urinary incontinence?

[RonR]

Our 9 year old spayed pooch has been having difficulty holding her urine in during sleep hours for about a year and a half, wll our vet put her on these meds cant think of them the name but it worked for a while, we took her off them though,I was afraid of all the side effects (she slept alot) that were listed for these drugs and it was getting pricey each month,

well her potty problem seems to go away for a little while with out any meds but now it has returned, so being 9 years old i really dont want to give her any invasive medication, so now i think we are going to resort to some kind of diaper in the evening hours or when we leave the house also.

Can any recommend a good diaper that she won't be able to get off and that is big enough for her, she is about 110 pounds and around 31 inches around her waist.


Thanks

[Lorrie]

Incontinence can occur for a number of reasons .. did your vet indicate his impression of what might be the cause?

This is a very treatable condition .. but it is important to know what is the root cause and what meds your vet used. Most times it is a hormone - PPA that is used with much success. I have not heard of it making the dog tired nor is it that expensive.

Please explore this issue from a medical perspective .. as that is what it is .. do not degrade your dog with diapers when you can help her medically.

If your vet isn't being helpful .. see another one .. you would if it was happening to you.

[RonR]

Lori did you know that PPA wa taken off the market for humans, i certanly would not use this drug on my dog.

I am not a drug advocate, i do not like putting medication into my nine year old rottie but i would like to know if anyone has had any success with diapers at night time, if so what brand did you use?

The vet does not know the cause of her leakage he said possible old age/or possible from being spayed, he just hasnt given me any concrete answer why my rot leaks while sleeping. So the cause goes unknown.


Thanks

[Lorrie]

Yes ... PPA was taken off the market because an association was found between PPA and hemorrhagic stroke in humans .. mostly women. It is available to vets as dogs don't have as many risk factors for stroke as humans do.

You will not find a bigger proponent for holistic care then myself. But I would never degrade my dog any more then I would over vaccinate them. You and your vets complacency regarding this matter is sad. Any dog with incontinence needs to be checked by a vet to determine if the problem is just a weak sphincter (the muscle that controls the flow of urine), or if other health problems that produce an abnormal amount of urine are involved. Did he do a urine analysis? Blood work to see if the kidney functions are normal?

There is a estrogen-replacement medication diethylstilbestrol, or DES that is also been used with success. We had it for one of our foster girls .. she had one pill for 5 days .. then one every other day .. then 2 a week and is now completely off them in her new home. And she has had no incontinence issues since treatment began.

I would highly suggest speaking to your vet again .. or find a new vet if yours isn't willing to look at this seriously. Your girl deserves that much.

[Lorrie]

There are also many holistic products available that people have enjoyed success with.

The most common one is from Homeopet

http://www.homeopet.com/leaksnomore.htm

But I still maintain you dog should be tested for urinary tract infections, bladder stones, and any other potential causes. And a "Wellness" blood test should be done to determine kidney function.

[RonR]

Hi there Lorrie

Wanted to thank you for all of your very helpful information, but like i said before i was just really looking for information on diapers not medications.

And to FYI you my dog was tested for everything she had all the required bloodwork and all the urine test they could think of, and they couldnt find anything so our vet decided that her sphincter valve may be a little weakened or loose due to age like I stated before and YES we did have her on meds the name was PROPALIN and it worked for a while but she still leaked a bit so we stopped the meds for we didnt like the side effects it had.

And as far as taking our dogs dignity from her, please how much dignity do dogs have they poop/pee outside they lick themselves infront of anyone around and just about pass gas whenever some even eat their own poo, so I doubt by putting a diaper on my girl at night would really phase her in the least but again thanks for your opinion, much appreciated.


So now i will continue my quest to find the proper fitting diaper...

Thanks again

[Dallasbaby]

RonR: I have used human Depends brand on my dog for her urinary incontinance, with a small pair of mens boxer shorts over top, so that she wouldn't chew off the diaper. These worked very well for my dog. The Depends, have sticky tabs on each side (like a baby's diaper) so they go on and off very easily. I tried the generic version of Depends, and I wasn't very happy with them. They had straps to use instead of sticky tabs.

