Advice for a young, fully incontinent dog because of an injury

We rescued a small dog off the street. Vets say she's about 1-2 years old. She had some kind of an injury to her tail or lower back, which caused her to lose feeling in her tail, and be fully incontinent, both fecal and urinary. We did X-rays and the incontinence is caused by nerve damage in her lower spine. She walks, runs, and behaves normally aside from the incontinence. The vets gave us LOTS of pills and vitamins, including B vitamins, Omega 3/6/9, Magnesium, Calcium, and a LOT more. Every vet we've talked to either says there's no chance of recovery or very low chances of recovery. We live in North Macedonia, so there aren't even any options available for spinal surgeries. It's difficult enough to find a decent vet for normal consultation and medical advice.

Anyway. We've bought diapers, pads, and we've learned how to do bladder expressions so we can "empty out" the bladder so she doesn't dribble pee all the time. The urinary incontinence seems easier to manage, at least compared to the fecal incontinence.

So is there any advice on what we can do in regards to fecal incontinence? Any medications or therapies you can recommend that would help in healing nerve damage and restoring anal sphincter muscle control? Sometimes her poops are hard and larger, which is easier, but sometimes her poops are soft and smaller, which makes cleanup harder. What could we do to control her poops and make them harder, larger, and maybe less frequent?

Regarding Proin and urinary incontinence, I don't think it can help in our case, based on my (unprofessional) opinion - because her urinary incontinence is caused by nerve damage, not caused by hormonal issues/spaying.

Any advice or tips are welcomed, as this is the first incontinent dog we're taking care of.

 

That is rough.

About keeping the poop consistency, give it one sort of food, don't change it, don't give it any "Human" foods from the table or left overs. Try to avoid mixing dog treats, give it one sort that keeps the stool solid.

I can't see much anyone can do, so dippers are one of a very few options that you have. Half measures would be taking the carpets off the floor, keeping some sort of puppy pads on the floor in places your dog poops most, taking him outside as often as possible (perhaps you have a garden), but its only things that might help with cleaning the mess.

Perhaps you can find an organization that might be interested in helping you out with this and pay for a surgery if it is possible, but its unlikely.

All the best to you and your doggo.

 

That’s amazing of you to take her in and give her the care she needs!
Managing incontinence in dogs with spinal injuries can be a challenge, but it sounds like you’re already doing a fantastic job with bladder expression and diapers.

For fecal incontinence, you might want to try adding fiber to her diet—psyllium husk or canned pumpkin (plain, no sugar or spices) can help bulk up her stool, making it firmer and easier to clean. You could also experiment with a low-residue diet (like prescription gastrointestinal foods) to reduce stool volume. Some people find success with scheduled manual rectal stimulation to encourage pooping at predictable times.

Regarding nerve healing, while full recovery is rare, supplements like alpha-lipoic acid and acetyl-L-carnitine have shown potential benefits in nerve regeneration. Hydrotherapy or gentle physical therapy might also help stimulate nerve function over time.

You’re right that Proin likely wouldn’t help since this is nerve-related rather than sphincter weakness due to spay incontinence. Keep monitoring for UTIs since incontinent dogs are prone to them.

Sending you lots of support—you’re giving her a second chance at a great life!