dog incontinence and odor

Question
We have a 9 year old standard sized poodle, approx 70 lbs. She is incontinent of urine, which appears to be when sleeping, and the odor is terrible. It smells like "burnt urine", and also the stains are dark around the edges. I have limited money to spend on her, and am concerned about these symptoms. Last year, she had to have her tail removed for cancer, and was told she had renal insufficiency at that time. The vet did an extensive workup then, and felt that the cancer was confined to her tail. Could she be having symptoms of mets, please advise. Thanks, Stephanie

Answer
This is probably old-age incontinence.  However, I would recommend that you have your vet check a urine sample to rule out any UTI as incontinence can be worsened by infection.   Obviously if there is a UTI, then antibiotics must be given.  If the leaking continues after the antibiotics, then a medication called PROIN can be given to help reduce the incontinence.  It is important to get her checked out as the urine leaking can lead to urine scalding and skin infection as well.