My dog has been on Proin 50 mg twice daily for the past year. I have seen no side effects with the drug, nor have we had any leaking issues. My dog and I are much happier now, since she has stopped leaking. I do bloodwork twice a year to make sure everything is okay with her.

[MontanaRott]

Dr Foster and Smith has a nice fitting pant for dogs with a washable liner.

[frontierrots]

Did the vet actually SEND the urine out to a labratory for culture, sensitivity AND cytology? AND have the urine cultured for many days and not just the standard 48 hours?

In addition to a subclinical bladder or urinary tract infection she could also have bladder cancer which is diagnosed by finding clumps of transitional cells in the urine

Did the vet try her on 4 weeks of Clavamox in case it is a difficult to diagnose UTI??

[Lola B Marie]

Your girl may decide to rip off her diapers.If she is a biter or ripper, you may want to try cutting a pair of queen size panty hose. Just cut off the legs slip her into them, pull over waist. If her tail is more than a nub, cou can make a small tail hole. Slip a pad into the panty hose. The self stick will stick to the panty hose and catch the drips while she sleeps. If the elastic is not too tight she won't even know she is wearing it. I tried all kinds of panty hose and light weight tights. Some brands are cut a little larger. I used queen Leggs brand black light tights. My girl was 115 and 11 years old when she needed them. They worked same method for Lola when she went into heat before she was spayed.

[llwaxan]

If you go with diapers, be sure to clean her frequently and you may want to get some diaper rash ointment. The urine can be extremely irritating. Years ago, I had a old female Samoyed with incontinence and despite our best efforts she developed sores with the diapers. The diaper ointment (named "Butt Paste"-seriously) worked wonders.
Good luck.

[observer]

I wouldn't resign myself, and her, to diapers after trying just one medication, and perhaps doing a urinalysis of the type suggested here.

And, just for present and future information, I would suggest changing your mindset on whether your dog has dignity. Trust me, she does, whether she turns out to mind wearing diapers or not. There will come a time, sooner or later, when you will need to understand that.

[Lorrie]

Originally Posted by observer

And, just for present and future information, I would suggest changing your mindset on whether your dog has dignity. Trust me, she does, whether she turns out to mind wearing diapers or not. There will come a time, sooner or later, when you will need to understand that.

Thank you ... very well said and very true. Sadly, it seems, not that well known.

[Lorrie]

Originally Posted by RonR

And as far as taking our dogs dignity from her, please how much dignity do dogs have they poop/pee outside they lick themselves infront of anyone around and just about pass gas whenever some even eat their own poo,

These dogs have more dignity then you will apparently ever know or appreciate .. and that is sad.

I can not understand how you would choose to not persue this any further medically .. you really are not being fair to the dog.

[dogsbydoug]

Originally Posted by RonR

And as far as taking our dogs dignity from her, please how much dignity do dogs have they poop/pee outside they lick themselves infront of anyone around and just about pass gas whenever some even eat their own poo,

My dogs do all of the above. We're workingon the poop eating, but everything else is, well, part of life. Sure, we can allow our dogs to poop/pee in the house, but cleaning up after them is expensive and time consuming. We TRAIN our household pets to eliminate outside - we dont' FORCE them to, we TRAIN them because it is more sanitary for us as humans to not have to deal with feces and urine all over our homes. Those who do not TRAIN their dogs to eliminate outside are lazy and live with dirty dogs. their choice.

As for not having dignity because of this? You are insane. I know of a 10-11 yr old dog who, because his owners could not let him go even though he was dying of cancer and kidney failure, pretty much pee'd where ever he was laying because he could not get up to go outside. Before he got sick he wuold go out with the other dogs and do his business outside, he was a happy dog. He would chase a ball and bring it back until you couldn't throw it anymore.

He was finally euthanized after the urine burns on his legs and stomach got infected and he stopped eating his food and his owners couldn't stand the SMELL coming from the dog. Completely selfish on their part to allow the dog to suffer. His dignity was taken away from him when they allowed him to lay repeatedly in his own urine and feces.

THAT is what dignity is to a dog...NOT licking themselves in front of people or farting, or peeing/pooping outside. THAT is what dogs DO.....because they CAN. Humans can pass gas whenever they want, but we know it is rude so we leave the room (or blame the dog if we can!).....