Fecal incontinence after possible spinal injury
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Hi All ~
My 10 year old girl is a pleasure to have. Not destructive in the house when left alone and no accidents in the house or car. Sometime early this year, it seems she must have suffered a spinal injury. No obvious signs except for a yelp when she went to get up. She doesn't play with other dogs very much when I take her to a dog park (after stopped doing that now!) and when she does to doggy day care, they are very watchful and she is on their pet cam but she could have injured herself in the house when she slipped on the vinyl floor when getting ready to go upstairs; saw that happen twice before she started to yelp so I have put a mat there and she can get up the stairs fine now. She did see her vet who put her on Rimadyl and one other. The yelping has stopped for several months but now she doesn't seem to know when she has to defecate or if she has already started defecating. On our rare walks (I'm older and have to work strange hours so walks are not always possible) I can sometimes see the poop coming out of her anus before she knows she needs to squat. Sometimes in the house, she will lose one perfectly formed turd - just one. In the yard (she has a half acre fully fenced secure yard) she may squat to poop but then start to gallop off before she finished (doesn't seem to be in any pain). The vet originally did not order x-rays because the dog responded to the meds and I think she realized the cost of further dx might be prohibitive for me. The vet says she may have lost sensation in the lower bowel and has given me some exercises to do with my girl.Was wondering if anyone else has encountered this type of issue. I will crate her now (just to prevent surprises when I get home). I thought about using poop panties but am a bit afraid that might lead to a UTI. I don't want to use the show people's trick of a suppository because that might make the situation worse over time. She seems to be a happy little camper other than this ; loves her car rides and midnight treats and eats like a little champ. Not putting my dog down for inconvenient poop issues!! Just wondering if you have any thoughts, experience or suggestions.
Thanks for your time and attention.
NJ Deb -
I had a spinal injury a few years ago and the surgeon warned me of permanent nerve damage causing incontinence being a potential consequence if it got worse. It's called "cauda equina syndrome", I did a quick search and it looks like it occurs in dogs too. Essentially you lose all nerve feeling on your bowel, hence not knowing when you need to go. I'm not sure what the solution is (if any) but it could be a clue.
