Did you know that it’s quite common for sterilized female dogs to become urinary incontinent? If your female dog has started dribbling urine indoors, it might not necessarily be due to behavioral issues. It could simply be a physical problem, a side effect of the sterilization process.
In fact, research shows that between 5 and 20 percent of all sterilized female dogs suffer from urinary incontinence. Urinary incontinence is rarely seen in male dogs compared to females, and it occurs just as often in intact males as in neutered ones. Some studies have shown an increased risk of urinary incontinence if your female dog is sterilized before her first heat cycle, and especially before 3 months of age. Therefore, it might be worth considering letting your female dog mature a bit before getting her spayed. Your dog’s veterinarian can guide you on the best timing for the procedure.
There’s also a higher risk of urinary incontinence in larger dogs weighing over 15 kilograms. In fact, the risk is seven times higher. Breeds such as the Doberman, Boxer, Rottweiler, Weimaraner, large Schnauzer, and Irish Setter are more frequently affected. Small dogs are not affected as often.
Your veterinarian can sterilize your female dog in different ways: ovariohysterectomy involves removing both ovaries, fallopian tubes, and the uterus, while ovarioectomy involves removing only the ovaries. Regarding urinary incontinence, the type of sterilization your veterinarian chooses doesn’t make a difference.
If your sterilized female dog dribbles urine, you should first consider whether it’s a behavioral issue. For instance, it could be a symptom of separation anxiety. If your sterilized female dog is secure and well-balanced, the urinary incontinence probably has a physical cause. You can discuss this with your veterinarian, who can guide you on the various treatment options.
Sources:
Reichler I, Hubler M: Urinary incontinence in female dogs: an update. Reprod Domest Anim 49 Suppl 2:75-80, 2014.
Arlt et al: Arlt et alKastration der Hündin – neue und alte Erkenntnisse zu Vor- und Nachteilen,
Tierärztliche Praxis Kleintiere 4/2017
Forsee, et al: Evaluation of the prevalence of urinary incontinence in spayed dogs: 566 casis(2003- 2008). Javma 2013, Vol 242
Stocklin-gautschi, N.M., M.hassig,et al: The relationship of urinary incontinence to early spaying in female dogs. J reprod fertil Suppl 2001;57: 233-6.
Van Goetham et al: Making a rational choice between ovariectomy and ovariohystrectomy in the dog: a discussion of the benefits of either technique. Vet Surg 2006;35:136-143.
Arnold et al 2009: urinary incontinence in spayed female dogs: new insights into the pathophysiology and options for medical treatment. Report Domest Anim.2009 Jul; 44 Suppl 2:190-2 Proceedings
Sometimes, you have to leave your dog and let it be alone. Maybe you have to go to work. Maybe you need to exercise. Maybe you have to visit family, friends, or acquaintances where the dog can’t come along. That’s just a part of ordinary human life. Unfortunately, it’s also a part of a dog’s life to react inappropriately when you leave. In fact, separation-related issues are among the most common behavioral challenges that dog owners face.
Separation anxiety affects all kinds of dogs, regardless of gender, breed, or age. To find out exactly how your dog’s separation anxiety manifests, it might be a good idea to record a video of it when it’s home alone. Additionally, you can take notes to get a clear picture of what actually happens and when.
Here’s how you can tell if your dog has separation anxiety:
- Your dog barks, howls, or whines when you leave – and might continue for a shorter or longer period after you’re gone.
- Your dog damages doors and windows by scratching them or trying to dig underneath.
- Your dog destroys things (shoes, pillows, toys, etc.) by gnawing and chewing on them.
- Your dog drools excessively, vomits, hyperventilates (breathes very quickly and shallowly), or its heart beats very fast.
- Your dog defecates or urinates around the house when it’s alone. It might do it in random places in the house.
- Your dog paces around the house – it might almost circle like a lion in a cage.
In short, it’s really unfortunate for your dog if it suffers from separation anxiety. It’s also distressing for you because it’s probably heartbreaking to leave a dog that isn’t doing well. If it becomes really severe, you might see no other option than to part with your dog. Studies show that at least 40 percent of dogs surrendered to English animal shelters were given up due to behavioral problems. Since separation anxiety is one of the most common behavioral problems, it’s reasonable to assume that a significant portion of dogs’ inappropriate behavior simply results from separation anxiety. For some dog owners, it gets so bad that they choose to have their dog euthanized.In fact 7.1% of the dogs euthanized in England in 2016 were euthanized due to behavioral problems. Among shelter dogs, behavioral problems were the cause of 50-70% of euthanizations.
