Urinary incontinence:
THERE can be several causes of incontinence. By far the most common cause I see in the clinic is from spaying. Bitches who have been spayed can later develop incontinence. It is generally a matter of strengthening up the sphincter of the bladder and the problem is solved for the most part.
The sphincter is like a drawstring purse at the neck of the bladder. It opens when the dog wants to urinate and then closes up until enough urine builds up in the bladder and the signal to urinate switches on and the dog squats to urinate and the sphincter again opens letting urine pour from the bladder into the urinary tract.
With the loss of proper hormonal levels following the spaying, the sphincter loses its tone and allows urine to leak. I usually find that this problem will be worsened in an older bitch whenever she has had vigorous exercise and is tired.
Treating urinary incontinence
The good news is that this problem seems to be incredibly easy to fix, as we have a herb which specifically tones up the sphincter. Its main claim to fame is in solving urinary incontinence in young children, elderly people and (in my clinic anyway) in dogs.
Our local vet centre now buys bottles of it for their incontinent patients too. The herb is Equisetum or Horsetail. Sometimes I combine it with an immune herb if the animal is getting constant urinary tract infections. If this is the case the urine will smell really strongly and you should check with your vet to see if your dog has an infection. For details about the herbal preparation you can visit my website - www.animalherbs.co.nz
Usually dogs don't need to be on the herb constantly and in younger dogs they may only need a dose or two every few months. It is something you as an owner can monitor and just dose the dog when required. As I mentioned at the top of this article, there are more serious causes of urinary incontinence. For these I would use homoeopathic medicines, chosen by selecting the remedy according to specific symptoms and I may also use a formula of kidney herbs including horsetail. - Pat Hunter
Pat Hunter N.D. D.M.H. RC Hom NZAMH, K9 Perspective's herbalist and homoeopath, graduated from Naturopathic College in Sydney, Australia in 1986 after four years' full-time study. She qualified as a Medical Herbalist, Classical Homoeopath and Naturopath.
She practised in Sydney for seven years before returning home to New Zealand in 1993. She has been running Pat's Healing Centre in Waipu, New Zealand, since 1996. Her many patients include of course dogs. She lives with the three dogs pictured. Pat has a website and you can read about her clinic, the animals she treats and the medicines she uses. Visit her at: www.animalherbs.co.nz
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