It’s common for our vets to see female dogs with irritating issues “down there”. In this article, we’d love to “whiz” through some potential causes of vulval irritation in older female dogs, including symptoms to monitor for and what diagnostic tests might be required to get to the bottom of their issue.
What symptoms can genitourinary problems in female dogs cause?
Dogs experiencing irritation around their vulva may be experiencing either a problem associated with their urinary tract, their vagina (the internal passage) or their vulva (the external genitalia).
Depending on the underlying cause, symptoms may include:
- Excessive licking at their vulva
- Skin irritation or fur staining around the vulva
- Leakage of urine or abnormal discharge from the vagina
- Abnormal urine (e.g. blood-tinged, cloudy or smelly)
- Scooting along the ground
- General unwellness
What are some common causes of genitourinary irritation in older female dogs?
As mentioned above, “downstairs” problems in female dogs can be due to urinary tract disease, vaginal problems, or external vulvar irritations.
Some of the most common specific causes we see in older females are:
- Urinary incontinence (wee leakage) due to a weakened bladder sphincter (the muscle that controls urination) – this is more common in desexed, medium to large breed females.
- Irritation in the skin fold around the vulva – this can occur due to skin sagging in older, overweight females causing urine trapping, or secondary to other issues such as allergies or urinary incontinence.
- Urinary tract infection – this can occur due to one-off bad luck, but may also occur secondary to other issues such as bladder stones or bladder masses.
Pyometra (uterus infection) – this is common in older, undesexed females, and can lead to leakage of pus from the vagina and significant general unwellness.
How can we diagnose the problem?
If we see a female dog for irritation associated with her vulva, provided it’s a one-off issue and she seems generally well, we’d ideally perform some basic urine tests to rule out a urinary tract infection, treat any visible skin irritations around her vulva, and monitor her progress.
However, if her issues are recurrent or she seems generally unwell, we would ideally perform some more testing to check for potential underlying issues that could be predisposing her to problems. Depending on her symptoms, these may include:
- Bladder imaging with X-rays and/or ultrasound to check for bladder stones or lumps (and evidence of pyometra in an undesexed female).
- General blood tests to see if there is any indication of liver disease, kidney disease, hormonal imbalances or diabetes, all of which could change the quality of her urine and predispose her to infections or bladder stones.
- Examination of her vaginal canal under sedation or anaesthesia to check for any internal lumps.
- More detailed urine testing such as laboratory testing of urine bacteria to see what antibiotics they are sensitive to.
- A treatment trial with medications to help manage urinary incontinence.
The good news is that in many cases, once we pinpoint the issue, we can usually offer effective treatment or management to “flush out” the problem and keep the good times flowing!
For more information on common health issues in older dogs, consult our elderly-aware team.
