Acquired urinary incontinence in the bitch: update and perspectives from human medicine. Part 1: The bladder component, pathophysiology and medical treatment.

Micturition disorders are commonly encountered in veterinary medicine and can be divided into two main categories, namely, urinary incontinence and urinary retention. Various pathologies can affect the bladder and/or urethral contractility causing symptoms of urinary incontinence. In this first part of a three-part review, the different causes of urinary incontinence, the physiology of the lower urinary tract and impaired bladder contractility are reviewed. Since urinary incontinence due to overactive bladder syndrome or detrusor atony is described in both dogs and humans, the different therapeutic targets in the treatment of impaired bladder contractility in human and veterinary medicine are discussed.