Urinary incontinence in a 5-month-old, female, intact German Short-haired Pointer

A five-month-old, female, intact German Short-haired Pointer presented to Cornell University for a primary complaint of leaking urine in her sleep since ten weeks of age. A diagnosis of urethral sphincter mechanism incompetence (USMI) was made based on history, physical exam, blood work, urinalysis, abdominal ultrasound and cystoscopy. USMI is a complex disease with unknown etiology. Affected dogs typically have decreased urethral tone, shorter urethral length and a more caudally positioned bladder compared to continent dogs9• There is a strong association between USMI an_d spaying; 20% of spayed dogs develop USMI over their lifetime, compared to less than 1 % of intact dogs 7• 11. Treatment is primarily medical and up to 90% of dogs respond to pharmaceuticals alone 16• This case report focuses on urinary incontinence in the female dog. The main topics of discussion include the presentation, differentfal list, work-up, long term management and prognosis for female dogs affected by urinary incontinence