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Treatment

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 dog also has urethral muscle incompetence, and will be weakened to some degree during recovery from surgery. Some puppies with urethral muscle incompetence are able to control urination after their first heat cycle. Additionally, incontinent dogs should not be spayed before their first heat.

Living and Management

Your veterinarian will need to evaluate the effectiveness of the surgery in a follow-up visit. Internal imaging of the dog's urinary organs and bladder using dye injection through the vaginal canal (for females) 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. The nonsteroidal estrogen Diethylstilbestrol, meanwhile, is administered orally to spayed bitches for urethral muscle control. In some females, a combination of estrogen therapy and phenylpropanolamine, for controlling incontinence, may be more effective. 

In incontinent male dogs, steroid therapy may be prescribed. Testosterone propionate is administered initially to see if replacement therapy will be effective. For longer action, testosterone cypionate is used.

Reproductive hormone therapy is not advised in immature animals.