Problem
Sandy,a large female desexed cross mastiff bitch, has begun to lose control of her bladder. Urine leaks when she lies down for any length of time.

Solution
There are many causes of urinary incontinence in dogs, particularly bitches. Firstly I needed to exclude infections within the bladder, the presence of bladder stones, called calculi, and the possibility of polyps. Once a urine sample was collected I was able to rule out all of the above.

The most likely problem now became a weakness of the sphincter muscle at the end of the bladder. In some older desexed bitches a drop in the circulating level of female hormone will lead to such a situation.

The dog had however been medicated with hormone replacement therapy with no noticeable improvement, and was quite young. Other drugs are available to help improve the `tone' of the bladder sphincter. One of these was employed with outstanding success. It is likely that the bitch will need continual treatment to control the condition.

NOTE: The exact drug used was determined during the consultation and cannot be recommended as a general statement. Please see your vet if you suspect your dog has the same condition.