Bonnie, a one and a half year old spayed female West Highland White Terrier, visited Centrepointe Animal Hospital after experiencing inappropriate urination around the house. More often than not, it happened while lying down on the bed. Her owners also noticed that she was creating puddles and dribbles around the house and noted more frequent urination outside.
After a thorough examination by Dr Theoret, Bonnie was found to be an otherwise healthy dog. Her urine was collected to assess her kidney’s health, check for a urinary tract infection and urinary crystals, as well as rule out other potential diseases such as juvenile diabetes.
The urinalysis indicated that Bonnie’s kidneys were functioning well. There were no signs of diabetes or other urinary conditions. Before jumping to the conclusion of the inappropriate urination being linked to behaviour or incontinence, Dr. Theoret performed a culture of the urine to safely rule out a mild urinary tract infection which can sometimes go undetected with a urinalysis. Bonnie was also prescribed a 2 week course of antibiotics.
Bonnie’s owner noticed a small improvement while on antibiotics, but Bonnie was still dribbling if excited and leaving pools of urine when lying down.
The culture of the urine came back negative. The owners were instructed to track Bonnie’s water consumption and urination habits over the next week which indicated some days of abnormally increased water consumption. Her blood was collected for analysis to assess kidney, liver and blood cell values, as well as provide a baseline prior to starting incontinence medications. Abdominal radiographs were also taken to help detect any potential problem with her organs such as kidneys and bladder. The blood work and radiographs both came back normal.
By process of elimination it was becoming more evident that Bonnie, despite her young age, suffered from urinary incontinence. A few weeks course of urinary incontinence treatment was prescribed to help Bonnie’s abnormal urination.
After starting the medication, Bonnie’s owners noticed immediate improvement. She was able to have full control over her bladder and was no longer having accidents or dribbling in the house. Bonnie will continue on the medication, using a tapering protocol to find the lowest effective dose while being closely monitored.
Urinary incontinence can definitely become a burden for pet owners; however, with some patience on their part, it does not need to be. There are several solutions for both younger and senior pets experiencing this issue.
If you have any questions about your pet’s abnormal urination, please contact Centrepointe Animal Hospital.