Dr. Walt's happy tails: January 2003

The Doctor is In @ drwalt@petcareinsurance.com

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Happy New Year to everyone! I trust that the holidays were an enjoyable time for both you and your pets. I also hope everyone has added "I will play more with my best friend" to their New Year's list of resolutions. Not only will this endeavour be greatly appreciated by your furry companion, but it will be healthy for you as well. There is a growing body of medical knowledge that is clearly defining the health benefits of pet ownership – from reducing stress and blood pressure (especially helpful in hypertensive individuals), to speeding recovery with less recurrences in people who have experienced a heart attack. But then most of us out there already know that pet ownership is good for the heart and soul! Who knows, one day we may all be pet owners through a prescription!

Hi Dr. Walt: My 7-year-old, spayed bouvier has a tendency to leave some wet spots when she gets up from lying down. She could be asleep or simply lying around when she seems to let some urine loose without any effort. Of course, you can imagine what a mess this can leave, especially when she is an indoor dog. Is this normal for a spayed dog to do?

While it is not normal behaviour, it is also not uncommon in the middle-aged to older spayed female dog. The most likely cause for your pet's urinary accidents is a condition called "hormonally responsive urinary incontinence." As its name implies, it is a condition that manifests itself as urinary incontinence (i.e., urinary leakage), generally while the dog is at rest or asleep with most dogs not aware it has occurred until after the fact; it is often medically responsive to hormonal (i.e., estrogen) supplementation. However, this condition must be differentiated from other causes of urinary incontinence, such as diseases of the internal organs or urinary tract infections, and the urinary leakage can often result in irritation of the skin surrounding the vaginal opening that may perpetuate the problem. Therefore, a trip to your veterinarian is in order. He/she will perform a thorough physical examination and likely suggest that a blood and urine sample be evaluated to investigate the various possible causes of her problem. To prepare for the visit, fast your dog and avoid access to the outdoors for a minimum of 8 hours before your visit so that these samples can be taken and some answers provided to you very quickly. If she is diagnosed with hormonally responsive urinary incontinence, both hormonal supplementation or other, more recent medications can be used to control her urinary leakage. In rare situations, surgery may be recommended although is not commonly required. Something that you can do to immediately help is to provide more frequent visits to the outdoors to encourage her to empty her bladder regularly -- the smaller the volume of urine stored in the bladder, the less likelihood of accidents in the house. Best of luck!