Canine Fecal IncontinenceCanine fecal incontinence refers to the loss of a dog's regular control of his bowels, resulting in an involuntary loss of liquid or solid stool. It may also be referred to as canine bowel incontinence. As messy and troublesome as this problem can be, the good news is that it's usually a treatable condition. Depending on the cause, the right treatment for bowel incontinence can lessen symptoms and often cure it. Possible Canine Fecal Incontinence Causes Diarrhea is bad news for people, but it's even worse for your dog.That's because he has to get your attention to let him outside when there's no time to spare. The results are often disastrous, and it's not your poor pooch's fault. There are many possible causes of bowel incontinence. They can generally be categorized as illness or injury. Here are some reasons he might have diarrhea:
Sometimes dogs lose the ability to control their bowels due to a car accident or other major injury, usually when they become paralyzed in their back legs. Nerve damage due to surgery such as anal gland removal (or even scar tissue from infected anal glands) can have the same effect. If he loses feeling in that area, he can't control what happens next. Canine fecal incontinence in older dogs is often caused by some type of neurologic (nerve-related) problem, especially if it happens gradually. Such problems might include:
Medical conditions that make it painful to walk (such as arthritis and hip dysplasia) can also contribute to the problem. Sometimes the sphincter muscle becomes weakened through the years (as everything else seems to be wearing out). If that happens, excitement can cause accidents (whoops!), as well as coughing or exercise. Some dogs with mild incontinence still potty normally most of the time, but will occasionally have an accident when asleep, while relaxing, or while on a walk (because their sphincter muscle doesn’t work as well as it used to).
Canine cognitive dysfunction (senility) can cause a perfectly housetrained Golden Retriever to suddenly begin having accidents in the house. Your dog may be outside for several minutes, but make a pile soon after coming back into the house. Why'd he do that? Look at it this way: Have you ever walked to the other end of the house and forgotten what you went there for? (I've done this more often than I care to admit!) It's not a stretch of the imagination to realize your elderly dog is becoming equally forgetful. To help with this problem, you might want to spend more time with him outside, to remind him why he went out there in the first place. Diagnosing Canine Fecal IncontinenceThe underlying cause (or causes) of canine fecal incontinence can often be established with a combination of a medical history, a physical examination, and diagnostic tests.To help him come up with the best diagnosis, your vet will want to know some particulars about your dog's situation:
Your vet will want to give your Golden Retriever a thorough physical, especially regarding everything in the rear region. (If only we could explain to our canine buddies why they have to go through this!) Your vet may run some diagnostic tests, based on the suspected cause(s) of incontinence:
Canine Fecal Incontinence TreatmentThe specific treatment(s) for your Golden Retriever will depend on your vet's diagnosis. Any underlying diarrhea-producing diseases will be dealt with first. That would mean:
Regardless of other treatments, supportive care will also be given. This may include intravenous (in the vein) or subcutaneous (under the skin) fluids to keep your dog from becoming dehydrated.
Some anti-diarrhea medications can also strengthen a weak sphincter muscle, helping your dog control his bowels. If your vet's remedies don't seem to help, here's another idea. Did you know there are chiropractors who work just with animals? I know the whole subject of chiropractors can be controversial (people seem to either love 'em or hate 'em), but it's another option. Here's how it works: When a chiropractor manually performs a spinal manipulation on an animal, he's attempting to correct subluxations in the spine (misaligned vertebrae) in order to restore the proper functioning of the animal's nervous system. Since having a nervous system out of whack is one cause of canine fecal incontinence, you might consider contacting a holistic veterinarian in your area to see if he knows any canine chiropractors. Dietary ChangesThere are some things you can do with your dog's food and feeding schedule to help the situation:
Managing Canine Fecal IncontinenceIf your vet has done everything medically possible, and your dog is still incontinent at times, you can still manage well with the right set up. That's especially true if your dog's incontinence is the kind that "slips out" accidentally when he's asleep. Here are some ideas:
Check the Internet for support groups, forums, and suggestions for other helpful ideas and recommendations for incontinence products (like doggy diapers). As long as you and your furry friend are OK with the arrangement, it'll all work out fine. Search here for more information on Golden Retrievers |
Here's another possibility for our Golden Oldies.
It will likely also include medication to stop diarrhea and another medicine to stop vomiting (if that's a problem).
