Still Confused About Cookie's Incontinence

It figures that when you're doing well on one front, something else crops up or comes back to haunt you. Cookie's knees seem to be doing well, so I suppose it was time for her leaks to return.

This, of course, is not the end of the world but not something either Cookie or ourselves enjoy either.

Cookie doesn't like "making a mess" and we don't want her to wake up in a drenched bed either. I also don't want her to end up with skin issues because of that.

We have established strategies to keep Cookie and everything else as dry as possible.

All beds and couches are lined with pee pads, covered up with a blankie. Two reasons for the blankie - it's more comfortable, and it helps keep the pee pads in place. It would be easier to just cover everything with pee pads, but they'd just end up crumpled in the corner slacking off, unable to do their job. It means extra laundry, but it works.

We make sure she gets frequent enough potty breaks and goes to pee before bed.

Cookie's leaks were diagnosed as hormone-responsive incontinence.

It would make sense given that according to all evidence she was spayed extremely young. But there are some things that are not adding up in my mind.

Why did Cookie start leaking shortly after her bout of pancreatitis? Yes, it's true the pancreatitis could have been a fluke, and the two just coincided in time and had nothing to do one with another.

Having had an abdominal ultrasound while we were trying to figure out the reason for her elevated ALT, nobody saw any anatomical abnormalities in the pee department.

And yet when and how the leaks happen doesn't make sense most of the time.

Cookie can go without leaks for months. We keep her on phytoestrogen supplement with r/x estrogen therapy when needed. Last time she had her r/x was November of the last year. Just now we had to start another round.

Could it be influenced by the amount of exercise?

I imagine that being more tired would contribute. Plus when running and playing a lot, not only the body gets more tired, but Cookie also gets thirsty and drinks more. So far that makes sense.

Does Cookie typically leak at night or when sleeping?

Sometimes. She may or may not be asleep when it happens. It may be at night, in the morning, during the day, or in the evening. Sometimes she might wake up with couple little drops on her bed; sometimes she can make a puddle hanging out after dinner.

Here is where it gets the most interesting:

Cookie is perfectly able to remain dry through the night in spite of getting up with a full bladder. And she is perfectly able to leave a puddle right after she peed outside, with bladder presumably mostly voided.

So how come the sphincter can hold large volume one day and not a small amount the next?

That is my question. There is no predictable pattern to things. Would all that mean there is something more involved than a garden variety incontinence?

A wet bed every now and then isn't really that big of a deal.

But if there is something else involved, what else is it affecting?

I am perfectly aware that things don't always happen according to a textbook. But this keeps bothering me. The things about Cookie's leaks that are not adding up.

Do you have a dog with hormone-responsive incontinence? What is your experience?

Related articles:
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Too Young For Pot: Cookie's Snack With A Side Of Hydrogen Peroxide  
Taming Of The Wild Beast: Cookie's Transition To Civilization  
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Why Examine Your Dog's Vomit? 
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Cookie's Leaks Are Back: Garden Variety Incontinence Or Not?
Cookie's Leaks Update 
Don't Panic, Don't Panic: Know What Your Job Is 
The Continuing Saga Of Cookie's Leeks: Trying Chiropractic Approach 
Cookie's Minor Eye Irritation
Regular Wellness Exam: Cookie's ALT Was Elevated 
Cookie's Plantar Paw Pad Injury 
How Far To Take It When The Dog Isn't Sick?
Cookie Has Tapeworm Infection 
Cookie's Elevated ALT: The Ultrasound and Cytology  
Cookie's ALT Update
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Sometimes You Don't Even Know What You're Looking at: Cookie's Scary "We Have No Idea What that Was" 
Living with an Incontinent Dog 
Summer Dangers: Cookie Gets Stung by a Bald-faced Hornet 
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Figuring out What Might Be Going on with Cookie's Legs: The Process 
Figuring out What Might Be Going on with Cookie's Legs: The Diagnosis 
Cookie's Iliopsoas Injury Treatment: Trazodone  
Cookie's Iliopsoas Injury Treatment: Other Medications 
Cookie's Iliopsoas Injury Treatment: Laser, Hydrotherapy and Chiropractic 
Cookie's Recovery from Iliopsoas Injury: ToeGrips 
It Never Rains ... Cookie's New Injury 
Mixed Emotions: When What You Should Do Might Not Be What You Should Do for Your Dog 
Cookie's New Injury Update 
Cookie's Iliopsoas Injury: The Symptoms 
Cookie's Iliopsoas Injury: Battling the Zoomies 
Cookie's Muscle Injuries: What Else Is Going On?
Theory and Actual Decisions for an Actual Dog Aren't the Same Thing: Cookie's Knee Injury
Does Your Vet Listen to You? Cookie's Post-Sedation Complications
Would I Ever Treat a Symptom Directly? 
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Treatment for Cookie's Bad Knee(s)
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) for Cookie's Bad Cruciate Update 
Injury or Surgery Recovery: Mishaps versus Setbacks 
See Something, Do Something: Cookie's Lumpectomy 
Cookie's Lumpectomy Update 
Using Pressure Pads to Evaluate Lameness in Dogs: My Observations
Cookie's Musculoskeletal Challenges: What Supplements Am I Using?
Cookie's Musculoskeletal Challenges: Restricted Activity and Weight Management
Cookie's PRP Treatment for Partial Cruciate Tear: Update
Has Your Dog's Physical Therapist Taken Dog Training Classes?  
Cookie's PRP Treatment for Partial Cruciate (CCL/ACL) Tear Update and Considering the Future 

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