Epileptic Dog Bladder Problems with Skin Lump

by Anonymous

I own a 10 year old, spayed female beagle who also is an epileptic dog. She takes phenobarbitol and potassium bromide twice a day to control seizures.

Yesterday I felt a lump on her when I was cleaning her. The lump is hard and round and located underneath her in the area where she was spayed. It is a small, round ball type thing that I only just felt.

I've been reading online to try to understand what might be happening and it could be a stone of some kind only I've not seen blood in her urine. A few weeks back, she did start to pee on the floor after dinner like she couldn't wait to get to the door a few feet away & at the time I thought how it was out of character for her, and I hadn't seen the lump at the time.

I now remember how I've seen her licking the area from time to time over the past few weeks, which was odd but I thought she was just cleaning. I have seen her pee then wonder around and have to pee again, which was odd for her.

Money is not an issue for me, the concern with this dog is the dangers associated with surgery on an epileptic dog. So I want to be well informed and know what I might be looking at before I bring her into the vet.

Don't think I will wait any longer though as when we go out for our walk and after she has done some peeing I've noticed that it seems harder and maybe a little larger but it reduces in size a while later.

Any info is appreciated, thanks. I would upload a photo but you cannot see the lump per say, it is under her belly hair and just under the surface of the skin.

Editor Suggestion - Dog bladder problems

Thank you for your question.

Beagles are prone to epilepsy, which can be managed well by using therapeutics. As you described, your pet is 10 years old and is kept on Phenobarbital and Potassium Bromide. This means that maintenance anticonvulsant therapy is underway. Phenobarbital is the drug of choice for controlling seizures in dogs and for the maintenance of epileptic status, but, there are several side effects related with this drug, including urinary problems.

Dogs that are administered Phenobarbital may show signs of excessive urination, increased appetite, thirst and sedation at first, but, once a tolerance is developed, these signs may vanish.

Some or all of these signs may reappear in such dogs if;

1. The dose and route of administration of Phenobarbital is altered.

2. Residues of the drug are not properly excreted out, especially in dogs kept on regular maintenance therapy.

It is therefore suspected that the dog urinary problems are related to the epilepsy therapeutics being administered to your dog. Since your beagle is growing older and is aged, it is also more prone to many urinary and other systemic conditions, which should be regularly monitored.

Remember, beagles have an average life span of 12 – 15 years.

In terms of the dog lump on the belly, we suspect it is either a common lump or a tumor.

It is common for a dog skin lump to develop spaying, and that may appear as a small and hard nodular body under the skin. Since your dog might have become weaker with age, the lump may have always been there, but now appears to be more prominent.

It may also be a tumor, which can be benign or malignant in nature. It's best to have it examined by a veterinarian. We'd suggest asking about having a biopsy and of course any tests recommended by your veterinarian.

As you mentioned, this dog lump appears to be more prominent during a walk or before urination; we think, that this is related to the pressure of a filled bladder and viscera over the abdomen/lump area during a walk or before urination, which makes this lump appear prominent.

Anyway, it's better to get it thoroughly examined by a nearby veterinarian.

Your pet is certainly developing urinary and overall health problems; incontinence and peeing behavior are never normal signs.

We recommend you should not only go for specific therapy, but also administer natural support as well. You should use a couple of natural products, which will help to maintain urinary health and that will support immunity and liver function in properly excreting residues of Phenobarbital, which surely is causing urinary problems as a side effect.

We can suggest three natural products that are formulated to address the different problems being experienced by your dog. For bladder control, try Better Bladder Control. To support the urinary system we suggest UTI Free and for added liver support we suggest Immunity and Liver Support.

Best of luck to you and your pet. Please keep us up to date on the diagnosis you receive regarding the dog skin lump and canine urinary problems.