My dog is having major incontinence issues. We took her to the vet who talked about estrogen therapy for old, female dogs who have been spayed. Have u heard anything? -”S” in Arizona-
Hey “S”… Not sure about the estrogen therapy approach honestly. I know a good friend’s 12 yr old dog was put on PROIN* and it did seem to help her. My friend’s dog didn’t experience any side effects from the medication either. This lovely dog lived to be over 15 and was considered a large breed dog, Doberman/Lab mix. *From the Manufacturer of Proin’s website: (PROIN® (phenylpropanolamine hydrochloride) is FDA approved for control of canine urinary incontinence due to urethral sphincter hypotonus. In an FDA approved 28 day clinical trial PROIN reduced mean urinary accidents per week in female dogs by 82%.1 In the second part of the clinical field study (180 days), PROIN achieved 98.1% owner satisfaction for the control of urinary incontinence.2)
Also worth trying is a homeopathic (liquid) remedy called Leaks No More by Homeopet. I used to sell this line of homeopathic remedies at my natural pet food/supply store and had at least 6 people I can think of who had some level of success (including my Mom’s mini Yorkshire Terrier) while using it for their pets. Remember though, you have to be diligent and follow the recommended administration for it to work… many people would try it for a couple of days and not adhere to suggested dosing and complain it didn’t work. The people who had some success really gave the recommended daily doses.
One last suggestion worth consideration is using the Doggie Pants (diapers) which are always an option and sold many of those too… Obviously depends greatly on the dog and their tolerance for wearing pants, but worth a try. And, if your dog prefers to sleep on your beds… how about using thin shower curtain liners underneath bedding (between sheets and mattress) to prevent damage to your mattresses.
FOLLOW UP COMMENTS FROM “S” in Arizona… Yes, we tried the homeopathic first, but too hard to use, multiple times a day, and having other dogs share the water, etc. We’ve been using incontinence pills for several months with mixed success. The most successful thing has been now that it is cool enough (December in Arizona), our dogs stay outside during the day (within in our 6 foot high concrete fenced yard with plenty of cover!). She won’t do pads/diapers etc. and really otherwise doesn’t seem to be slipping despite being 13. Certainly we use both oral as well as vaginal estrogen for this problem in postmenopausal women, but I had never heard of it with dogs before. Hmmmmm?
