Dog losing control of bladder
About once a year my dog (7yo Standard Poodle female neutered) loses bladder control for a couple of days at a time. If I take her outside every 30 minutes she can avoid an accident but otherwise she wets herself while lying down. During this time she drinks a lot more water than usual. We went to the vet the first time it happened about four years ago and we were told that it was a hormonal problem that usually occurs with spayed females and we should only worry about having it treated if it occurs more than once a month. I'm okay with that answer, but I've noticed that the incontinence problems seem to coincide with a day of heavy physical exertion, such as a very long hike or a day at the lake swimming after sticks and whatnot. She normally gets a decent amount of excersize per day including moderate walks and frisbee throwing. Could her incontinence be related to this increase in physical activity? Should we limit her excersize if it is? If it's just a hormonal issue, why does she have such increased thirst during these periods of incontinence? Is it okay to leave it untreated if it's only occuring about once a year? Just out of curiosity, why does this only happen for a few days at a time and then clear up? If she had a hormonal imbalance wouldn't this be a regularly occuring thing? Thank you. |
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Dog with problems walking
When I came home from work yesterday, Sparrow(6yo female neutered mix breed), who stays in my basement with access to the crawl space under the house, was having trouble going up the stairs. She seemed sick - hot nose & depressed. She has a knot midway up her tail about the size of a quarter. Her hindquarters are slightly swollen and tender. Her behind was dirty with dust, some fecal matter, and little black dots that looked like flea eggs (she doesn't have fleas - she's on med from the vet.) It seemed she had been dragging her bottom on the ground. My gut feeling is that she may have been bitten by a spider or god forbid a snake (in my basement?!!) but I'm also worried that she's hurt her back. She can still walk - even jump on the bed - but she is not moving correctly. She is still eating and drinking. She's not any worse this morning, but no better. She's not limping, but she acts stiff - is not moving her hind legs with ease, but I don't see where they look out of whack. For example, when she goes up steps, she just goes one step at a time, very slowly and carefully when she usually bounds & skips steps. It doesn't look like she's knuckling over, and her feet and legs look normal. Another thought after babying her this morning - she has had trouble in the past with her anal glands being blocked. Usually I try to massage & expel them when I bathe her. I haven't noticed her dragging her butt, which usually happens when her glands are filled and need expelling, but is it possible this could be the problem? Or constipation?
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