Urinary incontinence. Spayed bitch

PapaFrita

PapaFrita

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I've posted on this topic before. Ulla, my 4 year old Dobermann bitch is 'leaking'. This is evident from wee on her bed. I learnt on this forum that this is not uncommon for certain breeds, once spayed.
I spoke to my vet about this and they said they couldn't do anything. Then they told me I should bring her in so they could check her out...
This annoys me a wee bit. Does this mean that they really can't do anything for her but would like to get my cash for looking her over and confirming that they can't do anything? or will they miraculously provide a cure once I've paid for a proper checkup? I usually have an excellent relationship with my vets and all my family are excellent payers, to the point that I feel comfortable just popping round and asking for advice.
I've read that drugs ARE available for treating this problem, Phenylpropanolamine, for instance.
I'd quite like some advice as to how to proceed. Obviously I'm perfectly willing to take my dog to the vet, but the vet's attitude (not my usual practitioner) has irritated me a bit. Suggestions please? Another vet, perhaps?
Thank you
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I took my three year old spayed bitch to the vets last week, as she "leaks" without knowing it, when she is asleep.
The vet says she has poor muscle tone in her urethra, and has put her on INCURIN tablets which should help the muscle tone. Already, I am noticing a difference - husband is not swearing when he steps in yet another puddle with no slippers on!
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I hope you can get some proper help with this, as it is miserable for both dog and owner.
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I am surprised at your vet's reaction! There are plenty of things that can be done!

Firstly try getting a clean urine sample first thing in the morning to check for an infection. As Air78 says, this can be easily treated with antibiotics and could be the end of the problem.

Another frequent cause of incontinence in bitches is problems with muscle control, anything with phenylpropanolamine hydrochloride (PPA) like PROPALINE, should be able to sort this out for you (unless your bitch has heart problems and is on heart medication in which case do not give PPA, although I assume this is not the case for a young dog).

Another possible treatment deals with hormone related urinary incontinence (only in neutered bitches) and is treated with Oestriol (a type of oestrogen) by drugs such as INCURIN.

Either way I think there are a lot of options out there and these are only the ones I know about (as you can probably tell I have a leaky bitch!) and I think you vet should be more proactive about this!
 
our vet did a test with our leaky border terrier where dye was introduced and then xrays to see whether anything was malformed/escaping. But it wasnt, it was just muscle control.

We were offered propalin but decided to live with the issue (which is more damp patch than pools) as she was only 6 months old, and I didnt fancy 15+ years on drugs for a healthy animal just for my convenience. We also keep her back end well clipped so that she doesnt get all matted or uncomfy.

Instead we invested in about a hundred rugs to protect sofas and laps. Im glad we did, but can see it depends on the severity!

Do push the vets, they are someimes a bit keen on magic pills and insurance work and not enough on investigation....
 
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