Can you treat incontinence in dogs at home? This is something I see questions about on forums all the time. “Can I give X supplement to help with my dog’s incontinence?” or “What supplements will help with my dog’s incontinence?” are the ones I see most often. The short answer to any question of this nature is “no.” There is never any instance when incontinence in dogs can be treated at home. There just isn’t. Incontinence is always a symptom of some sort of other problem, none of which can be treated at home. Let’s take a look at incontinence and why it’s best left to a professional.
Related: Medical Issues with Your Pet? Talk to Your Vet
Incontinence in Dogs
What is it?
Canine incontinence is the same as human incontinence – a lack of bladder control. This loss of control can range in severity from an occasional leak to a full, uncontrolled bladder release. In every instance, these are symptoms of an underlying problem.
Causes of Incontinence in Dogs
There are many different causes of the inability to control the bladder. To figure out which one is causing your dog’s issue, you’ll need the assistance of your vet. Because there are several different causes, I’m going to bullet them for ease of reading.
- Hormonal Imbalance
- Weak Bladder Sphincter
- UTI (Urinary Tract Infection)
- Urinary Stones
- Spinal Injury
- Spinal Degeneration
- Protruding Intervertebral Disc
- Prostate Disorders
- Diseases which cause excessive drinking, like diabetes, kidney disease, hyperadrenocorticism, and others.
- Congenital Abnormalities
- Anatomic Disorders
- Certain Medications
As you can see, the list of reasons that a dog can become incontinent is long and varied, and it requires a vet’s help. Your vet is the only way you can figure out the cause of your dog’s incontinence and how to treat it.
Symptoms of Incontinence in Dogs
Commons symptoms of canine incontinence include redness of the tip of the prepuce in male dogs and redness of and around the vulva in female dogs. This is a result of excessive licking as the dog tries to keep the area clean of urine which irritates the skin. You may also notice your dog squatting multiple times and straining to urinated when you take him outside. This is most common with infections. Another clear sign is the sleeping area either being wet with urine or smelling of urine from the dog leaking as he sleeps.
Can you treat incontinence in dogs at home?
The first thing I want to stress is that you cannot treat this issue at home. The internet is not your friend on this one. Every cause of this condition is something that must first be diagnosed by a vet and the treated by a vet. And some of the causes of incontinence in dogs are VERY serious, so this is not something to play around with. The best course of action is to get your dog into the vet immediately for diagnosis and treatment.
Incontinence in Dogs Could Be Serious
Again, this is not the type of thing to self-diagnose and treat from home. So many causes of incontinence in dogs can be deadly or life changing. Incontinence is not a treat-from-home type of thing. It is so important to take your dog into the vet if he or she is showing the signs of incontinence. You never know what might be causing it, but your vet will find out.
Bottom line: can you treat incontinence in dogs at home? Nope, not on your own, so please don’t even try. The potential underlying causes are just too serious to mess around with.