This is why your dog becomes anxious and upset when you leave:
Why do some dogs get anxious when their owner leaves them? Today, we know quite a bit about this. It’s also good for you as a dog owner to know, so you can better prevent it.
- If your dog’s parents had separation anxiety, there’s a greater risk that your dog will too.
- Your dog has too few early experiences of being alone at home. It should ideally learn this from puppyhood.
- Situational anxiety means your dog becomes scared, for example, because there’s noise and commotion. It can happen during a storm or when garbage trucks roam the area with noisy vehicles.
- Changes in your work schedule or daily routine.
- Moving to a new residence.
- A new owner or family.
- Age – like dementia, for example.
- Changes in the family structure, such as the arrival of a baby or the death of a family member.
- Generalized anxiety.
- Illness and health problems, such as chronic pain.
Once you recognize the symptoms of your dog’s separation anxiety and perhaps begin to understand the cause, you can do something about it. A good advisor is often your veterinarian, who can guide you on the appropriate treatment for your dog.
How you can help your dog:
However, there are also considerations you can make on your own. Nowadays, for example, “behavior modification” is advocated as a treatment, and we know more about how to help the dog. For instance, it used to be recommended that, as a dog owner, you should sneak out without the dog noticing. Today we know it’s better to create predictability so the dog finds comfort in knowing what’s going to happen.
British expert Dr. Sarah Heath developed the CALM program. It consists of four steps that prevent and manage separation anxiety in dogs. Here’s a brief overview of the program:
Step 1: Boost your dog’s self-esteem
Consider your dog’s behavior when it’s not alone – the ability to control its emotions helps it cope with periods of loneliness.
Anxiety is associated with low self-esteem. Work on increasing your dog’s ability to handle new experiences and changes.
You can encourage your dog to play with toys on its own and reward calm and relaxed behavior.
Avoid using a loud or angry voice, and it’s also a bad idea to punish the dog for accidents it made while alone at home.
Step 2: Change the expectation of interaction
You love your dog’s company, and it’s tempting to spend every minute together when you’re home. However, this can give your dog unrealistic expectations, making it reliant on your presence to feel secure.
When puppies are very small, it’s important for them to spend some time alone with appropriate toys so they learn to keep themselves happy and occupied.
When dogs are insecure, they seek comfort and often try to obtain it from people through behaviors like leaning, nipping, pushing, sniffing, and licking. If they become dependent on this form of reassurance, they’re more likely to be anxious when you’re not there.
You shouldn’t reward your dog when it seeks your attention in this way. Instead, you can praise it when it stops licking your hand or when it gets up after rolling on its back. That way, you reward it for becoming more self-assured.
Step 3: Show your dog that you leave – and that you come back
Predictability and control help reduce anxiety, so it’s important to allow your dog to predict that you both leave – and come back.
You should provide a visual cue that you’re not available and remove the cue when you return.
Introduce the cue for the dog slowly and gently. You do this by leaving for short periods and leaving it in a place where you think it feels safe, comfortable, and relaxed. When you come back, remove the cue before petting and talking to your dog.
Step 4: Talk to your veterinarian
Have you tried everything? Talk to your veterinarian. Today, there are solutions such as supplements and medications that can reduce your dog’s separation anxiety.
Sources:
Pegram, C., Gray, C., Packer, R. M., Richards, Y., Church, D. B., Brodbelt, D. C., & O’Neill, D. G. (2021). Proportion and risk factors for death by euthanasia in dogs in the UK. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 9145.
Salman, M. D., Hutchison, J., Ruch-Gallie, R., Kogan, L., New Jr, J. C., Kass, P. H., & Scarlett, J. M. (2000). Behavioral reasons for relinquishment of dogs and cats to 12 shelters. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 3(2), 93-106.
Is my dog in pain?
Are you worried that your dog is in pain? Maybe you think it’s stomach hurts? Or do you wonder what symptoms a dog with a hurting back has? Do you know if the dog’s paw is hurting, if the shoulder is in pain or maybe the back part?
We understand your worries because it is not easy to see whether the dog is in pain.
Acute pain is easiest to discover; nobody is in doubt if the dog is in pain if it’s leg is in an awkward position, or it has a large wound.
Sneaking pain is the hardest pain to discover and assess.
Pain is a perception, and not an objective, physiological reaction. What hurts on one dog may not give another dog pain.
