A new epidemiological study from the VetCompass Programme at the Royal Veterinary College has revealed that certain breeds of bitches are more predisposed to urinary incontinence.

The study, Urinary incontinence in bitches under primary veterinary care in England: prevalence and risk factors, which will be published in the Journal of Small Animal Practice, also found that other factors such as weight, neuter status and age also play key roles.

The authors hope that the study findings will provide an evidence base that allows veterinary surgeons to enhance their clinical recommendations for higher risk bitches.

The study was based on a population of 100,397 bitches attending 119 veterinary clinics across England. The main findings included: 

  • Urinary incontinence affects 3.14% of bitches overall, but affects over 15% of bitches in some high-risk breeds
  • High-risk breeds include the Irish Setter, Dobermann, Bearded Collie, Rough Collie and Dalmatian
  • Bitches weighing above average for their breed had 1.31 times the odds of urinary incontinence compared with bitches weighing below average
  • Older bitches were also predisposed, with bitches aged between 9 and 12 years old having 3.86 times the odds compared to younger bitches
  • Neutered bitches had 2.23 times the odds compared with entire bitches

The study also gave evidence on the welfare impact from urinary incontinence. Almost half of cases (45.6%) received medical therapy for the condition. In addition, of the bitches that died during the study period, urinary incontinence was recorded as either contributory or the main reason for death in 16.7 % of these deaths.

RVC veterinary epidemiologist and VetCompass researcher Dr Dan O’Neill said: "This urinary incontinence study has uncovered dramatic breed predispositions that have previously been hidden to vets and owners.

"Overall, about 3% of bitches were affected but this rose to over 30% in the Irish Setter and over 20% in the Dobermann with many other breeds also predisposed.

"Vets can now use these results to alert owners to typical clinical signs in order to ensure earlier treatment and better outcomes. The study also suggests increased risk in heavier and neutered bitches.

"Following on from this study, a VetCompass Masters project supported by BSAVA PetSavers is working to unravel these associations in order to identify potential preventive strategies, especially in those highly predisposed breeds."

The paper is available in Early View on Wiley Online Library ahead of publication in the JSAP at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsap.12731/full

Reference

  1. Urinary incontinence in bitches under primary veterinary care in England: prevalence and risk factors, D. G. O'Neill, A. Riddell, D. B. Church, L. Owen, D. C. Brodbelt and J. L. Hall. Journal of Small Animal Practice. Accessed online 7th December.

Photo: ©Diane Peace Collection / The Kennel Club

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