The other a lonely puppy. Neither dog was to blame, but both presented an untenable situation for their owners. They dribbled urine. Their hindquarters were always wet, soaked with urine or saliva from licking themselves clean, and they had developed severe dermatitis in their vulvar area, along with an unpleasant odor. Bonnie and Allie had become outcasts, dogs that were loved but impossible to live with.
Urinary incontinence refers to the inability of the bladder to hold and store urine.
While the physiology of urination is complex, it can be viewed as the interplay between two basic neuromuscular components. For normal storage of urine, the bladder wall must relax to allow filling. At the same time, the urethral sphincter must close tightly to prevent urine from leaking out. When it's time for urine to be voided, the urethral sphincter must relax and the bladder wall must contract to force urine through the urethra. Urinary incontinence occurs when the urethral sphincter loses its ability to tighten.