# Urinary Incontinence



## EchoGSD (Mar 12, 2010)

Anyone dealing with, or have dealt with, this? Echo is 5 years old, was spayed at 20 months. She was a excited/submissive pee-er (would urinate and roll over when excited) until around 24 months, then it seemed to resolve as she matured. Recently (last few months) we've seen sporadic bouts of incontinence in the form of leaking when she is sleeping or resting. Sometimes a small amount, other times a very large amount. She appears to have no control or even awareness of it. She also urinates a great deal on walks now, whereas before it was very difficult to encourage her to urinate on leash, ever. She drinks more water than the other dogs, but she is much more active than they are, and doesn't tolerate heat as well as they do. She is otherwise fine: good haircoat, normal appetite, no weight loss, etc. Stools are normal, no vomiting. We've had her examined; no problem with the UA, bloodwork was normal. She's never uncomfortable and never strains to urinate, so doc doesn't think stones are an issue. 
We may be starting her on meds soon, just wondering waht has worked for any of you...


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## Heidigsd (Sep 4, 2004)

My first GSD had spay incontinence and our vet in Germany put her on DES and she was on it for 12 years and it worked.

Nikki also has it  She was spayed right at a year old and just recently we noticed that she also is leaking urine. We just started her on Proin, our vet said it has less side effects then the DES. I hope it works for and we won't have to go on the DES.

Michaela


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Just get to the vet and figure out what meds will work the best for your dog. This isn't uncommon in bitches after they are spayed and with the pills it clears up right away.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

It does sound like spay incontinence - especially since it happens mostly when she is resting or sleeping. Keeta has spay incontinence and I noticed that she is more likely to have a leaking incident after heavy exercise. I think your dog drinking more has to do with her being more active, and thus drinking more + being more tired after being active = leaking incidents. 

The first thing to do would be a vet visit to rule out UTI, then decide on how to treat it. After trying the DES, I opted to not medicate (medication didn't work all that well for her anyways), and found out quite by accident that keeping Keeta on an all raw diet keeps her incontinence almost 100% under control, with only the very occasional incident here or there. But it has to be an all raw diet for her - home-cooked, or high-quality grainless kibble still causes leaking. A few dog treats here and there is fine. 

Interesting about the DES - my on-line research showed more long-term side-effect with the Proin than the DES, one of the reasons I opted not to go that route. Though both are widely used without any issues, so don't want to discourage the use of medication if it works for you, just wanted to throw out some alternative options to try.


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## Anja1Blue (Feb 27, 2008)

I had the same problem with a girl (Akita/Chow mix) we had years ago. I don't like using things like Proin or DES so I went the holistic route - I had very good results with a product named Leaks No More made by Homeopet. It's usually available in health stores which have a pet section, or you can Google it for more info.
_________________________________________-
Susan

Anja SchH3 GSD
Conor GSD
Blue BH WH T1 GSD - waiting at the Bridge :angel:


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

yes. DES. But she actually stopped doing it so we took her off years ago. Not sure why she only did it for a little while.


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## EchoGSD (Mar 12, 2010)

Thanks, guys! Proin is what was suggested for Echo; we'll try that and hope it helps. She doesn't understand why she's no longer allowed to join us up on the couch!


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## Heidigsd (Sep 4, 2004)

> She doesn't understand why she's no longer allowed to join us up on the couch!


I didnt' have the heart to kick Nikki of the furniture. 

So, we now have a new waterproof mattress pad and I ordered baby mattress pad covers for the living room furniture and put some microfiber furniture covers on top :laugh:

Michaela


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

I would give some fresh ground flaxseeds for the phytoestrogens.

Would also check for any extra sulfur in the diet, like eggs, garlic, msm, etc., as that can sometimes cause this.


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## jova1251 (Apr 4, 2010)

*incontinence*

My 3 yr. old spayed female is incontinent. What is Proin and DES? She mostly leaks while sleeping or when she gets excited (when she sees me pull into the driveway). I've had bloodwork done on her within the past three months and she is A-ok. Eats well, plays till she drops, and is overall a very healthy dog. Believe it or not, it bothers her more than me! She avoids any area where she leaked - as if she's ashamed of it. I would prefer not to medicate her - which is what the Vet had suggested. Are there any other options or do I go with the mattress pads!!!!


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## Marnie (Oct 11, 2011)

My old border collie went thru that. Her problems occurred while she slept. We considered the Proin but chose not to go that route because of the side effects. In desperation, I researched homeopatic remedies. Found a product called HomeoPet Leaks No More, 15 ml from Amazon. The reviews were wonderful and it really, really worked for us. You measure it out by the drop--I put it on doggie cookies. For example, we started with 15 drops I think twice a day. The problem was resolved in just a couple days and then we decreased the dossage until we arrived at a maintenance level. It's worth a try to avoid the Proin. It's about $12 a bottle and goes a long way. I got some doggie diapers to avoid messes while the medicine took effect.


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## jova1251 (Apr 4, 2010)

I ordered the Leaks No More. Hope it works.


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## GatorBytes (Jul 16, 2012)

Go to rickaz80 post about incontinence...Stay away from the drugs.

It, as you have read is not uncommon for females who have been fixed. The likely hood of this is a reduced production of Estrogen.

Estrogen is also produced by the liver and adrenal glands (which balance hormones)...This could be an early warning sign of something deeper going on the body with either the liver or the adrenals.

evening primrose oil stimultes estrogen and is an essential fatty acid


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## Anieris (May 1, 2015)

Heidigsd said:


> My first GSD had spay incontinence and our vet in Germany put her on DES and she was on it for 12 years and it worked.
> 
> Nikki also has it  She was spayed right at a year old and just recently we noticed that she also is leaking urine. We just started her on Proin, our vet said it has less side effects then the DES. I hope it works for and we won't have to go on the DES.
> 
> Michaela


I know this is an older thread...but you mentioned your first GSD has spay incontinence. How soon after the spay did the leaking start? And how long after Nikki was spayed did she start leaking urine too? 

I'm trying to find more information on younger dogs that have leaked urine not just the older dogs.


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## GSDCrazy1787 (Sep 26, 2015)

I don't know if this will help but Dante had a bout of UTI's and my trainer recommended for me to give him Solid Gold Berry Balance and Ascorbic Acid along with some cranberry juice in his meals. 
All these supplements strengthen the urinary tract. He hasn't had a UTI since!


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