PAMPERED PETS
DR DAVID GRANT
QMy 11-month-old poodle is continually leaking urine and the fur in that area is discoloured. He keeps licking himself and I also wash the area. Will he grow out of this?
AI recommend further investigations for an accurate diagnosis – don’t just wait and see. The problem could have a medical basis or be behavioural.
Behavioural problems include not being fully housetrained, and urination induced by submission or excitement. These are normally intermittent.
Assuming he’s a fully housetrained dog, submission urination occurs in timid, fearful dogs when encountering people, even their owners at times. These dogs adopt a submissive pose, ears back, crouching and often rolling over to display the belly.
Excitement-induced behaviour is the opposite. These dogs are overjoyed to meet people, with rapidly wagging tails, jumping up and joyful barking.
Behavioural problems can be managed with the help of a behaviourist, teaching owners to manage greetings. They have a good prognosis.
Medical problems include bladder infections and stones, drugs such as corticosteroids, urethral sphincter problems and congenital anatomical abnormalities.
Does he have excessive thirst, a presence of blood, and are there dry episodes? Investigations are likely to involve urine and blood testing, and X-rays or ultrasound of the bladder.
A rare condition is a failure of the ureters to connect with the bladder. Referral to a specialist is necessary to diagnose and treat this.
QMy nine-year-old female Shih Tzu is being treated for struvite crystals in her urine with a special dog food, which she doesn’t like. My vet suggests she may need surgery to remove the crystals. I can’t afford that, so is there another option?
ASurgical removal of these struvite bladder stones is indicated in some instances. With larger ones there is a risk of blockage of the urethra (the tube from the bladder), which I have seen many times as an emergency.
If a dog is unable to pass urine, stones causing the blockage must be removed to avoid kidney failure. This is frequently a problem in male dogs.
I cannot personally remember operating on a female dog with struvite stones causing the problem because they have a shorter, wider urethra than male dogs.
It is worth discussing with your vet whether surgery is immediately necessary, and what other options are available to help ease your financial worries. Alternatively, some owners want a quick solution and have all the stones removed so that they can move on to the next phase, which is prevention of recurrence.
Additional analysis of removed stones can check whether they are exclusively struvite, as sometimes other stones are involved, which would not respond to the special diet.
For dogs with confirmed struvite stones there are several effective diets that dissolve them in two to 12 weeks. You could discuss with your vet whether a different diet might improve palatability.
David Grant MBE was a vet at the RSPCA Harmsworth hospital for animals.
Email questions to him at pamperedpets@reachplc.com