Anyone Else Deal with Dog Incontinence?

I found the replies very interesting!

I had a dog that went through this, we discovered she had strokes in her sleep. Not saying that's what you are going through but it's what we experienced.

i feel ya - we had this problem after we got our doberman spayed. her uterus was HUGE, and an x-ray showed a bit of compression in a spot that controls bladder nerves. our girl would "leak" when sleeping, like when she was relaxed - she wasn't having accidents, per se. anyhow, she has been on PPA(vet brand name is Proin) for over 7 years now. it used to be used in alka-seltzer for people as a decongestant, but it's not on the market anymore... anyhow, it comes in a flavored chewable, our girl takes 1 50mg chewable with breakfast and dinner - she took 3 doses a day for about a year, and we have weaned her down to 2. it can cause a decrease in appetite, so just be aware and watch her eating. but i would DEF suggest giving that a try :)

Some spayed female dogs develop incontinence at some point. It is thought to be the result of lack of hormones that they normally would have had they not been spayed. This does NOT mean you should not spay your dog and does NOT mean the vet messed up somehow when they did the surgery! Spaying still has many health benefits, like preventing mammary tumors, as well as preventing unwanted litters of puppies. Only a tiny percentage of spayed dogs will develop incontinence and it can be controlled with medication.

Please go back to your vet, make sure the dog is getting thoroughly worked up (including urinalysis and culturing), and if the conclusion is she is truly incontinent (urine leaking without her being aware or in control, especially at night while sleeping), the vet can put on medication (most often PPA, also called Proin) that should help. Also make sure she isn't drinking water excessively and therefore making more urine - that's a whole other set of issues.

Please follow up with your vet...they are the experts. Good luck!

I would talk to your vet again, make sure to mention that it is when she is sleeping. I have worked in vet's office and know many dogs that PPA (Proin) has done wonders for both the dog and the owner. There are a couple of other options that are not as widely used I believe too. Before starting if it is a new problem they may want to recheck her urine and/or have a culture done. We also used to use a resoucses product for urinary tract health for some dogs that was a supplement.

Good luck and hope she has dry nights again soon for both of you.

OMG!!! I could write a book about the efforts we have taken to combat the incontinence in our 8YO boxer/lab mix, Dutchess. I tried really hard to do the right thing by her, but I swear the vet that did her spaying messed her up!!! I'd rather deal with the mensis and what-not in a female dog then this.

Our newest vet (we moved to NY state about 5 years ago and had to find a new vet when we did so this is not the vet that spayed her), put her one Proin 50 Chewable Tablet per day. Each tablet contains 50 mg of Phenylpropanolamine HCl. It has helped tremendously, but, we also had to ditch the "couch" in the living room. Now she has to hang out on the floor/rug - the same as the rest of the family. She has never been allowed on our furniture so that is not an issue. She does have her "bed" in our bedroom and that I wash at least once a month to keep it fresh.

The final step for us has been putting her on a schedule to pee. It has nearly been the same as potty training a toddler, lol, when the alarm goes off, she goes out. Sad to say, but I think part of the problem has been with 3 kids, sometimes she gets forgotten.

I wish you luck and a freshened house!
~C.

My dog has been on proin for years. Works great.

I can't offer direct experience, but get the book Good Old Dog from the library--there is a good section on it about urinary incontinence in female dogs, and the various treatment options. Read it over and discuss it with your vet. Get a 2nd opinion from your local vet hospital if needed.

In the meantime, lay down "puppy pads" on her bed or anywhere else she lays down regularly--you can just toss those.... You can also look into diapers (and might be able to use some toddler diapers on her) as well.

When my dog got older (13) this happened to him, he didn't have enough testostrone.... We had to get him doggie diapers (from Petsmart) and put a baby diaper inside it... Your dog is young, but if your looking for a temporary solution you might want to consider this while looking for a permanent solution....

My dog has this peoblem too. She is on PPA,and we are boh happier. She is more comfortable. No one likes to leak pee

My sister has her dog on a diuretic and has to put a pull up on her at certain times of the day - specifically after her water pill when she piddles on accident. It just kind of leaks out due to the meds.
just a thought.

I hope that is all it is. Our 5 year old boxer started having problems with incontenance and what we thought was athritis. Not able to get around like she used too. We tried everything for both. One day came home with her not able to walk at all. Lots of tests and money later we found out she had a tumer on her spinal cord. I tell you this, not to scare you but if we had known when it was small we could have had surgery. But, we had to put her down she was no longer able to walk or anything.

Our female dog did this too. The vet said it was because she had been spayed. Dog's lose estrogen when they are spayed, and that is the hormone that keeps the bladder strong. Our dog is on estrogen pills, and the problem stopped immediately. She has no side effects from the pills. Talk to your vet asap. Good luck.