not wanting to stand and hold the pooping position when outside. I recommend a veterinary exam to see if he’s painful or if there is a neurological problem. They may try him on pain medication. Acupuncture can also improve fecal incontinence sometimes. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Potter.

Unfortunately urinary and bowel incontinence from spinal damage is often permanent. Switching to a high fiber/low residue prescription diet such as Royal Canin Gastrointestinal Fiber Response may help reduce the amount of stool that is produced. Odie looks very sweet. I wish you the best.

Hi Bill, I'm so sorry that you are having this problem with Champ. Unfortunately, we do see neurological problems in older dogs that can result in fecal incontinence where they are unaware when they have to defecate and/or unable to control it. There are not a lot of good treatment options for this condition. However, since you know that Champ has bad legs, I would start with discussing pain medication with your veterinarian. Sometimes if we are able to improve the pain in their rear legs, they seem to have an easier time squatting to defecate and will have less accidents. I am attaching more information on pain medications below. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=587 Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Hello and thank you for posting your concerns regarding Genie. Genie is quite the old man! 10.5yrs old is a great age for a dog his size. With the description you have provided me with, it sounds like Genie is dealing with a lot of age related problems. There are multiple things you can do to try and help Genie out with any arthritic pain he may be experiencing. As for the weakness in the hind end, this may be due to muscle loss which is most likely due to him not using his legs as much as he used to. Managing his level of pain and getting him back on his feet may help re-establish some of this muscle loss but in my experience, there will most likely always be a degree of muscle atrophy due to the chronicity of the arthritis. I would consult with your veterinarian to discuss options as most of them you will need to get from your vet to manage the arthritis. Some options to start considering that you can start now at least would be the following: 1. Welactin omega 3 fish oil for canines 2. Dasuquin glucosamine for canines 3. Toe grips (if you have solid tile or wood floors) 4. Help 'em up Harness to help get Genie up easier (easier on your back!) Your veterinarian may want to start long term anti-inflammatory drugs as well as the above therapy. Some options your vet may consider would be Carprofen, Tramadol, Gabapentin, Amantadine, etc. to manage the level of pain. You can also consider administering Adequan. This is a natural product that helps stimulate joint fluid production and reduce inflammation within joints. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please contact me with any other questions / concerns you may have. I am also available via consultation.

The most common symptoms of a full-blown seizure in older dogs include drooling, violent muscle spasms, running movements of his legs, loss of bladder and bowel control and possible vomiting. So the incontinence may be part of the seizure. But anyway in a situation like this you NEED to get your dog to your vet as quickly as you can, to stop seizure if persistent or any more seizures and start diagnosis of the underlying cause The leading causes of seizures in older dogs changes and while epilepsy is the leading cause of seizures in younger dogs (under 6 years old), in senior dogs the leading causes include brain tumors, liver or kidney disease, trauma, poisoning, under active thyroid gland (hypothyroidism).

Thank you for contacting PetCoach with your question about Doc. It sounds like he may be suffering from fecal incontinence. This can be due to a lack of muscle tone or from a medical problem such as diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), colitis, liver or kidney disease, or Cushing’s disease. He does need to see a vet to get this caused diagnosed so he can be treated. If paying for a vet is an issue, you can see if your vet accepts payment plans, if there is a low cost clinic in your area, or you can apply for Care Credit online. There is also an organization called Red Rover that give grants for treatment of sick animals, and you can see if you qualify for one of their grants. Best Friends also has a list of resources that offer financial assistance on their website. I'd also see if you can borrow money from family and friends. http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_pet.html?credit=web_id91754962 https://www.redrover.org https://www.carecredit.com http://bestfriends.org/resources/financial-aid-pets http://lessonsfromaparalyzeddog.com/when-pet-owners-cant-afford-veterinary-bills/ http://www.dogheirs.com/resources-affordable-veterinary-care/ I hope this helps!