Urinary accidents

Chronic UTI in Dogs: Tara’s Increased Thirst and Urinary Accidents

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when your senior dog starts leaving wet spots on your floors? I bet a chronic UTI is not one of them. Tara was a ten-year-old spayed Golden Retriever. She was as lovely and friendly as a Golden Retriever can get. At her age, Tara did have arthritis, but that didn’t…

by Jana Rade

Weakness and Lethargy in Dogs: Mandy Cannot Walk. What Would You Do if It Was Your Dog?

Mandy became ill quite suddenly. She became lethargic, didn’t want to get up, and didn’t want to eat. Mandy was a nine-and-a-half-year-old female German Shepherd. Considering her age, she was in good shape until this happened. It was apparent Mandy was not well. Besides losing her appetite and strength, she was extremely thirsty and started having potty accidents at night.…

by Jana Rade

Potty Accidents in Dogs: Incontinence versus UTIs

What should you make of it when your dog starts having potty accidents? Do urinary incontinence, and urinary tract infections (UTI’s) look the same? What are the general causes of urinary accidents in dogs? Emotional causes aside, the two elemental reasons behind your dog’s urinary accidents are that they either could not hold it any longer didn’t know it was…

by Jana Rade edited by Dr. Joanna Paul BSc BVSc

Urinary Incontinence in Dogs: Living with an Incontinent Dog

Urinary incontinence is a common problem in spayed female dogs. The working theory was that Cookie’s intermittent leaks are estrogen-responsive incontinence because she was spayed extremely young. On the off chance, that there is a neurological component, we also keep up with chiropractic adjustments which Cookie would need anyway because of her old pelvic injury and having one hind leg…

by Jana Rade

Urinary Incontinence in a Dog: Cookie’s Mysterious Leaks

Urinary incontinence is the involuntary voiding of urine. It is primarily a common problem in spayed female dogs as they age. It isn’t, however, always directly related by spay. Don’t fail to identify the actual cause. Other potential causes behind urinary incontinence in dogs include: an ectopic ureter urinary tract infections urinary stones neurological problems kidney disease other diseases that…

by Jana Rade

Jana Rade

I am a graphic designer by day, dog health advocate, dog writer, member of the Dog Writers Association of America, and an award-winning author in my spare time. Jasmine, the Rottweiler of my life, was the largest female from her litter. We thought we were getting a healthy dog. Getting a puppy from a backyard breeder was our first mistake. Endless veterinary visits without a diagnosis or useful treatment later, I realized that I had to take Jasmine's health care into my own hands. I learned the hard way that simply seeing a vet is not always enough. There is more to finding a good vet than finding the closest clinic down the street. And, sadly, there is more to advocating for your dog's health than visiting a veterinarian. It should be enough, but it often is not. With Jasmine, it took five years to finally get a diagnosis for her initial issue. Unfortunately, other problems had snowballed for that in the meantime. Jasmine's health challenges became a crash course in understanding dog health issues and how to go about getting a proper diagnosis and treatment. I had to learn, and I had to learn fast. Helping others through my challenges and experience has become my mission and Jasmine's legacy. I now try to help people recognize and understand signs of illness in their dogs, how to work with their veterinarian, and when to seek a second opinion. My goal is to use 20 years of hard-earned experience to save others from the steep curve of having to learn things the hard way, as I did.

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