Why is my senior dog peeing inside with hypothyroidism and Horner's?

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Hypothyroidism can lead to drinking and peeing more frequently, as well as a higher likelihood to have a urinary tract infection, and can also lead to neurological disorders. Likely the peeing inappropriately and peeing when nothing is coming out is a problem associated with her hypothyroidism and not associated with having her anal glands expressed. Anal glands and the bladder are not anatomically related, and these would not be associated with one another. I do recommend you bring her in to have her urine checked though. Best of luck with Annabelle, I hope she feels better soon!

At her age there are several things it can be. Your vet can collect a urine sample to check for a urinary tract infection. They can always draw some blood to check her kidneys and blood sugar and for Cushings disease. All these can cause an increase in drinking and urination which will lead to accidents. If all of that is normal, than she may be getting incontinent and they have medication for that also!

I'm not sure if you mean that she is already on DES (low dose estrogen) when you say "HRT"[hormone replacement therapy]. If she is already on DES, adding the mediation Proin may help with her wetting herself at night.

Poor Nemesis. Sometimes pets will need the medication adjusted. I recommend to call your veterinarian and ask if another test is needed to evaluate the blood levels in his body. The test is called an ACTH stimulation test. It has been found that 50% of dogs with Cushing’s disease will also have a urinary tract infection that can only be detected with a urine culture. I recommend to have this test done as well as this will cause constant drinking and urination. Other conditions such as thyroid disease, diabetes or kidney disease can also cause these signs. You must start ruling them out. Best of luck.

Yes, a single thyroid test can be very difficult to interpret and T4 levels are generally reduced if unwell from any cause. A repeat sample in one month would be recommended to investigate and comparison with TSH level is important at the same time

It could be behavioral but recurrent urinary tract infections can also be common in dogs with Cushing's disease. Another possibility might be that there is something else causing infections like bladder stones or too much skin around her vulva. I think it would be best to recheck with your vet again to see if Skye has another infection before you assume that this is a behavioral problem.

These signs are usually related either to urinary tract infection, or to kidney problem (failure) or to urinary incontinence. A blood test and urine analysis can rule out kidney failure and urinary tract infection. Urinary incontinence usually derived from a weak urinary sphincter (quite common in old age females). A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.