Incontinence in Young Female Lab

Discussion in 'Labrador Health' started by Joanna L., Aug 28, 2019.

  1. Joanna L.

    Joanna L. Registered Users

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    My 2.5 year old spayed female lab has been wetting her bed lately. We take her out often and she waits by the door if she needs to go out, so we did not know why it was happening but assumed it was not intentional since it was always on her bed. I took her to the vet in May to make sure she did not have a UTI - she did not. The vet said it could be incontinence, although that is typically seen in older dogs. We kept an eye on her and it still kept happening off and on - sometimes daily, other times once a week or so. We took her back to the vet this week to have blood work done to make sure everything else is fine and everything is, so again the vet said it is likely incontinence and prescribed 50mg of Proin 2x/day. I gave her the first dose tonight and she threw up twice and in general seems a bit unsettled. I don't want to keep giving it to her (especially after reading about other side effects online), so I am wondering if anyone else has had a dog with incontinence and if they found anything that helps?
     
  2. lucy@labforumHQ

    lucy@labforumHQ Administrator Forum Supporter

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    Hi Joanna,

    Sorry to hear you are dealing with this in such a young dog. I have heard of female dogs having incontinence issues after spaying, but I don't have any direct personal experience I'm afraid.

    If I were you i'd call the vet regarding her reaction to the drug they have prescribed, see if there is an alternative if it's potentially an ongoing issue, and depending upon their response maybe seek a second opinion from another veterinarian.

    Let us know how you get along, and best of luck,

    Lucy x
     
  3. SianMJ

    SianMJ Registered Users

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    I had a Toller retriever with spay incontinence, she was a rescue and spayed before I got her . She would leak urine in her sleep or at rest sometimes before we knew what was going on. We had to give her incurin every day and it worked well. Could you ask the vet to consider if this may be a cause?
     
  4. Joanna L.

    Joanna L. Registered Users

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    I talked to the vet and they said she may just have a sensitive stomach and to try giving her the meds 30 minutes after she eats instead of at the same time she eats. We have done that for the last 3 days and she has been fine. We are keeping an eye on her to make sure she does not develop any other side effects. I hate to have to give her medication every day, but I also hate that she is constantly laying in her own urine. And yes, I believe it is happening due to her being spayed.
     
  5. edzbird

    edzbird Registered Users

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    My bosses 5 year old lab suffers from post-spay incontinence. She was put on to hormone meds which were effective. They got to reducing the dose as instructed and the incontinence came back. I think her dose has been upped again.
     
  6. Joanna L.

    Joanna L. Registered Users

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    I just asked my vet if there were any alternatives I should look into since it seems my Kona will need to stay on some type of medication for this issue. He said the 3 medications are Proin, Incurin and DES. I am trying to determine if we should keep her on Proin or try one of the other two. Did you dog have any issues on Incurin? Kona has not had any reactions since the initial dose since we started giving her the meds 30 minutes after she eats, but her reaction to that first dose still makes me a bit uneasy.
     
  7. SianMJ

    SianMJ Registered Users

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    Hello, no didn’t have any problems with her on Incurin , as far as I’m aware, she was on it for around 8 years. she didn’t seem to have any of the short or long term side effects listed. This link may be of interest??? https://www.drugs.com/vet/incurin-tablets.html

    Hope all is well with your dog
     
  8. Bellasmum

    Bellasmum Registered Users

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    Hi Joanna L. I’ve just joined and am devastatingly having this issue with Bella and started Premarin today. How is your girl now?
     
  9. Joanna L.

    Joanna L. Registered Users

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    Hi, I'm sorry to hear that your Bella is dealing with the same issue! Thankfully, Kona has not had any more issues with incontinence since she has been on Proin, but she does seem a lot more irritable as a side effect of the medication. She barks more and does things she didn't used to - for example, she will bark to be let outside, I will let her out, then she will bark to come right back in. She will come in and a few minutes later want to be let out again, and this time she will actually stay outside for a little while. She does this a few times a day. She rarely barked before. Our vet said it could be a side effect and suggested reducing the medication a bit, so we reduced it to 25 mg 2x/day, but have not noticed any difference in behavior. He said there are other medications we can try, but they all have their own side effects and some of those side effects might be worse, so for now we are sticking with Proin. We also have continued to give her the medication 30 minutes after her meals, and she has not had any other vomiting issues or upset stomach since the initial dose. Kona just turned 3 a week ago and it seems she is young for this to be happening.
     
  10. TEE

    TEE Registered Users

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    Sadly it seems an unwelcomed side effect of spraying young dogs, in particular too early. Most dogs end on some sort of meds with mixed results. Personally find the decision on spraying dogs warrants more careful considerations and not left to vet alone. People should get male dogs if they are considering this as a convenience of avoiding risk of puppies. Not intended to offend anyone but help raise awareness
     
  11. Angela Beckett

    Angela Beckett Registered Users

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    Hello, I'm reading ALOT of posts about spaying incontinence. My female is 2 yrs 4mnths old and about to be spayed in the next 2 days time. I'm wondering if it's worth it? Although the seasons can be difficult, sometimes very difficult but not being funny but it's hard enough renting with a well behaved dog, (which she is at the mo) let alone the house starting to smell of dog pee?? Plus as iv read on various posts after meds for incontinence looks like it could change there behaviour??
    REALLY DONT KNOW IF I SHOULD GO AHEAD NOW
     
  12. Edp

    Edp Registered Users

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    I've had 3 bitches spayed with no problems at all. It is a side effect, but not that common.
     

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