Print

Treatment and Care

Treatment for repairing an ectopic ureter will involve surgically creating a new ureteral opening into the bladder, or removing a blocked or severely infected kidney. A portion of the displaced ureter will need to be removed, if feasible, and the ureter opening (ureterocele) into the bladder then repaired. Incontinence may continue if your cat also has urethral muscle incompetence, and will be weakened to some degree during recovery from surgery. Keeping the litter box close and easily accessible will help your cat to regain its composure over time.

Living and Management

Your veterinarian will need to evaluate the effectiveness of the surgery in a follow-up visit. Internal imaging of the urinary organs and bladder using dye injection through the vaginal canal (for female animals) will follow the track of the fluid and will make it possible to visually inspect the healing of the surgical site. Surgically elevating the vagina to support the bladder neck (where the urethra and bladder join) using the colposuspension technique may correct the incontinence.

If incontinence persists, phenylpropanolamine, an alpha-blocker, may be prescribed to enhance urinary flow, or to relieve tension and pain, a tricyclic antidepressor agent such as imipramine can be prescribed. Reproductive chemical hormone therapy may increase the naturally occurring sensitivity of urethral stress response receptors. Reproductive hormone therapy is not advised in immature animals.