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  Discussion on Lost Control of Bladder
Author Message
Member:
Lindem

Posted on Wednesday, Sep 17, 2003 - 4:50 am:

I have a eleven year old Trackkner gelding that recently had surgery for a kidney stone and now has lost control of his bladder. The vet suggested this might happen, any suggestions. He doesn't seem to leak every day.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Sep 17, 2003 - 5:03 am:

Merle, it depends on why the bladder is leaking: did the surgery damage the muscles or the nerves that control urination? Though we do not have an article on this subject we have some very complete discussions in this forum. I would start with those, besides possible treatment there are managment advice. After you have studied those you can post further questions here.
DrO
Member:
Lindem

Posted on Wednesday, Sep 17, 2003 - 7:56 pm:

Thanks,

The vet thought said that the bladder had been so stretched due to the blockage that it may cause lack of bladder control. Is there any chance that he may recover some control or is that wishful thinking
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Sep 18, 2003 - 8:34 am:

Yes it is possible Merle. Does the horses bladder stay chronically full and distended? OR does the urine dribble out of a partialt full blader: this is important diagnostically and therapeutically.
DrO
Member:
Lindem

Posted on Friday, Sep 19, 2003 - 11:27 am:

Thanks again,
We believe that the leaking is coming even after he has urinated. The other complication was that because they cathederized (sp?) him so often he developed e-coli bacteria in his bladder. So I guess we are wondering if that is the cause of him dripping or it's because his bladder was so stretched and that there may still be hope that he recovers completely. Other then the leaking he seems quite healthy, (has not lost further weight) and we continue to wash his legs off regularly. We also are feeding him increased salt to encourage him to drink more. This was recommended by the vet.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Monday, Sep 22, 2003 - 5:55 am:

If leaking is coming even from a bladder that is not full you may want your vet to research the use of phenylpropanolamine. For more on this see the post » Equine Diseases » Urinary System » Excessive or Uncontrolled Urination » Loss of sphincter tone in young mare.
DrO
Member:
Lindem

Posted on Monday, Sep 22, 2003 - 1:56 pm:

Thanks so much Dr. O.

Just for your information, the surgery was almost two months ago. I have ridden him a couple of times and he has controlled his bladder during the duration of the ride. (about 3/4 of an hour)
He shows no signs of being ill, his appetite is good, he has lost no weight, his energy level is high. The vet explained that the ecoli in the bladder would make for a very guarded prognosis, I am wondering if he would have shown some signs of illness right away or would they take months to develop?
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Sep 23, 2003 - 7:38 am:

Guarded prognosis for what? Without examining the particulars I really cannot pass judgement on prognosis and clinical course: the E coli could be a simple contaminant or causing a raging cysitis, obviously the clinical course and treatment of these two would be different.
DrO
Member:
Lindem

Posted on Wednesday, Sep 24, 2003 - 12:31 pm:

Thanks Dr. O:

I will try to clarify, but the vet left us with many questions as well, so I don't have some answers. Following the surgery for the kidney stone, our horse could not urinate. The vet would put the catheter one day and then take it out to check his ability to urinate unaided. After checking with the University of Saskatoon, he found that the catheter should be left in long enough to let the bladder muscles rest. When he did that the horse was able to urinate well. The vet informed us that Rapture had e coli infection in his bladder. According to him, Rapture would either fight off the bacteria or it would attack his kidneys and eventually lead to kidney failure and death. He explained that the kidney failure could take years to become noticeable. He recommended adding two ounces of salt to his feed to ensure water intake. The vet didn't mention whether Rapture would display any signs of illness while he fought of the e coli bacteria, but as I have mentioned he has not shown any signs of being ill. I am hopeful that means he was able to deal with it. By the way, he seems to have less dribbling now. I can appreciate that you may not be able to comment due to the lack of medical information.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Sep 24, 2003 - 5:51 pm:

That is a fairly bizarre way to deal with a diagnosed bacterial infection of the bladder. More typical is the urine should be cultured for the organism, antibiotic sensitivity done, and a antibiotic that is cleared by the bladder chosen to treat this infection.
DrO
Member:
Lindem

Posted on Monday, Oct 6, 2003 - 1:31 pm:

Thanks Dr. O:

We are trying to follow up on your reommendations. Rapture drips anytime he isn't under saddle. When he has been standing still for periods of time there is a stream of urine.
Member:
Lindem

Posted on Tuesday, Feb 3, 2004 - 1:23 pm:

Hi:

Just for anyone that is interested, it appears that Rapture has made a full recovery and regained bladder control.
Member:
Frances

Posted on Tuesday, Feb 3, 2004 - 3:46 pm:

That's really great news, Merle. Did you treat him with antibiotics in the end?
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 4, 2004 - 6:05 am:

Super Merle, we are still listening out here. I too would be interested in any new information you gained since October.
DrO
Member:
Lindem

Posted on Thursday, Jun 3, 2004 - 4:08 pm:

For anyone that has ever had a problem with their horse losing bladder control. Rapture did make a full and complete recovery. We followed our vet's advice and did not use any further antibiotics. We just had a complete medical done and everything is as it should be. We do continue to give him extra salt in a measured dose
Member:
mtca

Posted on Saturday, Oct 1, 2011 - 1:48 am:

Dr. O,I am reading the messages on loss of bladder control. My 13 year old gelding had some bladder stones (blood on his legs were the first indicator) and our vet. made an opening in the rectal area back under his tail and he urinated out the back this was in 2003. He healed up fine.

He would dribble on and off and now it is pretty regular. Any information would be appreciated. How can I tell if his bladder is full or partially full? Does this need to be done with an ultrasound? Linda
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Oct 2, 2011 - 9:48 am:

Hello Linda,
I believe we can help you with your question but let me get you started off right so you can get the best answer as quick as possible.

You will get more responses if you start your own discussion rather than post at the bottom on another member's discussion. Each discussion is "owned" by the original poster and all replies in that discussion should either directly or indirectly address the concerns of the original poster.

To start your own discussion back up one page using the navigation bar at the top of this page. You will find a list of already existing discussions on this topic. Under this list you will find the "Start New Discussion" button. This is a good topic on your subject so you should first review the article as it will have important information on your subject. Select a short title that describes your specific concern. A title like "Help!!!" does not help others find your specific topic. Instead something like "Ace for Colic?" allows others to rapidly find and understand what your topic is about just by viewing the title. This is likely to bring more responses from those with some experience with your topic and allows members to find answers to their questions quicker.

Thank you for helping to keep Horseadvice organized.
DrO
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