Urinary incontinence is an involuntary loss of urine that can occur in the dog at any age and in either sex. It is particularly common in the elderly bitch. You may have been finding patches of urine where your dog has been lying, or in other places around the house. This ‘leaking’ is not under conscious control and requires treatment, not punishment.

There are many factors which may contribute to urinary incontinence, including anatomy, being spayed, breed, age, size or weight. Urine is contained within the bladder and is prevented from leaking out by the urethral sphincter, which largely consists of muscle. The activity of the muscle is regulated by nerves which have both conscious and unconscious control. The sphincter normally remains closed until the animal consciously decides to urinate. However, if the sphincter is lax, as occurs in incontinence, urine will leak out. Although your dog will still be able to urinate at will, there may be leakage of urine over which she has no control. This may, understandably, distress both you and your pet, as well as smelling unpleasant and possibly leading to further problems, such as scalding or infection around the rear end.