When a friend comes to visit, does your excited dog sprinkle a bit of urine on the floor? Are there night time accidents? Has your dog forgotten all about its house training? Of course you do not like it and you worry about permanent damage to your carpet or stains on your porous floor. But, should you be worried about your pet, too?

The answer is yes - sometimes. There are two causes of dog incontinence: behavioral and physical. Inappropriate urination problems are not uncommon in dogs and owners should be aware that sometimes a trip to the veterinarian is necessary. To decide if you need to modify behavior or visit the vet, you need to think about how long this behavior has been going on. How often does the inappropriate urination occur and does it seem tied to changes in your dog’s environment? Sudden on set suggests a potential medical condition that should be checked.

Causes of inappropriate urination:

The causes of the inappropriate urination vary from not to serious to very serious. If your puppy is still being housebroken, the little messes are probably part of the process and should be addressed as part of training. However, some puppies have a birth defect that causes incontinence. The most common birth defect that causes incontinence in young dogs is ectopic ureter(s). Siberian Huskies are most often affected. Other breeds that have a higher occurrence of this birth defect include: Miniature Poodle, Labrador Retriever, Collie, Welsh Corgi, and some breeds of terrier. Female dogs are more likely to have this birth defect than males. Some research has also shown that large breed dogs are more prone to incontinence.

Another potential cause is a bladder infection that can be readily treated with antibiotics. Or your pet may have partial blockage of the urethra. If your dog cannot empty its bladder completely because something is blocking the path to the outside, the bladder may get so large that the back pressure forces some urine to leak around the blockage. In these pets the enlarged bladder can be felt on examination. Total blockage of urine flow is extremely serious and result in death if not treated immediately.

Your vet will perform a physical examination and get blood tests to help determine the cause of your pet’s incontinence. Depending on the results further diagnostics such as an ultrasound, radiographs, more extensive blood work, or cystoscopy may be needed. Then your pet may receive medication or surgery may be suggested.

Posted by Barbara.