Fecal Incontinence After an Injection Near the Tail
by Kristy
(Colorado Springs, CO USA)
11 year old male has never had a health condition other than his ear infection that I was trying to clear up. It is sad to see him failing due to the injection for his ears. He is a great dog and I need to cure him if I can. Please help.
We're sorry this is happening. Problems after an injection near the spine are rare, but anything that injures or inflames the nerves at the base of the spine can affect bowel control. Steroids can also cause loose stools or more urgency in some dogs, which can make accidents more likely, and in an older large dog, lower-back disease is also common, so the timing may be coincidence. It's important to ask the vet who gave the injection exactly what was given and where.
Ask for a referral to a veterinary neurologist, who can examine him and decide whether imaging such as an MRI would help. Nerves sometimes recover over several months. Meanwhile, a highly digestible diet for firm stools, meals at set times, and walks soon after eating can make accidents more predictable. Not scolding him, as you're doing, is exactly right.
See fecal incontinence in dogs.
This is general information, not a diagnosis. Please follow your own vet's advice.
Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Incontinence.
