Management of urinary incontinence in five bitches with incompetence of the urethral sphincter mechanism by colposuspension and a modified sling urethroplasty

Abstract

Urinary incontinence due to incompetence of the urethral sphincter mechanism was diagnosed in five neutered female dogs. After poor clinical responses to medical treatment, the five bitches were managed by a combination of colposuspension and sling urethroplasty. No major complications developed, although three bitches voided small volumes of urine more frequently for the first few days after surgery. The response to surgery was considered excellent in the two dogs which became continent and poor in the three which did not. In one of the dogs which responded poorly, the incontinence resolved after a revision of the colposuspension part of the procedure, and in the other two the incontinence became more responsive to medical management. The addition of a sling urethroplasty to colposuspension appeared to have little beneficial effect.