Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Lumbar spine chiropractic issues linked to dog urinary problems
By Thude, T R·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2015·Varde Dyrehospital·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Chiropractic abnormalities of the lumbar spine significantly associated with urinary incontinence and retention in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with urinary incontinence and urinary retention were examined for chiropractic issues in their lower back. The study found that these dogs had specific problems in the lumbar spine, particularly in the L3, L4, and L5 vertebrae, which were not present in dogs without urinary issues. This suggests that spinal health may play a role in urinary problems for some dogs. If your dog is experiencing these symptoms, discussing chiropractic care with your veterinarian might be beneficial.
People also search for: dog urinary incontinence treatment · chiropractic care for dogs · dog urinary retention causes
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To retrospectively summarise chiropractic findings in dogs presented in a veterinary practice with urinary incontinence and urinary retention over a 6-year period, and compare these to non-urinary patients presented during the same time period. METHODS: Twenty-two cases were included in the study. They all first underwent a standard clinical examination to rule out or treat other possible causes of their urinary problems. They then underwent chiropractic examination and hypomobility findings were recorded using Gonstead listings. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated for the occurrence of chiropractic findings in urinary versus non-urinary patients for each vertebra in the lumbar, sacral and ilial regions. RESULTS: All patients had chiropractic findings in the lumbar region that differed from non-urinary patients. The urinary patients were significantly more likely to have chiropractic findings in L3 (OR=4 · 81; 95%CI: 2 · 02 to 11 · 44; P = 0 · 0004), L4 (OR=6 · 85; 95%CI: 2 · 63 to 17 · 84; P = 0 · 0001) and L5 (OR=3 · 98; 95%CI: 1 · 64 to 9 · 69; P = 0 · 0023). In addition, urinary patients were significantly less likely to have chiropractic findings associated with the ilium (OR=0 · 26; 95%CI: 0 · 11 to 0 · 66; P = 0 · 0043). CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This is the first report of an association between chiropractic findings in the lumbar vertebrae and urinary incontinence and retention in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26735775/