Every week Dr Chris Brown answers your pet questions — submit your own and browse our archives.
Question
My mother has recently died and I have inherited her sweet 15-year-old dog. The only problem is that she seems incontinent when she sleeps, meaning we have to change her bedding every day. Any suggestions?
— Trish
Answer
It’s truly a kind gesture to not only take on a dog that must be experiencing some deep sadness but to also ensure her health and comfort is of paramount importance. The good news is that I think we can fix this problem at the same time as restore the old girl’s confidence in herself.
Dogs that wet the bed do feel embarrassed and confused by the situation, so any help you can give them is often much appreciated.
You will need a hormone tablet called ‘stilboestrol’ that when given once a day for 5 days then weekly acts to close the valve at the neck of her bladder that is opening when she sleeps or is distracted.
In her younger years, she had enough hormones in her system to keep this valve closed, however, as time has gone on, those levels have dropped and this incontinence, called Hormone Responsive Urinary Incontinence (HRUI) is the result. Good luck with her.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
