FIXING A LEAK RECORD PETS
MOLLY’S owner fussed over her and fed her too much because she was sure her dog’s days were numbered.
But she was only making the situation worse.
It’s a common response but just burying your head in the sand is rarely the correct approach for any problem.
And Molly had problems all right. Obesity is not uncommon in Old English sheepdogs, for reasons I can’t quite fathom.
Neutering doesn’t help, especially if it has been done when the patient is very young.
Maybe that thick coat hides the issue.
Or perhaps you have to be a very special type of person to deal with the relentless grooming that this particular breed necessitates – and with that comes a propensity for excessive kindness.
Nevertheless, increased weight in giant breeds promotes arthritis and Molly had her fair share of sore joints, which made rising and running difficult.
And then there were her ears.
Chronic otitis can be a battle and it left Molly shaking her head frequently. Which wasn’t too bad until the leaking started.
At first, Molly’s owner was aware of an “old dog” smell. It was worse early in the morning when Molly got out her bed but it lingered all day and never quite dissipated.
Then the damp patches appeared.
They were initially obvious in Molly’s bed but soon occurred on the carpet in front of the fire and once on the back seat of the car.
Molly spent more time licking at her back end and then one day when she shook her head violently, urine dribbled on to the kitchen floor.
It happened again when she barked at the postman. Molly’s owner thought her time was up.
Urinary incontinence is not uncommon in elderly female dogs (and a few males).
It usually occurs due to inadequate function of the external urethral sphincter, so the condition is referred to as urethral sphincter mechanism incompetence (USMI).
Old English sheepdogs, Weimeraners, Dobermanns and Rottweilers are predisposed but I don’t think there is a breed I have not seen it in.
As with every condition, obesity makes it much worse, simply because there is increased abdominal pressure on the bladder, especially when the patient is lying down.
Happily, despite the fears of Molly’s owner, there is effective medication.
Phenylpropanolamine syrup corrects 75 to 90 per cent of sufferers while Estriol tablets (a short-acting oestrogen with minimal side-effects) can also be used on their own or in conjunction with the syrup.
When we added in a decent non-steroid anti-inflammatory, Molly’s lot was improved immeasurably.
Now for that diet…