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December 31st, 2008 by PetGuru

Let me tell you a story about old dog incontinence.  Jane Smith’s beloved old pet has suddenly started dribbling urine.There are urine puddles everywhere her dog has been in 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 concerned that her beloved friend is beyond help.

Why Is My Older Dog Incontinent?

There are many causes for this condition.Old dog incontinence is usually caused by either a bladder infection 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.Be sure to finish all the medication even if your dog is no longer showing symptoms after a couple of days.  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?

Darlene Norris has combined her long-time interest in natural healing with her experience working at a vet clinic to bring you her new website, Natural Pet Urinary Health.  Discover how herbal and homeopathic remedies can help your incontinent dog at http://naturalpeturinaryhealth.com