Ectopic ureter or pelvic bladder?

Dr. Marie replied:

This is definitely a frustrating problem!

I think what we need to figure out here is whether this is a behavioral issue or a medical issue.

I am wondering if what you are describing is a problem with an ectopic ureter. You can read a little bit more about this condition in this question that I answered:

Ectopic ureter

Basically an ectopic ureter happens when one of the paths from the kidneys to the bladder empties into the wrong spot. Dogs who have this problem will have trouble holding their urine when they move around. I have seen dogs with ectopic ureters that can hold their urine while sleeping.

Another possibility is something called a pelvic bladder. This happens when the bladder is located too far back on a dog and ends up inside the bones of the pelvis. The pelvic bones cause the bladder to not be able to fill up fully. Therefore, if the bladder gets even a little bit full it will empty involuntarily.

The way your vet would diagnose these is by doing a set of xrays called an intravenous pyelogram (IVP). This can usually tell us if there is a problem. Sometimes it can be hard to tell though. For those cases I usually send the xrays to a radiologist to interpret.

Depending on how bad the problem is sometimes we can do surgery to fix these types of problems.

The other possibility is if this is a behavioral problem such as excitement urination. Most puppies with excitement urination grow out of this problem by this age. Plus, excitement urination doesn't account for him urinating while he walks.

I really think there is a good chance that this is either an ectopic ureter or a pelvic bladder. It would be a great idea to call your vet and see if they think this is possible.

I hope that information helps!

Dr. Marie.


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