Is incontinence in dogs becoming a problem in your home? Perhaps you’ve noticed that your elderly dog has been leaving puddles of urine behind when she gets up from a nap. She may even be dripping urine all the time. Dog incontinence may become a problem for an aging dog. What causes this problem, and what can you do to help?
What Causes Dogs To Become Incontinent?
There are a number of reasons this may become a problem in your older pet. The most common reason for a female dog is that her estrogen levels are going down as she gets older. Less estrogen leads to less muscle tone, especially in her bladder. This is more than likely the problem if the only time you notice the problem is when she’s sleeping or relaxed.
For male dogs, it’s more than likely that canine bladder stones are the problem, not declining hormone levels. Your vet will want to rule out any possible physical problems before assuming that he’s incontinent due to lower testosterone levels.
Canine urinary tract infections are also a very common cause of incontinence in older pets. Cystitis in dogs causes your buddy to need to urinate more frequently. Due to irritation in her bladder, she just may not be able to hold it long enough to get outside. If she’s drinking more water than she normally does, this is another sign of a canine bladder infection. Blood may also be present in her urine, although you may not notice it.
Canine diabetes, Cushing’s disease in dogs, and kidney failure can all cause incontinence in dogs. Cancer is on the rise in older pets, so it’s wise to be aware of the warning signs of this disease. If you see that your pet is bleeding from the urinary tract, take her to the vet right away for a check-up. The sooner any of these diseases are diagnosed, the better the outcome is.
Natural Remedies For Dogs Can Prevent Dog Incontinence
As your pet gets older, canine incontinence can become a problem. If your vet has ruled out anythng serious like canine diabetes, or bladder cancer in dogs, you may want to think about putting her on a natural remedy for pets that helps to maintain urinary tract and bladder health.
You’ll want to look for a remedy that contains berberis, also known as barberry. This herb has a restorative effect on your pet’s bladder and urinary tract. Plus it gives her immune system a boost, which will help her to fight off canine cystitis.
Uva ursi has a long history of use in humans for bladder problems. This herb is helpful in maintaining normal ph levels in the bladder, which helps to prevent urinary tract infections. It works well with pets, too.
The homeopathic remedies Cantharis and Staphysagris are useful for maintaining bladder health.
You’ll want to find a remedy formulated especially for pets, not people. It’s best to deal with a company with a great reputation for providing the high quality pet products.
Help prevent incontinence in dogs from becoming a problem for your aging pet. If your old friend is already showing signs of incontinence, don’t wait to start her on a good quality natural remedy for pets right away.
Posts Tagged: elderly
18
Jan 10
Incontinence In Dogs: Tips For Helping Your Elderly Dog
18
Jan 10
How do I know for sure when it is the right time to put my elderly dog to sleep?
First of all, he is my best friend, he os more special to me than anything. He is a 10 year old English Bulldog. Their life expectancy is 6-8 years. My vet ( who has been a vet for 33 years) says Dozer (my dog) is the oldest English Buuldog he has seen. He has had health problems his entire life, but between me and my vet we have taken very good care of him. anyway, about a 5 months ago he got a yeast infection in his ears, which in turn affected his coat. nothing was working, so the vet did something he tried to put off, he put him on steroids. it actually helped the infection, the first thing that ever has. but after being on it for a while, his muscles started to deteriorate, which is a long term side affect of steroids, so we wiened him off of them. His strength has never came back, he has a real hard time walking, his yeast infection came right back, which is very bad, cannot even touch his ears.
in other words…he is misereable. he is very grumpy, just doesn’t seem happy. he does have a good day now and then, but he mostly sleeps.
i love hime so much, but i dont want to keep him here for my sake if he is ready to go. when do i know…this is killing me. any opinions would be appreciated. thank you
18
Jan 10
elderly dog going to the toilet prob?
the problem is this…my little dog is very elderly (17 human yrs). She is blind, mainly deaf with a little arthritis in her back. Other than that, she is in very good health. The problem is that she is wee-ing upstairs on the carpet more and more often. During the day, she stays outside under the pergola and goes to the toilet just near there. The trouble happens when she’s upstairs. Generally she’s only upstairs when we’re there. We take her downstairs regularly but that’s not really working.
This may sound bizarre but do you think little nappies would work?
I could put them on her when she’s upstairs for the night.
what do you think?
18
Jan 10
Training Your Elderly Dog
It is never impossible to teach an old dog new tricks. Training an older dog requires adaptability, patience, an overall understanding of your pet’s current health and lots and lots of LOVE.
Senior dogs love to learn and are able to continue to learn as they age. When you are considering training an older dog, you have to keep in mind what kind of medical problems your elderly dog may have. Keeping their minds active will turn their intelligence toward improving the quality of their lives.
There are some considerations you need to think about when training an older dog. Older dogs may have joint problems that can inhibit them from accomplishing some tricks, such as jumping, sitting and lying down. It can be physically impossible for your elderly dog to perform any of these commands due to possible joint issues. The most important thing to remember is not to become impatient with an elderly dog. You can change up this trick by incorporating a subtle change in the exercise such as stay and settle instead of sitting. Sitting may be very painful to an elderly dog because of joint stiffness.
Many elderly dogs may have trouble hearing. This is another factor to consider in training your senior dog. If you are not totally sure that your senior dog has hearing loss, there is a simple test you can try. Stand in back of your dog, without him seeing you and call out his name. If your dog does not respond or turn towards you, he likely cannot hear you.
Teaching your elderly dog signals is very important while your dog’s vision is still good. This training method will serve as a backup if your dogs’ hearing fails. Signals are a fun way to teach your elderly dog. They relate much better to hand signals than to actual spoken words. Signals are a more natural language to dogs and adapt quicker and easier to them. For example, incorporate hand signal into your training by holding your hand flat, palms facing away from you to teach him to stay.
Senior dogs may have bladder issues as well. Potty training may be a challenging trick. Frequent trips outside may prevent any accidents that your elderly dog may have. Treats are always beneficial in letting your dog know they have done well. Having plenty of treats on hand will not only make your elderly dog joyous and happy, but will make your efforts run smoothly.
When you keep all of these special considerations in mind, you will have far better success in the training of your senior dog.
17
Jan 10
Michael Parkinson says care of elderly ‘downright unacceptable’
Michael Parkinson says care of elderly ‘downright unacceptable’
Former talk show host condemns standards in hospitals and care homes in his role as government’s dignity ambassador Older people in hospitals and care homes are being left without enough food and drink in incidents that are “absolutely barmy and cruel beyond belief”, Sir Michael Parkinson says today in a report on his work as the government’s “dignity ambassador”. The former talk show host, who …
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