Your dog’s behavior reveals pain
Pain assessment and treatment of animals’ pain is an area that has developed a lot in the recent years. There are different methods to assess if a dog is in pain.
Even though the methods are developed for vets that assess whether your dog is in pain after ex. an operation, we also believe they can be useful for you as the dog owner. These methods can help you assess when you should take your dog to the vet.
Hereby, you as the dog owner can help the vet assess the dog’s pain because you know the dog’s daily routine. Ex. maybe your dog sits differently when it begs for treats.
This can be a sign that your dog has an illness that means its physiological and physical functions are changed or impaired.
How to assess if your dog is in pain
Look at your dog’s position without approaching your dog.
Does it seem to be:
- Stiff
- Relaxed
- Tense
- Neither of the above
Look from a distance at your dog’s behaviour. Does it seem to be:
If your dog makes a sound when approaching is it:
Now try to approach your dog and call the dog. While you do it keep an eye on its behavior and especially see if it acts differently than normal. Does your dog seem to be:
- Aggressive
- Depressed
- Not interested
- Nervous, anxious or scared
- Quiet or indifferent
- Happy and satisfied
- Happy & lively
Next step is to assess how your dog reacts when you put the lease on, walk the dog and ask for sit and to get up. Assess if your dog:
- Has stiff movements
- Is slow or unwilling to get up and to sit
- Lags
- None of the above
The last step is to assess how your dog reacts when you touch it, optionally where you think it has pain. What did your dog do when touching it:
- Beebed
- Shook
- Snapped after you
- Growled
- Tried to protect it self
If you think your dog is in pain, please see the vet.
Do you know the “Yellow dog”?
Have you met a dog who has a yellow bow or bandana and wondered “was does it mean”?
The message is very clear: This dog needs space.
The yellow bows arose in connection to an international campaign back in 2012 (The Yellow Dog Project), which now has spread to over 16 countries around the world.
The yellow color means that you shouldn’t approach the dog or its owner.
When a dog carries the yellow color, they have communicated that the dog does not want to be close to other dogs or humans.
What reasons are there to use a yellow cord?
There are a lot of reasons why a dog is walked with a yellow cord. It is important to notice that to carry yellow doesn´t mean a dog is aggressive or dangerous. It is used as a visual reminder that the dog requires space, carefulness, or consideration.
Some of the reasons to carry a yellow cord can be:
- Illness
- Term
- Uncertain or frighten
- Is in a training session
- Can have a contagious disease
- The dog has had bad experience with other dogs
- Has impaired vision or hearing
When are you to close?
Only the dog or the dog’s owner knows it so give them time to move and keep a distance.
It eases life for the dogs who have special needs and need space. It can be a shorter or longer period of their life.
Read more about the campaign here.
What does it mean when your dog wags its tail?
Thousands of years´ collaboration between humans and dogs have created a communication bridge between the two species. Humans use words and speech to express feelings and intentions. Dogs use body language and vocalizations to communicate with us and other dogs. One of the most understandable ways is when the dog is wag it’s tail.
Waggles can have different meanings depending on the dog’s body language and the situation.
Here are some of the most common meanings when the dog wag it’s tail:
- Happiness and enthusiasm: The most well-known sign for us is happiness and excitement. When you come home to your dog or when playing with the dog the waggle can be a clear sign that the dog is happy.
- Kindness: Waggle can also signal kindness towards humans and other animals. It is often a sign that the dog is safe and comfortable in the situation.
- Submissiveness or fear: Sometimes a waggle can be a sign of submissiveness or fear. If the dog feels threatened or unsafe, the waggle can show that the dog wants to avoid a conflict and, in this way, tries to calm down the other part.
- Uncertainty or confusion: When the dog is in a situation it doesn’t understand it waggle its tail with a lower intensity. This could indicate that the dog is trying to understand the situation or seek a sign from the surroundings before it reacts.
- Warning or defense: Even though it can be surprising to humans, a wagging tail can signal a warning or defense reaction. If the dog experiences a threatening situation the wagging tail and a straight back signal an aggressive behavior to protect its owners or itself.
There is a difference if your dog waggles right or left
When dogs see a person that they recognize, either their owner or a friend, they are excited to say hello to, the tail will wag slightly righter than left. However, if they see an unknown dog the tail will wag more in a left position.
The dog’s body is correspondent cross-laterally with the brain. This means that a wag towards the left relates to the right brain half – this is the part of the brain that controls hesitation and reclusiveness.
The opposite is a wag towards the right connected to the left-brain half, which is responsible for extrovert behavior and to get close to your surroundings.
