Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How well manual bladder expression empties urine in paraplegic dogs
By Carwardine, Darren R et al.·Published in American journal of veterinary research·2017·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effectiveness of manual bladder expression in paraplegic dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 36 paraplegic dogs was studied to see how well manual bladder expression could help them empty their bladders. It turned out that this method only removed about 49% of the urine on average, which means it wasn't very effective for completely emptying the bladder. While the technique could help prevent pressure buildup in the bladder, it didn't work better for heavier or lighter dogs. Owners of paraplegic dogs should consider other methods, like catheterization, for more effective bladder management.
People also search for: dog bladder problems · paraplegic dog care · manual bladder expression for dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine the effectiveness of manual bladder expression in paraplegic dogs by comparing urine volumes measured by use of intermittent catheterization and ultrasonography. ANIMALS 36 paraplegic dogs. PROCEDURES 93 measurements of bladder volume were collected for the 36 dogs. Residual urine volume was determined by use of intermittent urethral catheterization and estimated by use of ultrasonography. RESULTS Manual bladder expression voided a mean of 49% of urine from the bladder in this population of dogs. There was no correlation (R, 0.06) between the effectiveness of manual bladder expression and body weight. Ultrasonographic estimation of bladder volume had good correlation (R, 0.62) with bladder volume determined by use of intermittent bladder catheterization, but clinically unacceptable variation for predicting actual bladder volume (mean difference, 22 mL; 95% confidence interval, -96 to 139 mL). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Manual bladder expression was ineffective at completely emptying urine from the bladder of paraplegic dogs, but the effectiveness of the procedure was not affected by body weight. Manual bladder expression would likely be a useful procedure to prevent increases in pressure within the bladder. Ultrasonographic estimation of bladder volume could be a useful predictor of actual bladder volume, but it was susceptible to wide variations among dogs, and results should therefore be interpreted with caution.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28029295/