What Is Urinary Incontinence?
Urinary incontinence occurs when a house trained dog loses control of his bladder. This can range in severity from occasional small urine leaks to inadvertent voiding of a large amount of urine. Incontinence is loss of voluntary control over the act of voiding. This medical condition must to be differentiated from a house training problem and/or submissive urination, especially in young dogs. Incontinent dogs wet their bed or the floor where they are sleeping, urinate inappropriately in the house, sometimes dribble urine, and may void more frequently than normal. There may be an ammonialike odor about the dog’s bedding.
Incontinecne can be caused by a number of factors some serious and some related to aging
- Hormonal imbalance
- Weak bladder sphincter
- Urinary tract infection
- Urinary stones
- Spinal injury or degeneration (frequently seen in German shepherds)
- Protruding intervertebral disc
- Prostate disorders
- Presence of other diseases that cause excessive water consumption, such as diabetes, kidney disease, hyperadrenocorticism
- Congenital abnormalities
- Anatomic disorders
- Certain medications
So if this is a recent development it is always a good idea to have your vet check it out to make sure it is nothing serious, and there is not an underyling cause or infection.
The most common cause of Incontinence is;
Horomone-Responsive Incontinence
This common incontinence is seen most often in middle-aged and older spayed females, and less commonly in young females and older neutered males. It is caused by a deficiency of estrogen in females and testosterone in males. Both these hormones are important in maintaining muscle tone of the urethral sphincter.Hormone-responsive incontinence is much like bedwetting. The dog urinates normally, but wets when relaxed or asleep.
What Are Some Complications of Urinary Incontinence in Dogs?
Some bouts of urinary incontinence ebb and wane, but others can progress and cause more serious bladder and kidney infections. A skin infection may result in areas that are in constant contact with urine.
So according to this acupressure study three points were as effective as medication which is great as there are no side effects with these.
CV4 Ventral midline 3 cun caudal to the umbilicus. Good point for urinary incontinence and retention
Sp6 3 cun above the medial malleolus or ankle bone this point is on the bone so just follow it up threeish finger widths on the inside of the back leg. Great point for urinary incontinence Also supports liver, kidney and spleen
KI3 BL 60 top of the hock thin skin your fingers will slide into it on either side it is kind of like our Achilles this is actually two points KI3 and BL60 KI3 is a source point good for the kidneys which house original chi supports renal and bladder function
For more information on this study click below
For more information on Incontinence click below
http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/dog-urinary-incontinence-and-bladder-problems