Tips On Dealing with Old Dog Incontinence

Let me tell you a story about old dog incontinence.  Jane Smith's beloved old pet has suddenly started dribbling urine.  She's finding puddles of urine all over the house.  The fur on her dog's bottom is wet from the constant dribbling, and the odor is overwhelming.  She fears the worst, thinking that there is no cure for urinary incontinence in dogs.  She's afraid it's the end of the line for her beloved friend.

Why Is My Older Dog Incontinent?

There are many causes for this condition.  The two most common conditions that cause old dog incontinence are bladder or urinary tract infections, or a weak bladder sphincter.

Bladder infections in dogs are a leading cause of old dog incontinence, especially in females.  Your vet may want to do a urine culture to make sure it's an infection and determine what's causing it.  Most urinary tract infections in dogs are cause by E. coli or staph, although sometimes they can be caused by a yeast infection.  

A weak bladder sphincter is common in large female dogs that have been spayed and in older male dogs.  The muscles in the sphincter relax, either due to hormone imbalance or advancing age.  

How Does Your Vet Treat Urinary Incontinence In Dogs?

Bladder infections in dogs are normally treated with antibiotics.  Your dog will usually show an improvement within a few days, although it's important to finish the entire course of antibiotics.  If your dog was incontinent due to a bladder infection, the problem should go away quickly.

A weak bladder sphincter may be treated with hormone therapy.  Females receive DES (diethylstilbestrol), while males are treated with testosterone.  Your vet may want to try a drug that acts on the nerves in the muscles of the sphincter to help it close better.  This drug can be used in combination with hormone therapy too.

Natural Remedies For Incontinent Dogs

The treatments your vet has are very effective, but side effects are always a possibility.  Antibiotics kill beneficial bacteria along with the harmful ones.  What this means is that your dog could develop another bladder infection as soon as the antibiotics are finished.  

Hormone treatments are ongoing and can be expensive, while the medication used for the sphincter nerves can cause irritability, appetite suppression, and blood pressure changes.

Prescription drugs treat the symptoms, but don't address the causes of the problem.    

What Happened To Jane's Dog?

Jane took her dog to the vet for a check-up and found that a weak bladder sphincter was causing the problem.  Jane started out giving her dog hormone treatments, along with the prescription medication mentioned above.  However, the therapy was expensive, and she was very worried about side effects on her old friend.  

Jane started researching herbal and homeopathic remedies for bladder problems in dogs.  She learned that herbal and homeopathic remedies for urinary problems work just as well on pets as they do on people.  Jane decided to try a natural remedy, and found that it was safe and effective, with no worries about side effects.  

Are you struggling with the problem of an incontinent dog?  What's stopping you from trying a natural remedy for your dog with bladder problems?